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May 15, 2007

No Sleep 'Til Clinton Hill: Yauch on Washington?

219wash0507.jpg yauch101.jpg
The celebrity drumbeat goes on in Clinton Hill. One open house go-er spotted Beastie Boy Adam Yauch along with wife and daughter admiring the crown moldings and exposed brick walls at 219 Washington Avenue on Sunday afternoon. (Corcoran would not confirm.) The 3,800-square-foot house, which has been on the market for $2,395,000 since the beginning of May, is just a few doors down from the brownstone that Queer Eye host Ted Allen recently purchased. Decorating tips, anyone?
219 Washington Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark
'Queer' Guy Snags Washington Avenue B-stone [Brownstoner]
Photo by pony ride




Posted by Brownstoner at 8:58 AM | Comments (42)

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Comments

i saw that place...beautiful, but what's the deal with the toilet in the shower?

Posted by: anon at May 15, 2007 9:13 AM

You gotta fight

For your right

To brownnnnnstone.

It's gonna take some kind of celeb to pay that much money for this house--although it is, indeed, pretty sweet. I was wrong before when I posted that it is a narrow building (which I did based solely on the floorplans provided by the seller). It is actually a nice-and-juicy 22 feet, at least, airy, spacious, and air-conditioned. But the asking price is a good $700K more than anyone has yet paid for a stone in the Hill. Pretty aggressive.

Posted by: Bob999 at May 15, 2007 9:13 AM

So MCA is headed back to Brooklyn? I hope they play smaller venues in Bklyn esp with their new album out soon.

Posted by: DumboNYC at May 15, 2007 9:14 AM

where do the beastie boys live now?

Posted by: anon at May 15, 2007 9:31 AM


he lives in Soho

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 9:43 AM


actually, i take that back

I confused him for one the other b-boys

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 9:45 AM

The floorplan has its flaws. there is no powder room on the parlor level, guests have to use the second floor bathroom, and there is no real dining room. I like the loft-like master bedroom. I would imagine a celeb or uber-rich banker would re-arrange the interior and spread out into the garden level. The orig dets look v. nice.
A lot of money tho.

Posted by: Serge at May 15, 2007 9:50 AM

you're outside my house and you know that's whack.

Posted by: anon at May 15, 2007 9:54 AM

I love the beastie boys. paul's boutique was one of the best albums. ever. I welcome this kind of low key celeb. people with talent. that seems to be what distinguishes the celebs who move to bklyn - the ones with talent and class. good on 'em. also seems more likely that someone like that would fit into the fabric of this diverse, creative and beloved neighborhood.

Posted by: miss priss at May 15, 2007 10:07 AM

Bob999, I'm almost positive brownstones in clinton hill have gone for more than 1.695 million. Certain large houses have gone for more than that, even breaking two million - but as for your four story brownstones, I'm pretty sure somme have gone for more than 1.7 million too, so saying it's 700K over any previous brownstone sale is probably overstating it a bit.

I do think it is quite expensive though, but I wouldn't be surprised if it sold above $2million.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 10:30 AM

Bob -- There is no way that house is 22 feet wide.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 10:33 AM

You're right 10:33. It is 21 ft wide.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 10:39 AM

The floor plan on Corcoran's website shows that its slightly over 18 feet. I was in the house and it is certainlly less than 20, but feels slightly wider due to the center stair case.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 11:00 AM

Pretty sure the house on Washington two houses in from Dekalb that Brooklyn Properties had on the market last year went for $2 mil or thereabouts...

Posted by: Brownstoner at May 15, 2007 11:07 AM

Y'all know that The Beastie Boys are from Brooklyn, right? They grew up in brownstones and Adam Yauch went to Murrow.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 11:24 AM

Actually Mike D grew up on Central Park West, but he went to St. Ann's

Posted by: bianca at May 15, 2007 11:34 AM

A standard brownstone, like this one, is built on a 20-foot wide lot, That means that after deducting the thickness of the party walls, you're left with an interior dimension of about 18'8", slightly more on the top floor as the party walls get thinner.

Posted by: anonymous at May 15, 2007 11:38 AM

Adam is a Brooklyn Heights boy, grew up on state street, father was THE brownstone renovation architect of choice in the 70's (open floor plans, exposed brick, track lighting, ficus trees), and Adam went to Brooklyn Friends through middle school.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 11:51 AM

regardless of the width, the house is beautiful...worthy of a beastie boy. i am a little perplexed about the toilet in the shower but i'd be ok with it-- if i could afford it.

Posted by: anon at May 15, 2007 12:10 PM

so i asked the broker about the toilet in the shower and she said that the owners wanted it that way...can anyone think of a reason why? Who likes a wet seat?

Posted by: perplexed at May 15, 2007 12:53 PM

Hmm.. a toilet IN the shower... It's dry when you need to use it - it gets cleaned while you shower and offers some extra seating in the shower for the elderly or for sleepy mornings.

Not a terrible idea...

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 1:12 PM

Anon 10:30, that's exactly what I'm saying: 2.4 (almost) minus 1.7 equals $700,000, and 1.7 is the highest price I've seen in the Hill for a 4-story stone (and that was just a few months ago). I could be wrong, natch. As for the width, I'm the one that was arguing the joint was skinny a week or so ago. I'm not going to argue it much more except to say that I think maybe the floorplan widths are wrong. I went to the open house and it felt wider than my 20-footer. But hey, it ain't the wand, it's the magician, right? Or maybe that's because of the center hall stair?

Posted by: bob999 at May 15, 2007 1:17 PM

A toilet in the shower?
Is that for like multi-tasking?
How very very eccentric.

Posted by: anonymous at May 15, 2007 1:21 PM

Sorry, I don't understand, why do people keep referring to a center hall stair? Maybe I don't know what that means... please explain. In the floorplans the staircase looks to me like it's in the exact same place as in my own 20' home.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 1:21 PM

Hi Bob999, I'm the 10.30 poster. I understood what you mean, and do think this is expensive, but I think there have been sales above 1.7 for a brownstone in Clinton Hill, maybe in the $2million range as bstoner noted above. All in all, I don't see why we won't start seeing more places in prime Clinton Hill going around $2million since that is what your starting to see a lot of in FG a couple of blocks away. It will always depend on the house and block, but there is no reason why these prices won't become more common in my opinion, for four story brownstones.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 1:35 PM

So was the father Robert Yauch?
Omygod, I remember him.
He really was the original brownstone doctor.

Posted by: Serge at May 15, 2007 1:54 PM

I liked the house that was on the market last year (Brooklyn Prop or A&H) on that block--the dark brown frame with blue trim and a cute little porch? That house started at 1.4, finally went down to around 1.2. I would have bought it but my hubby wanted to stay in the Slope... It's a good block but over $2 mill?? I'm amazed that prices keep going up! AYE?

Posted by: anon in S Slope at May 15, 2007 2:05 PM

I know the wood framed shingled house you mention S Slope. That place has been on and off the market at least twice in the last five years, so maybe there was something up there. Plus it had little in the way of detail.

I'm not surprised prices keep going up. I think Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights are still undervalued relative to tonier nabes.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 2:11 PM

One of my most treasured possessions is an autographed LP cover of License to Ill that leads off "Rob & Sean -Good Lookin, October '87"

Gotta love when the B-Boy's drop about growing up in NYC:

Ad-Rock: "Well I'm from Manhattan and MCA's from Brooklyn, yeah, MCA, your shit be cooking"

Mike D: "Every morning took the train to the High Street Station, doing homework on the train what a fucked-up situation"

That last album was unlistenable though. Ugh. Don't ch-ch-ch-checkitout.

Posted by: Paul Revere at May 15, 2007 2:35 PM

Nice to see all the Brownstoners showing off their stret cred.

Hey Mr. B,

If someone starts quoting from Cookie Puss, shut the string down. Okay?

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 3:15 PM

Here's another fun Beastie fact...they started out as a punk band. Adam Yauch is a year older than me and all this talk of his father being the original brownstoner is making me feel really old!

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 4:09 PM

i don't know if his father was the original brownstoner, but his name is Noel Yauch, not Robert.

Posted by: wtf at May 15, 2007 4:45 PM

"out pickin pockets at the Atlantic Antic, no one wants to hear you cause your rhymes are getting frantic"

On the "roots down" video, you can see Adrock wearing the original "O'keefe's" tshirt- under the name it says "brooklyn heights"...I have pictures of me drinking there when i was 14 taken by an old black dude named "Flash" who used an old fashioned polariod camera and sold pics... those were the days..
Yauch's parents have lived in Cobble Hill for awhile.

Posted by: lifer at May 15, 2007 5:04 PM

If he moves in to the hood, we'll be about 2 degrees of separation from Angelina and Brad blessing us with their little brood of enlightened beings. Get ready for some real estate price whiplash, all you CH lovers.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 7:06 PM

Noel Yauch! that's right, my bad.


Posted by: Serge at May 15, 2007 7:12 PM

FYI before Murrow Adam went to Brooklyn Friends (BFS for us insiders). His parents still live here as well

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 7:28 PM

They were a punk band- fun fact? Doesn't everyone know that cookie puss?

I saw him about two years ago walking down 8th Ave in the Slope with a stroller.

Before that he was messing with my sister in Silver Lake LA- oh no that was her dream or was it the other Adam B-boy? One of them lived there.

Posted by: drunkenstooper at May 15, 2007 8:01 PM

Is Noel Yauch still in business? He seems to have jumped on the Brooklyn Brownstone bandwagon early on. Perhaps he could offer insight/perspective on whats happened in Brownstone Brooklyn since.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 8:28 PM

Oh you are all so mature on this sight! Who cares??

Posted by: anon at May 15, 2007 9:34 PM

Brad and Angelina already buys hair care products from Carol's Daughter on Dekalb by the park. Hmmm, I'm ready for the whiplash (I think).

Posted by: Anonymous at May 15, 2007 9:47 PM

You meant "site", right? If maturity can't spell, I'd rather be infantile.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 16, 2007 10:17 AM

you kidding? He's so cool, it doesn't even matter how old you are. some creatives are just infinitely cooler than others and he is that! we can all adore.

Posted by: Anonymous at May 16, 2007 12:25 PM

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