House of the Day: 291 State Street

Sam -- Having lived in this neighborhood since 1997, as far as I know this block (and all the State Street blocks east of Smith) is defintiely Boerum Hill (although not in the landmarked district), and this block has a really outstanding number of nice houses on it. I have never heard anyone disagree about that. (Query whether the boundary with downtown Brooklyn is Schermerhorn or Livingston, but those types of boundaries are gray areas anyway.)

What disheveled tenements are you talking about? There is the one house on the other side of the street up near the hotel that seems to be perpetually being renovated, but these are all grand houses. Although I think the 14 townhouses are too narrow and not to my taste (and certainly not for the price they were asking), obviously a subtantial nnumber of people disagreed. Maybe on Schermerhorn you could point to that one SRO hotel on the next block across from the Renaissance apartment building, but that's pretty distant from this block.

The downside to this block is that it is a block away from criminal court, so you very occasionally run into people who have been released on bail (or ROR) looking for bus/subway fare, and what I belive is related, more often window smashings at night of cars parked on this block.

The downside to this house is facing right back at the new building on Schermerhorn (and the new buiilding across the street on Schermerhorn as well). OTOH, maybe all the windows on the new building will reflect some light onto the north facing yard and cheer it up.

Posted by: Boerumresident at January 13, 2009 2:13 PM

Also, as for the use of the name, I beleive there is some evidence that it was used in the 1700's and 1800's, (although it is disputed as to how commonly it was used and to what area it exactly described), but by the 1930s or 40's it had fallen out of use only to be given new life as part of realtor speak to re-gentrify the neighborhood in the 1970's.

Posted by: Boerumresident at January 13, 2009 2:30 PM

Sam -- again you seem to indicate that you don't know the area, and by area I mean Brooklyn. On this block alone you have 14 new townhouses that of which 11 sold for $2.5 million or more in the last 2 years (I am not srue, but I think there may still be 2 or 3 unsold). Across the street, I think a couple of house sold on the open market for between $1.5 and $2 million maybe 2 or 3 years ago.

Does that mean this house is worth over $2 million? I doubt it, but my guess is that it well sell at $1.6 to $1.8, depending on its physical state, and the owner will be far from being the richest person in even a two block radius.

As for wealthy people taking trains, they certainly take them to work if they work in midtown. The only people I know who take cabs in the morning on a regular basis are traders who live in Cobble Hill and would rather pay the small fare to downtown (at 6 or 6:30 am when there is no traffic anyway) than walk ten or fifteen blocks to Borough Hall. Coming home, a lot of high income earners who work past 7, 8 or 9 (I think all the investment banks moved back the free car to 9 pm now) do take cars if they want.

Posted by: Boerumresident at January 14, 2009 10:03 AM