I am the owner of 303 Park Place. I am also a long time reader of this blog and I love it (btw thanks for this title, Jon). I have to say, I am not offended by this discussion, on the contrary, I find it kind of constructive, with a good balance of both sides (learned that this is Edwardian, not Victorian). I love Brooklyn and its historic neighborhoods (been living in the Slope for a long time) and can't wait for PH to be added to it - “[PH] is at the top of the list of [potential historic] districts that we’re looking at.”— Mary Beth Betts, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
Let me give you my side of the story, if I may (it's a blog, after all). First of all, I mentioned in the posting (that's only up for 7 days) that there are only selected items for sale. The house has indeed a lot of details, but not all are as well preserved as the pics show. We're going to work items into the design and keep other items in storage (or sell them, if we find a home, no salvaging co's). Second, the current layout is very constricted and creates a lot of dark spaces, narrow hallways and corners, not very pleasant, esp. on the garden floor. Third, since the house is 100 year old, the electricity and plumbing need serious overhaul, so a TLC is at order.
There are some great details on the parlor floor, which we'll carefully remove by a wood craftsman and preserve - those will be brought back into the renovation. What we'll do is to bring in some contemporary elements along with some Asian influence into this classic Victorian (Edwardian) setting. It's going to be a very interesting space and we hired a great architect who's able to do this for us. Actually, the previous owner inspired us by this NY Times article
The entire project will prob. take the most part of next year. It's a beautiful house and a great hood and we'll turn this into something even more incredible that it is now. Some items will have to go, others will merge into something new, and others will contrast with the contemporary. The end result will hopefully be a preservation of the old (incl the facade and gaslight) but with a nice influence of contemporary elements.
I am the owner of 303 Park Place. I am also a long time reader of this blog and I love it (btw thanks for this title, Jon). I have to say, I am not offended by this discussion, on the contrary, I find it kind of constructive, with a good balance of both sides (learned that this is Edwardian, not Victorian). I love Brooklyn and its historic neighborhoods (been living in the Slope for a long time) and can't wait for PH to be added to it - “[PH] is at the top of the list of [potential historic] districts that we’re looking at.”— Mary Beth Betts, New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2007/09/lpc_prospect_he.php
Let me give you my side of the story, if I may (it's a blog, after all). First of all, I mentioned in the posting (that's only up for 7 days) that there are only selected items for sale. The house has indeed a lot of details, but not all are as well preserved as the pics show. We're going to work items into the design and keep other items in storage (or sell them, if we find a home, no salvaging co's). Second, the current layout is very constricted and creates a lot of dark spaces, narrow hallways and corners, not very pleasant, esp. on the garden floor. Third, since the house is 100 year old, the electricity and plumbing need serious overhaul, so a TLC is at order.
There are some great details on the parlor floor, which we'll carefully remove by a wood craftsman and preserve - those will be brought back into the renovation. What we'll do is to bring in some contemporary elements along with some Asian influence into this classic Victorian (Edwardian) setting. It's going to be a very interesting space and we hired a great architect who's able to do this for us. Actually, the previous owner inspired us by this NY Times article
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/12/garden/12mesh.html
The entire project will prob. take the most part of next year. It's a beautiful house and a great hood and we'll turn this into something even more incredible that it is now. Some items will have to go, others will merge into something new, and others will contrast with the contemporary. The end result will hopefully be a preservation of the old (incl the facade and gaslight) but with a nice influence of contemporary elements.
Posted by: Joachim at December 11, 2007 10:44 PM in response to 303 Park Pl: If You Don't Like Old Houses, Don't Buy One!