Open House Picks

What is up with that Brady Bunch house in PPS? 1.2 million? Didn't the Ebinger house go for that? Needs new kitchen and baths, basement looks horrid. And what's up with the closed vertical blinds? I wouldn't pay more than $550 for this place. Can't imagine there's a queue of people stepping up to buy a 50s ranch in Victorian PPS. And landmarks will make you keep it as is, too!

No doubt the seller is insisting on that price. Mary Kay is too shrewd to suggest such an outlandish price. Plus she generally low balls. Seller must be delusional. PPS was landmarked in the 70s and their are several late 60s early 70s horror shows in PPS, built on lots where houses either burned or just rotted. A few of those lots were annexed by neighboring houses and turned into fab double lots. A handful got the suburban split-level treatment (two on Albermarle, including the unsellable half reno, still asking $900...). Well, it was conceived of as the "suburbs in the city" by Dean Alvord. Killer - houses like this pre-date landmarks and now MUST be preserved as their current nightmarish states. This was a big problem with the unfinished reno house on Albemarle. Had to keep nasty picture window and ugly brick in the reno plans. Landmarks would not approve an historicizing "Victorian home" with a front porch, believe it or not!

It is true and it is crazy. There was a huge public hearing PPS when the renovation of the house on Albemarle was first proposed. Many residents wanted an historicizing Victorian, but Landmarks refused. Their position was that the character of the mid-century house has to be maintained. If you are on Albemarle today, you will see the unfinished house (ask $900k) with the ugly picture window and bricking around the front door. Landmarks insisted they keep it.

Doubt it, Nomi. They were built cheap, and look it. The Victorians in PPS are stunning, for the most part, inside and out.

$550k.

It has a nice yard? So why are those heinous vertical blinds closed in the photo of the living room!?

No, it's what I'm betting that house will go for. In another year.

No, I think you get a clean slate if the house is completely destroyed, as long as Landmarks decides they like it. Basically they won't let you build a piece of cheap crap, but you could get away with some fantastic modernist design. I think they want it to be of the same architectural merit... although others with experience in say, Brooklyn Heights, where this has happened will know more. But they would probably say no to Historicizing Victorian... don't like historicizing structures.

I know what your saying, since we have a place on the New Canaan border... Those Harvard school/Philip Johnson houses are spectacular. It would probably horrify you to learn that several owners have tried to get permission to demolish or renovate these homes recently, because they're too small. One house, on Oenoke Ridge, is at particular risk. Only 2000 sq ft, the owner wants to build a 6000 sq ft faux English cottage at the back of the property and demolish the modernist house. If she can't do that, she'll agree to use it as a pool house. She can't get permission at the moment to built the new house or demolish the modernist house, so it's been sitting on the market up in CT for a few years now.

If only a few of those homes at been built on the empty lots. But by 1965, the money or desire to build at that level just wasn't in Flatbush anymore. It was in the 'burbs. So people with lighter pockets chose to build what they could afford - Levittown in PPS.

As far as landmarks goes, if someone wanted to build a Philip Johnson quality home in PPS, they would almost certainly get permission. A well designed historicing Victorian - no dice, apparantly. Landmarks people are purist and don't like historicizing. On the bright side - a Fedder's brick nightmare - fuggedaboudit.

I think you're on to something, traditionalmod.