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June 20, 2007

House of the Day: 272 Halsey Street

This four-story brownstone at 272 Halsey in Bedford Stuyvesant caught our eye because it's been in the same family for seven decades. Other than a newish kitchen, the house looks like unusually intact, with some killer woodwork and fireplaces. The fact that it's a one-family may be a drawback—most prospective buyers are going to need help paying the mortgage given the asking price of $1,175,000, which seems on the high side to us. In addition to the house's lineage, the listing is noteworthy for the fact that it may be the first time we've seen proximity to Food Town and Applebee's listed as an amenity on a million-dollar property.
272 Halsey Street [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

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Comments

snarky mc snark snark.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 1:43 PM

Egads, those are "amenities"? Is that word a synonym for "carbunkle" in some dialect of which I am unaware?

Posted by: Murderface at June 20, 2007 1:57 PM

all wealthy land barrons shot at food town and eat there melas at applebees.

just that fact alone tells you if those are your choices in the hood then this place is worht about 400k tops

Posted by: mike at June 20, 2007 1:57 PM

all wealthy land barrons shop at food town and eat there melas at applebees.

just that fact alone tells you if those are your choices in the hood then this place is worht about 400k tops

Posted by: mike at June 20, 2007 1:57 PM

Your comments are idiotic, and since I have been here I sill have not been to either of the places Cocoran calls amenities. I shop at the PS Food co-op and have been doing so for over 15 years and I am able to dine at the local resturants and cafes owned by some of my neighbors. I await your racist and biggoted comments.
ps You will not find anything in this area for $400k, and if you do buy it so you will have a place to escape the congestion and traffic and noise awaiting Park Slope and the surrounding areas.
ps I have been in houses in Bed Stuy that still have Tiffany stained glass in place, so eat your hearts out suckers.

Posted by: anon at June 20, 2007 2:20 PM

Wrong, keyboard challenged mike. You obviously have never set foot anywhere near this house.

OK, price is way too high, for a number of reasons. Most going back to our discussion the other day about the Stuy Hts house, and an excellent post about pricing in upcoming nabes yesterday. You can't price 2007 houses when the neighborhood has not caught up to 2013 prices. It may be good for the seller, and the agent, but not for the neighborhood. But it certainly is not worth "400k tops", that is absurd and insulting to the people who held on to it for generations. I assume that if it doesn't sell, Corcoran will, as they are forced to do in any neighborhood, will come back down to earth. Let's discuss the merits of the house, not people's ignorance from whence they so often speak.

On the other point, the rather snarky Foodtown/Applebees comments - this community is proud and happy to have both of them. Foodtown is the best supermarket around for miles, and that includes all of the markets in Clinton Hill, Ft Greene, and beats all of the Key Foods anywhere. They sell decent produce, meat and vegetarian products, and deliver through on line orders. They also have a deli and fresh baked goods. For us here in the hood, where we have had to either endure substandard groceries or go out of the neighborhood to shop, this is a godsend. It may not be Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, but it's a definite step up.

Applebee's ain't Le Cirque, but like Foodtown, they made a commitment and took a chance on our community and put their money down. Since all of the gourmands on this blog wouldn't sully their tastebuds on such pedestrian fare, many in BS are glad that we finally have a sit down, served by a waiter, real silverware and plates restaurant. Yeah, we'd like better, more variety, some non-chain places, but again, we at least are starting to get something. This represents jobs in the community, and a beginning of an economic renaissance for Bed Stuy. Hopefully some other culinary entrepeneurs will follow, as well as more varied fare, followed by better and varied shopping locations for all kinds of products. It has to start somewhere, and I'm glad to see them, and patronize both, because they deserve to stay.

Posted by: Brower Park at June 20, 2007 2:29 PM

Killer woodwork is right, it's gorgeous. Are the rooms other than the kitchen so unsightly that we don't get even one little pic? From a brokerage firm that's known for flooding its listings with pictures, I'm a little suspicious...

Posted by: zeebee at June 20, 2007 2:31 PM

Corcoran as it is spelled should do better work in an area they are obviously unfamiliar with so as to get their price. This area has recently opened 15 new businesses of a boutique variety and at least one of them - Le Toukouleur - very possibly could be the best new eatery in the borough. Applebees I'm sure!

Posted by: Anon at June 20, 2007 2:34 PM

"In addition to the house's lineage, the listing is noteworthy for the fact that it may be the first time we've seen proximity to Food Town and Applebee's listed as an amenity on a million-dollar property."

Hahahahaha! I laughed so hard that I fell off my chair! That was classic! LOL! :-)

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 2:47 PM

It seems very expensive for a relatively modest house in Beford Stuyvesant. The exterior looks like it needs work too -when you walk by.
It is certainly a lovely house. I love the idea that millionaires are now buying houses in the neighborhood. What is that going to be like?

Posted by: Sam at June 20, 2007 2:47 PM

Mike, next time you decide to lob inane insults, please use English. Or at least Spell Check.

The house looks beautiful, if a bit ovepriced. But, then, I guess the market will decide that.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 2:54 PM

Brower Park, please check out these places that use flatware:
Folukie on Bedford ave
Bassam on Lewis ave
Brooks Valley on Tompkins
Solomons Porch on Stuyvesant
Le Toukouleur on Bedford ave
Common Grounds on Tompkins
bushbaby on Fulton
Food 4 Thought on Marcus Garvey
Please disregard those who can't see a trend even though it happened in Boerum Hill (glad we got something on Smith in the mid 80's for under 190k), Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill (where something sold for 3million) and this is the last chance to get the best that brownstone Brooklyn has to offer for < a million and they are talking mess. See you guys in 5-10 years we be selling what we started accumulating in the 80's in Bed Stuy; and by the way the rent on those Smith st. apts. was approx. $80. a month now we get over $1,600., guess where we live?. There is no walnut or etched glass or twelve foot ceilings in the building on Smith, and right down to the grandkids have the choice. :)

Posted by: anon at June 20, 2007 2:55 PM

Don't get ahead of yourself Sam. A million dollar sale does not mean the buyer is a millionaire.

Posted by: lp at June 20, 2007 2:57 PM

< million.

Posted by: anon at June 20, 2007 3:00 PM

Ip, that is very true, but there are few people in Bed Stuy that own enough property outside and inside of Bed Stuy from purchase and inheritance that clearly make them millionaires and Bed Stuy residents. Check the dept. of records, and when you see the same name popping up on multiple properties and the home address is Bed Stuy chances are they beat the odds, and yes they are super human.

Posted by: anon at June 20, 2007 3:07 PM

Que "melas"?

Posted by: anon at June 20, 2007 3:09 PM

If you had ever been to that FoodTown, you would know that it is a worthy amenity. It's an enormous, wide-aisled supermarket that's adding more organic offerings all the time. Certainly more of a one-stop shop than anyplace in Ft. Greene or Clinton Hill. But it's beyond lame that Corcoran would try to hype Applebees, especially when there are plenty of cute, non-chain places now (including Brooks Valley which would be a block away from this house - and Common Grounds, a coffee place with great Belgian waffles, 2 or 3 blocks away).

Posted by: anonymous at June 20, 2007 3:11 PM

Anon 2:55, you are, of course, correct, and I have enjoyed meals at most of these places, and I welcome them all. Bed Stuy is so large, many of them aren't too close to this house, (or mine either, dammit) but I get your point. It just riles me to see any attempt to better the nabe in any way looked down on because it doesn't measure up to some lofty standard by people who have never been here. 'Nuff said.

Posted by: Brower Park at June 20, 2007 3:15 PM

@ 3:09

You know...Sarah, the object of Hitch's affection.

Posted by: Albert at June 20, 2007 3:25 PM

Greg Tood is an idiot! Corcoran should fire him on the spot for being so ill informed and market dysfunctional!

I agree with the above poster who correctly stated that this "area has recently opened 15 new businesses of a boutique variety and at least one of them - Le Toukouleur - very possibly could be the best new eatery in the borough."

Why would a seller give such a great listing to someone so obviously clueless about the nabe?!?

On another note, I agree that greedy brokers are killing the momentum in upcoming nabes such as Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights North. To quote a comment from one of yesterday’s thread on CHN, “Fort Greene is successful because prices stayed low enough for a long enough period of time to bring into the nabe a critical mass of gentrifiers to really make a difference. Newly minted fringe nabes are having a more difficult time keeping up with the gentrification momentum because prices have risen too high too quickly.

If a buyer is paying $1M to move into Bed-Stuy, Crown Heights North and PLG then that property should be in mint/move in condition. What's holding up and coming neighborhoods like BS, CHN and PLG is greedy brokers who are gasing up the heads of sellers by telling them that their homes should command Clinton Hill/Fort Greene prices; nabes which are also predominantly black with equally superior housing stock.
But the problem is BS, CHN and PLG is about 5 to 7 years behind the curve. No one paid 2003 prices in Fort Greene in 1998. But folks are being asked to pay 2012 prices in BS, CH and PLG in 2007."

I couldn't agree anymore. I love Bed-Stuy and I think that it's a beautiful community with major upside but what the fuck is going on with management at Corcoran? Why price out the very same people who have taken Bed-Stuy to the level where the nabe can command $1M for a single family home? Bed-Stuy has about 6,000 brownstones, more than any other community in the country. Wouldn't it make more sense to sell 1,000 homes at $600k-750k as opposed to 25 above $1M. At a certain point, you will shut out everyone looking to move into the neighborhood.

Let's be realistic here, there is a threshold breaking point where folks with money will not live in an area that is predominantly black and still riddled with issues of crime, drugs and poverty. For the right price, people will live anywhere, but let's be mindful of the fact that growth and development should occur slowly and organically. Yes, Bed-Stuy brownstone are equal to the best townhouses found in Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights. However, Bed-Stuy is still undeserving of even Fort Greene and Clinton Hill prices until the nabe further improves.

Is this fair? Yes. Not everyone is planning to take the money and run in Bed-Stuy (as was the case in Fort Greene). There will still be some longstanding homeowners who will not sell - just yet. For example, those who needed the money and sold $25k brownstones for $750k in Fort Greene still made out like bandits. On the flip side, those who didn't need the money held out and now have properties worth over $2M. That's life but still everyone wins.

The real estate boom in Brooklyn is the greatest form of income redistribution in favor of people of color in the history of our nation. It's allowed relatively low income black families to reap substantial windfalls in real estate. However, the natural progression of this phenomenon can only continue to occur and help thousands of black families if pricing occurs sensibly and intelligently. Again, current pricing models used by the big brokerage houses are killing this momentum by putting the wagon in front of the horse. Corcoran, $1.75M for a brownstone in close proximity to Foodtown and Applebees? How stupid can you be?

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 3:29 PM

It's 1.175, not 1.75, but good points, Anon 3:29.

Posted by: anonymous at June 20, 2007 3:33 PM

@ 3:29 - well said

Posted by: Do'n and not Die'n in Bed Stuy at June 20, 2007 3:34 PM

Yes, makes total sense. If 1,000 brownstone trade at $650k-$750k in Bed-Stuy thereby creating a critical mass of new entrants who will bring about new energy and a different level of commitment into the community, the next 1,000 homes easily sell between $750k and $1.25M, if not higher. However, Corcoran appears more interested in seeing 1 or 2 homes trade at the $850 - $1M mark and immediately pricing all subsequent homes above $1.25M. What's the justification for this practice? Shouldn't hundreds of homes trade within range before up ticking prices to the next level of demand?

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 3:36 PM

They really should have dusted the spindles. The photo selections are highly focused, making one wonder what's going on in the rest of the room.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 3:51 PM

God knows I rag on Corcoran whenever that entity rears its head, but I do know a couple of the brokers, and Greg Todd is one of them. He is a dedicated community minded activist in Crown Heights North, and has really been on the front lines for a great deal of the good work that has happened here in the last couple of years. He also put his money where his mouth is, and moved to Crown Heights when he was about the only white rice in the gumbo, as it were, and he does know the neighborhood. It is unfortunate that he used Foodtown and Applebee's as the only examples of the good life in BS, and I'm sure when he reads this, he'll change it. I agree that the pricing is way off base, but tend to think that's more corporate Corcoran and perhaps seller's greed, rather than Greg's. In any case, I agree with the rest of 3:29's post, it is absolutely correct.

Posted by: Brower Park at June 20, 2007 4:13 PM

folks who buy million dollar houses in the hood may not be millionaires, but they sure are richer than me.
I actually think the interior looks a little "haunted house" but i know a lot of people love that.
If I had that money,,,, never mind, that's another thread.

Posted by: Sam at June 20, 2007 4:38 PM

A little history on this house. According to the 1900 census this home was first owned by a manufacturer from New York named Daniel Hicks. It looks like this house has only had two families live there in the past 115 years. Buy having two families not a lot of crazy chopping went on like SOOO many other houses in NYC. I think That 1.175 is a bit much I think 800K is a little bit more down to earth. I am sure the blessed person that gets this house will know they have just found Gold.

Posted by: MMM at June 20, 2007 5:42 PM

Though I agree with @ 3:29, the point is that the real estate market is driven by supply and demand. Granted, the supply of brownstones may be greater in BS than other places, but its still a fixed, relatively small amount. Plus, look at the taxes!!!Hence, like the entire market rise over the previous 6 or so years, its irrational in that its $1M for BS, but its simple economics. Especially since the reason NY real estate is so inflated is due to lower crime, i.e., families moving back into the city. Eventually, families will outgrow the tiny apartments in Stuy-Town and Manhattan and want a real house. Hence, the sudden craze in BS. And unless crime goes back up (i.e., when Bloomberg leaves) the trend is likely to continue.

Posted by: Nick at June 20, 2007 5:44 PM

Thank you, 3:29, for bringing some sanity and good reasoning to this discussion.

Posted by: Park Sloper at June 20, 2007 5:58 PM

I agree Anon 5:44PM.

However, selling two or three homes in an area for about $900k does not justify raising prices to $1.2M for an average BS home. we are not talking about a substantial number of sales to insist that demand is so high that it dictates that prices go up 20% every year. Only a small handful of brownstones are coming up for sale on Bed-Stuy's prime areas (e.g., Stuyvesant and Bedford Heights), yet with each passing sale (after languishing on the market for months at a time) home values are being raised by $100-$200k. That's insane. At this rate when the 100th brownstone trades hands in prime BS since 2000 (probably about 2010), by logical extension you can expect the seller to get north of $3M for the house which would leave the remainding 5,900 homes in BS worth north of $2.5M. Do you really think this makes any economic sense? Bed-Stuy has too many brownstones and the area is too far behind other more established hoods to command these prices. I live in the community and I want prices to go higher as much as the next guy but I understand that it must happen in an organic and pragmatic way - slowly overtime. At 800k+ this house would be priced accurately. $1.175M is retarded. If that is indeed the market then the grand homes on Stuyvesant Avenue should be worth about $2.5M.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 6:21 PM

If you bought you house for under $100k and are looking to sell a townhouse for $1M+ in less than perfect Bed-Stuy then I expect the house to be in triple mint condition with a well appointed kitchen and modern baths with state of the arts appliances and amenities. But typically you don't get this in the hood. What you get is a great house on a beautifully kept block but with a kitchen and bath that hasn't been upgraded in over 30 years (if lucky, you get 1990's Home Depot).

Fort Greene and Clinton Houses command the prices that they do because those coming to market now have traded hands two or three times since 1990 and many are being sold with awesome original details, professional kitchens, modern baths and beautifully done outdoor spaces. It's only now that new buyers in BS are spending $500k+ on top notch renovations. When those buyers sell I can indeed support those homes trading at a high premium but now is not the time. $1M+ for an average home in a relatively tough community, hell no (unless in Stuyvesant Heights).

For $1M+ and for all of the headaches associated in being a high paying pioneer in an upcoming nabe, I expect central air and all of the bells and whistles. If not, I expect a deep and substantial discount compared to homes in FG and CH which would put this house at around $800k. In FG and CH the trailblazers got a "first to market" discount advantage, in BS you're expected to pay above market.

In today's Bed-Stuy where newcomers comprise well under 3% of the current nabe, there is no critical mass of gentrifiers in the nabe to justify these prices. Yes, the nabe is getting there but it's a long way away. And for those who will complain that it's racist to demand that black homeowners NOT get prices close to FG and CH then I will offer you this fact: the people who are paying $800k for those townhouses in the hood are not other residents in BS - it's newcomers and yes, trailblazers. If left to those indigenous to the area, we wouldn't pay more for a brownstone then what the rent roll would cover - that's old school BS economics! Just keeping it real.....

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 6:47 PM

so how would you price a far from stuy heights bed stuy on the border of clinton hill home? what would you pay for a solid conditioned--old kitchen and bath home one or two blocks from CH? this is an honest question.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 7:08 PM

You would have to provide for more stats to get an accurate assessment: how many families, how many stories, building and lot size, what specific block, how much original detail, proximity to transportation, nature and character of surrounding blocks, what condition, state of MEP, area comps, broker, area rental rates, finished basement, condition of facade, landscaped yard, proximity to rent stabilized or gov't housing, any vacant lots nearby, zoning, etc.? A multitude of factors must be taken into consideration.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 8:26 PM

Under $900k, this house sells in a few weeks.....

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 8:28 PM

A relative of mine purchased a brownstone in 2006 for 800k in Bed Stuy, and it needed work, she is and always has been black. Perhaps the people who have opinions of black people as being uneducated and poor should realize that many of us have jumped the hurdles and have made great financial and educational accomplishments. Genocide, no I mean gentrification, was not always a positive thing to happen to a country, no I mean neighborhood. Stop talking about crime because if you can read you know who the biggest crooks are. Come to the house tour in October in Bed Stuy if you want to see how some of us live.

Posted by: anon at June 20, 2007 8:35 PM

I have a two family on gates bet Bedford and Nostrand for $840. Double dplx one is renovated and in move in the other needs work. Clinton Hill east?

Posted by: anon at June 20, 2007 8:39 PM

i live in the area that you're asking about, 7:08. the brownstones on our block of greene ave, right off of bedford are going for around a million. the smaller ones are in the nine's. the area is booming, i find it funny when people talk themselves out of buying here, because frankly, those people will be the one's complaining that they missed the boat as in fg/ch...it's not rocket science to buy directly next door to an already gentrified, overpriced area. it's called vision sprinkled with a bit of (recent) historical perspective.

Posted by: anonymous at June 20, 2007 8:40 PM

There's a lot of interesting view points on this house. It looks very nice and the market will soon dictate its price. I think it's harsh to criticize the broker/firm, it may have more to do with the owners having a specific price target in mind before making a move. Frankly, despite the number of brownstones in the area and stories about subprime borrowers soon to "allegedly" be forced to bankruptcy sale, the float of quality homes on the market (i.e. nice block/orignal detail/well maintained) is very slim. And why would one leave the nabe? I admit to having a vested interest as I recently purchased an original house on a nice hancock block and already spent a decent amount to renovate, but even if the market value was to remain stable or even go down I'm still living in 4 times the space of a manh apartment with a yard, a 10-min commute to my downtown work location, next to truely super neighbors, and enjoing the growing list of amenities mentioned so far on this blog (been to them all). That to me is the reason why the grand brownstones of this nabe and its people will continue to attract newcomers.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 20, 2007 8:42 PM

8:39 it's being called westbed, as i've heard it.

Posted by: anonymous at June 20, 2007 8:44 PM

8:42 I am proud of you, the key is supporting the amenities/businesses; the prices will follow.

Posted by: anon at June 20, 2007 9:17 PM

When I was stripping the paint on my Halsey rooming house and I took off the hinge from the door it was stamped 1867, and the frosted glass and burled walnut in the hallways is priceless. These houses were built from mature trees and they cannot be duplicated.

Posted by: anon at June 20, 2007 9:23 PM

We know what we have in Bed Stuy the days of the guy with a shoebox full of many tlking that "all cash" story is history, go get a mortgage and then we can talk.

Posted by: Anon at June 20, 2007 9:26 PM

I am 9:26, excuse the typo it should read ...money talking...

Posted by: Anon at June 20, 2007 9:29 PM

Let's see, If I can apply my Cartesian logic class correctly to brownstone prices.
Park Slope 1970: 200,000 today 3mil
Fort Greene 1980: 200,000 today 2mil
Clinton Hill 1990: 200,000 today 1.5mil
Bed-Stuy 2000: 200,000 2010?
It's not rocket science folks. Talk is cheap. Having the forsight to go all in is simple if you feel good about the endeavor. If you want a brownstone, below a million, do the math and enjoy the ride.

Posted by: Harry Haller at June 20, 2007 10:53 PM

OK, Brooklyn Properties has this in Bed Stuy for 1.1M:
http://www.brooklynproperties.com/house185.htm

And it has this for $719K (New Construction!)
http://www.brooklynproperties.com/house145.htm

The first listing doesn't even compare in quality to the Halsey house, if character and details mean anything to you.

The second listing -- well, it's just plain crap.

Now, I don't know which broker started this over-1m pricing for BEd Stuy, but it looks like it's here and here for good.

My only question is: Anyone know of actual SALES over 1M in this hood?

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 7:27 AM

Halsey is 2nd most viewed on the Corcoran site.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 7:50 AM

the interior photos of that house are dark and depressing looking. applebees tastes good.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 7:50 AM

Harry Haller,
When I was looking for a home in Park Slope in the mid 90's, you could still find a brownstone for under $250k. I couldn't afford that! I believe they were under $100k in the 70's.
I bought a frame in the Slope for under $200 back then and upgraded to my brownstone in Bed Stuy recently.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 8:09 AM

With all the cmments here why read mine? But if you do, if a family of several generations are that "vulnerable" to think that a broker or for that matter "Corcoran" can get that price and are not 'greedy" themselves than I suppose as always you contributors to this emotional soundboard are not truly coming to terms with your own issues. Smile you are not on candid camera.

Posted by: tired of reading at June 21, 2007 8:29 AM

Hey tired, can you translate that into non-psychobabble plain old English? It sounds like there might be an interesting point there, behind the haze of . . . whatever you are or should be taking.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 9:21 AM

I am buying just a few blocks down in Stuyvesant Heights but can someone define what is exactly is Bedford heights. I have heard it mention a few times on several sites and in many local news papers. Is Bedford Heights the beautiful blocks on: Jefferson, Hancock, Halsey, Macon bounded by Stuyvesant and Bedford?
I think the thing that is really hurting this neighborhood is the new construction of the two and three family homes they you find stuck in the middle of a row of brownstones. Developers please STOP… I have notice many of these places just stay vacant. No one wants to live in these houses with the cheap AC units built into the wall. Can the city just buy these places and declare enimate domain and get rid of them or move these houses to Queens or something…

Posted by: MMM at June 21, 2007 10:40 AM

Well I guess I just got my answer on brownstoner's latest headline: Someone just paid almost asking, $ 1.08, for a house in Bed Stuy.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 11:02 AM

wow.. I say let the good time roll $1.08 on greene..yippie.. all this and we haven't even built up ameneties such as Restaurants... Cleaners.. etc

Posted by: anon at June 21, 2007 11:24 AM

MMM - that is the general area of what is called Bedford Heights. This area should be landmarked. That is the only thing that will stop the building of Fedders houses on empty lots. I have nothing against the construction of much needed housing, but some kind of standards need to be set up to prevent these housing atrocities. If the area were landmarked, new buildings would have to be contextural.

Posted by: Brower Park at June 21, 2007 11:33 AM

Organize and make it landmarked! I was talking to one of the LPC guys we're dealing with now, and he said that the strength of LPC was created by the rich ladies of the upper east side who basically whined and bitched until they got their neigbs protected.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 21, 2007 12:06 PM

I see the broker took out the Applebee's reference. Bravo, broker.

Posted by: anonymous at June 21, 2007 12:41 PM

11:24....yes, GO ON, GREENE AVE! we just bought there as well, and it's feeling great to us too. best thing we ever did.

Posted by: anonymous at June 21, 2007 1:07 PM

This area Bedford Heights, should have no problem being landmarked. The architecture is just stunning it really gives other parts of Brooklyn a run for its money in design. Famous Manhattan Architect Montrose W. Morris designed many of the houses/apartments here also 45 Exchange Place and 41 Wall Street in Manhattan. His still standing residence on Hancock Street along with the entire two blocks of Hancock served as his portfolio. Southern Bedford Stuyvesant is very beautiful, Bedford Heights and Stuyvesant Heights…. I can really see another North Slope…

Posted by: MMM at June 21, 2007 1:21 PM

Can we re-visit the $400k comment now that something else in the area has sold for over a million? Come on smart guys!

Posted by: anon at June 21, 2007 2:34 PM

MIKE WHERE ARE YOU? MELAS

Posted by: anon2:34 at June 21, 2007 2:46 PM

That HOTD from a couple of weeks back at 560 Putnam (2 family) is looking pretty attractive at $650,000. What say ye Pundits?

Posted by: Anon at June 21, 2007 2:49 PM

There is a house on Decatur between Throop and Tompkins for sale. Rumor is that it is going for $600 or $650. I heard that it needs work.

Several houses on the block have sold recently including one in the 800s.
On the next block of Decatur, there was a bidding war for one of the houses.

Anyway --- I live on the next block and noticed the sign while walking home.

****no interest in the sale, other than looking for good neighbors. The owner has rented out the house for a while, I believe***

Posted by: BS Christopher Columbus at June 21, 2007 7:44 PM

BS Christopher Columbus the first "gentrifier" reduced the population of Hispaniola from 2 million to about 4,000, so please change your handle out of courtesy for those lost souls. Thanks for the info, and that must be far east on that street for those numbers.

Posted by: Anon at June 21, 2007 8:35 PM

If there is a house at that price buy two.

Posted by: anon at June 21, 2007 8:46 PM

one thing i hate is when people move into an already established neighborhood and give it new names (bedford heights, westbed). these names are not on a map. west of classon ave = clinton hill. east of classon ave = bed-stuy.

Posted by: aj at June 21, 2007 9:08 PM

I don't understand the fuss about the listing prices.

First of all, the seller has the ultimate say so on the price. It's in the agent's interest to list at a price that will sell quickly and to a qualified buyer, as the extra effort/time to get a higher price is not reflected in the commission increase.

Second, the market, not the peanut gallery, will determine the correct price.

Posted by: Pete at June 21, 2007 11:43 PM

to 8:35,
On the subject of Christopher Columbus the "first gentrifier". Let's get the facts straight. Hispianola (now Haiti and Dominican Republic) had nowhere near 2 million inhabitants in the 15th century during Columbus' voyage of discovery, according to the June National Geographic: the entire eastern seaboard of North America didn't have 2 million inhabitants. That's not to discount the fact that early Europeans brought many endemic diseases with them and did indeed cause death, but let's not overstate the numbers.
Secondly, if we are going to indict Christopher Columbus for "gentrifying" the neighborhood, let's indict all of mankind Black, White, Asian for the legacy of conquest and bloodshed that is recorded history (and even unrecorded as scientists believe that homo sapiens promptly made our closest relatives Neanderthal EXTINCT when we moved out of Africa and into Europe.)
Let's not discredit the Mongolian hoardes, or Egyptians, or Nubians or Persians or Mayans for their own brutality and genocidal migrations. Save the selective "white centric" indignation for a more gullable crowd.

Posted by: Antoine Roquetin at June 22, 2007 7:07 AM

the people on the beautiful bed stuy blocks have beautybeautybeauty, tree lined streets and the A train and a growing list of amenities--truly fabulous new neighborhood spots.

the people in not as beautiful yet still brownstone blocks of bed stuy north have proximity to already gentrified neighborhoods. this is why folks will pay a mil. they can't be in williamsburg or clinton hill/fg. this is the next neighborhood over so improvement is inevitable. this is an enviable position to be in--squeezed by williamsburg and ch/fg. (even w/ all of the obvious LACK.) hello?

some of you should take a look at who lives there RIGHT NOW. asian & white pratt students. elderly black women w/ their shopping carts during the week or elegant church hats on sundays. young white moms strolling their kids. afro-chic college educated couples. come and check it out. it's actually exciting.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 22, 2007 7:29 AM

AJ, historically the area that we call Bedford-Stuyvesant today was comprised of two villages: the Village of Bedford and the Village of Stuyvesant (also called Stuyvesant Village). Overtime the common reference to these two villages morphed in one to create NYC's largest neighborhood Bedford-Stuyvesant. In the early 1970's the LPC designated landmark status to the area surrounding Stuyvesant Avenue and called it "The Stuyvesant Heights Historic District", in part reference to the areas former nomenclature of Stuyvesant Village. At the time, some area preservationist advocated for the additional naming and landmarking of the exclusive brownstone area east of Bedford Avenue as the "The Bedford Heights Historic District", also in part reference to the area's past history. However, this effort failed (for reasons unbeknownst to me) and the issue was never seriously considered again. Today, there appears to be a groundswell of wide support for landmarking this area of true architectural merit. The current reference of the prime brownstone area west of Stuyvesant Heights to the Clinton Hill border as Bedford Heights is a byproduct of two things: (1) the growing acknowledgement of the areas history; and (2) the growing fear that if left unprotected, the historical and architectural significance of this area will be threatened.

IMHO, expanding the current Stuyvesant Heights Historic District further north to Madison and landmarking the brownstone area just west of it "Bedford Heights" would go a long way in preserving some of the best examples of turn of the century architecture in this city.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 22, 2007 8:22 AM

I totally agree with you 8:22 I think that Stuyvesant Heights Landmark district should be extended and that Bedford Heights should have landmarked yesterday. As an amateur architectural historian It really puzzles me why Hancock, Halsey and Jefferson are not landmark blocks. Now there are some blocks that I think are just ugly and I would like to see developers with GOOD ARCHITECTS come in much like St. Nick and Amsterdam uptown near Morningside. It very strange to walk down a tree line street and the next block feels like you’re in Nevada with no green insight.
As far as the names I think it is good to use Bedford Heights and Stuyvesant Heights it makes these special areas distinct. Before 1977 North Crown Heights up to Eastern Parkway was Bedford Stuyvesant. I have a letter dated April 1947 from my grandaunt that lived on Halsey and Marcy and she used Bedford Heights NY for her address. These names are not new. These are original retro names that people are starting to use to get away from the many times thought of the negative name Bed-Stuy. The drug years in the 80s really hurt that name.

Posted by: MMM at June 22, 2007 10:24 AM

that explains the usage of "bedford heights"...but i just think its part of a broker's plot to actually distance the neighborhood from bed-stuy...maybe we should rename flatbush "midwood heights" so that any architecture over there can be preserved too!

Posted by: aj at June 22, 2007 1:32 PM

Antoine, Columbus never discovered anything, and according to the United Nations there were two million people on the island we speak of. Antoine, Columbus was a mass murderer, thief and a rapist and you are correct he wasn't and isn't the only one. By the way what killed those people was not disease it was violence savage violence. Please don't protect that or try to mitigate its impact. Leopold of Belgium also reduced the population of the Congo from 20 million to about 10 million while robbing that country. You are not responsible for these atrocities so don't be so defensive.

Posted by: anon at June 22, 2007 3:10 PM

aj, you sound like a fool. no sense in aruging with an idiot. you can name flatbush whatever you like but it will only stick if it makes sense and the name has some genesis in history. if you can part of the the BS nabe stuyvesant heights then you can certainly name part of it bedford heights. if you can't follow the logic and reason behind this then your just dumb and not worth the time of day. good night.

Posted by: Anonymous at June 22, 2007 11:52 PM

AJ, I guess that it was also a broker plot/consipracy to name part of Bed-Stuy "Stuyvesant Heights" in the early 1970s too? Right?

Keep your shirt on, buddy. The entire area will always be Bed-Stuy. It's just that there will now be two historic districts in Bed-Stuy rather than one: Bedford Heights and Stuyvesant Heights.

I don't see a crime here or any conspiracy. BOO!

Posted by: Anonymous at June 23, 2007 8:23 AM

Noticed alot of Nebraska type looking folks in the area around the house this evening. I was going to direct them to Hancock around Marcy and Tompkins to see the real houses in the area but I didn't want to scare them, you know how those Omaha types are.

Posted by: anon at June 25, 2007 6:42 PM

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