House of the Day: 75 New York Avenue

The house is not vacant, the current owners, who have been there for about 20 years are on the ground floor and part of the second. There is a spiral staircase in one of the parlor rooms up to the 2nd floor. The space is further divided into 2 more apartments. I don't think they will take 1.1MM for it, they have been in fantasyland for a long time.

While I think the current(and past)prices are ridiculous, this is a great house, with some fine details. Polemicist makes it sound like the gates of hell are located across the street, that is absurd. Directly across the street from the front door are 2 8 unit flats buildings. They are both quiet, working class, and decently well kept. In fact, one is having its fire escapes painted right now, and recently had all of the windows replaced. On the other side of Pacific, there is a 10 story senior citizen’s residence called Stuy Park, built in the 1970’s, which takes up the whole side of the block. These people are likely to go upside your head with a walker for daring to suggest that their building is something that should be considered a detriment to the community. It is safe and very quiet. Traffic is the noise offender here, if anything.

This isn’t a scenic block, and the bus stop is right outside the front door. There is a newly renovated 3 family next door, followed by a parking garage and an auto repair garage on the corner of Atlantic. This house should have been landmarked, as well as some of the rest of this block, but LPC skipped it, most likely because the center of the block has houses that have been vastly altered and mucked up. That said, with its proximity to the subway, the LIRR, banking, food shopping, etc, at the right price, and a lot of work, this would be a showstopper.

I can see this house from my steps, so I know what I’m talking about. Also, I have a photo of this house from 1942, and there was a porch across the entire front, with a balcony. It’s hard to tell from the picture, but the porch may have been enclosed with French Doors, or there are shutters on the lower windows. Either way, it looked much more complete then.

PS, I hate that they are pushing this as a development site, while extolling its charms as an historic home. Broker doesn't know High Victorian detail from Art Deco, either.

Elkins house is still vacant, ExTex, though not actively on the market. We, at the Crown Heights North Association, have been in contact with LPC about the growing deterioration of the property, and solutions are being looked into.

It originally had a cornice right below the mansard roof, where the lighter band of stone is.

See link to photo. My mistake, it was 1940, not 1942.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/31129802@N03/sets/72157622785205458/detail/