This weekend’s open house picks include homes in Brooklyn Heights, Ditmas Park, Park Slope and Windsor Terrace. Two have private garages, all have historic notes and are in move-in condition.
With concrete floors (still paint-spattered), soulful brick walls and 21-foot-high ceilings, character was a given in this bi-level loft, which was used as artists’ workspace before being renovated in an early wave of condo conversions
An affordable housing lottery has opened for a whopping 240 newly constructed units in three buildings that are part of the second phase of East New York’s Livonia Commons complex, located at 453 Hinsdale Avenue, 500 Livonia Avenue and 487 Livonia Avenue.
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‘Mus-musculus, Common Mouse.’ Illustration by John Woodhouse Audubon via New York Public Library
There’s no better feeling than finally moving into your home after a major renovation. But that joy can quickly turn to dismay if rodents decide to move in along with you.
It’s fairly difficult to avoid charming towns when exploring the Hudson Valley — the question might be which best suits one’s particular needs as a country respite. Kinderhook might fit the bill as a town rich with history and architectural character.
In the works since the spring, construction work on a deck still hasn’t started. Now that cold weather is arriving, homeowners are wondering if the project has to wait until next year. All the permits are in place, a contract signed and a deposit paid, but the contractor keeps putting off the work, claiming a backlog of projects. Should they push to get the concrete work done as soon as possible?
Please chime in with your advice.
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This weekend’s open house picks include homes in Park Slope, Boerum Hill and Bed Stuy. All have original details and are in move-in condition, with the number of modern additions varying widely.
First up, in Park Slope, a four-story, three-family brownstone configured as an owners duplex beneath two floor-through rentals. There are plaster wall moldings, millwork window surrounds, tin ceilings and facade lintels in the way of original details, with modern updates including hardwood floors. The lower unit has a garden-level kitchen, bath, living room and two parlor-level bedrooms, as well as exclusive yard access. The upper rentals both have one-bedroom. All units feature galley kitchens — the only one pictured has a dishwasher and multicolored tile backsplash and floors. Both rentals are currently occupied, according to the listing.
Next, in Boerum Hill, a brick single-family three-story with a wood-burning fireplace in the dining room. This quaint but stately home has an open plan garden-level with a front living area, back dining area and galley kitchen in between. Original details include pocket doors, full walls of built-in shelves, millwork door and window surrounds and five decorative mantels in addition to the working fireplace. The parlor floor has a vestibule, rear library and front living room and full bath, and the third floor contains the two-bedrooms and a home-office sized space.
In Bed Stuy, there’s a two-family, three-story home that’s currently configured as an owners duplex above a one-bedroom. The gut-renovated home retains its window surrounds, some exposed brick, the carved newel posts and four intricate mantels. The rest of the space, though, is thoroughly modern, with inset lighting and new floors.
Staying in Bed Stuy, this four-story Italianate with three-story rear extension is configured as two floor-through apartments beneath a duplex. For details, there are plaster ceiling moldings, arched doorways, original carved newel posts and five decorative mantels. The rest of the property is thoroughly modern, with slate grey floors and bare walls.
310 6th Street
Price: $3.15 million
Area: Park Slope
Broker: Halstead (Luke Alberts)
Sunday 1 – 3 pm See it here ->
116 Bergen Street
Price: $2.995 million
Area: Boerum Hill
Broker: Douglas Elliman (James Kerby)
Sunday 12 – 2 pm See it here ->
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692 Madison Street
Price: $2.175 million
Area: Bed Stuy
Broker: Nest Seekers (Ryan Serhant and Sara and Joshua Golan)
Saturday 12 – 1:30 pm and Sunday 3 – 4 pm See it here ->
223 Macdonough Street
Price: $2.69 million
Area: Bed Stuy
Broker: Compass (Jevon Gratineau)
Sunday 12 – 1 pm See it here ->
If you’ve ever wanted your very own Parisian-style Second Empire building complete with atelier under the eaves, 1118 Lorimer may be the building of your dreams. Located at the corner of Noble Street in the Greenpoint Historic District, the four-story corner building has a ground-floor commercial space that has been used by the current owner as an artist’s studio for the past 30 years.
The ground floor space has two double doors and a display window, perfect for an entrepreneur or maker looking to put his or her stamp on one of the city’s most creative neighborhoods. The building would also make a grand single-family home.
Each of the floors above the studio has its own kitchen and bathroom, with the second floor currently laid out as a one-bedroom and the third and fourth floors configured with two bedrooms apiece.
The top floor has six dormer windows set into a mansard roof. The building’s elegant red brick facade and historic windows are crowned by a bracketed cornice. The building was designed by E.S. Evans and built by Hugh Roberts in 1874.
The building is located on a quiet, tree-lined street in a thriving area of Greenpoint, right off the Manhattan Avenue main drag. Shops and eateries, including European-style grocers and butchers, Polish bakeries, pizza at Paulie G’s, Peter Pan Donuts and Mexican restaurant Oxomoco, are a short stroll away.
Transportation is plentiful and convenient with the G train at the Manhattan Avenue stop as well as the B62 bus nearby. The building is close to WNYC Transmitter Park, a riverfront green space with some of the best views of the Manhattan skyline, and it is also near McCarren Park, with its enormous pool and elite-quality running track.
Check out the property in person at an open house this Sunday, October 21 from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Listed by Ellen Gottlieb and James Stubbs of Brooklyn Bridge Realty, it is asking $2.795 million.
If you’ve seen Grant Wood’s classic “American Gothic” painting then you’ve seen a board-and-batten house, even if you didn’t realize it. Just behind the pitchfork-holding gentleman is a stark white Gothic-style house with board-and-batten siding.
What exactly is board-and-batten? It’s simply a style of wood siding where the siding is placed vertically and in between each piece of board is a smaller vertical strip, called a batten. While the term can be used generically for the siding style, it is often used for a specific type of cottage that was popular in the U.S. from the late 1840s to mid 1860s.
That popularity was due partially to the styles promoted by landscape designer and architect Andrew Jackson Downing. Before dying tragically young in a steamship accident in 1852, Downing produced two hugely influential books on country houses. Downing, a native of Newburgh, advocated for “neat and picturesque” dwellings that were practical in design and suitable to the surrounding landscape.
In his 1851 book “The Architecture of Country Houses,” Downing noted that when constructing a country cottage with wood siding, “We greatly prefer the vertical to the horizontal boarding, not only because it is more durable, but because it has an expression of strength and truthfulness which the other has not.” The book included designs for board-and-batten cottages with nods to the Gothic. In addition to the striking vertical siding, the houses often featured bargeboard trim in steeply peaked gables (Downing referred to it as verge-board), brackets, porticos and vernacular Gothic details. With the heavy reliance on wood and simplified Gothic style, the houses are often referred to as Carpenter’s Gothic.
We’ve found three board-and-batten cottages from the 1850s in Downing’s former Hudson Valley stomping grounds — although they are all across the river from Newburgh, on the eastern shores of the Hudson. All of the houses most likely have had some replacement work on their wooden exteriors, but still maintain the overall architectural character of the type of cottage Downing promoted.
Which would you choose?
First up is the Parrish-Overocker House at 110 Overocker Road in Poughkeepsie. According to a survey of the historic architecture of Poughkeepsie, the house was built circa 1850 around the same time as a number of other Gothic style cottages popped up in the town. That peaked gable most likely would have once included some bargeboard trim.
Downing would be pleased with the buff color of the house. In his 1842 book “Cottage Residences,” he bemoaned the popularity of stark white houses as “the glaring nature of this colour, when seen in contrast with the soft green of foliage, renders it extremely unpleasant to an eye attuned to harmony of colouring.” He recommended six shades of grey and brown as “highly suitable for the exterior of cottages and villas.”
The house has almost 3,000 square feet of space with four bedrooms and 2.5 baths. There are a few glimpses of historic details, including some doors and trim and some wide planked floorboards on the upper story, but most of the rooms have had some modern renovations.
The listing does include a photo of one interesting vintage detail, an old mantel next to the, presumably, more modern boiler.
The house is listed for $389,000 by Michelle Kenneally of Bhhs Hudson Valley Properties.
Next up is 47 Grinnell Street in Rhinecliff, a hamlet within the larger town of Rhinebeck. The petite cottage has the signature peaked gable with brackets, a bay window on the side and a deep porch. According to the listing it was built in the 1850s.
The smallest of the houses, it has two bedrooms and 1.5 baths in about 1,800 square feet. Like the previous house, it’s had some alterations on the interior but there are some glimpses of some wide planked floorboards.
The kitchen has a cottage feel, with vertical beadboard cabinets making a nod to the exterior board and batten. Outside, there’s a detached garage in a coordinating board and batten style that includes a large studio space on the second floor.
The house is just about a 10 minute walk to the Rhinecliff Station, with Amtrak access to the city. It’s also close to downtown Rhinebeck and a prime example of American Gothic style. The Henry Delamater House, now the Delamater Inn, was designed in 1844 by Downing’s friend and collaborator Alexander Jackson Davis.
The house at 47 Grinnell Street is listed for $975,000 by Thomas LeGrand with LeGrand Real Estate.
Finally, the most expensive of the bunch is the circa 1840s Peary Homestead at 340 Northern Boulevard in Germantown. It’s also the largest of the three with a roughly 3,000 square foot main house set on about three acres of land. On the outside, it’s got all the hallmarks of the style — a picturesque silhouette with a sharply peaked gable and the tell-tale siding style.
On the inside, the three bedroom and 2.5 bath house has seen some modern upgrades, including some custom millwork in the dining room and large contemporary kitchen.
The property also includes extensive gardens, a lap pool and a carriage house with a guest suite.
It’s just a few minutes drive from the quaint downtown of Germantown with local favorite Otto’s Market, first established as a small grocery in the 1920s.
The house is listed for $1.4 million by Adelia Geiger of Gary DiMauro Real Estate.
Another week, another look at four of our featured listings from six months ago. This week, we have homes in Flatbush, Cobble Hill and a pair in Bed Stuy.
Starting us off this week, we have a two-story Colonial Revival in Flatbush that’s a renovated early 20th century brick home with original details as well as modern touches. Built in 1915-1916 by the firm of Cantor & Dorfman and prominent Brooklyn developer Charles Goell, it’s located at 3 Martense Court in a row that was previously featured as a Building of the Day. This former House of the Day sold in September for $1,767,500, which was $227,500 below the asking price.
Next up, there’s a grand four-story Neo Grec brownstone on Hancock Street currently set up as a two-family that is full of details: original parquet wood floors, mahogany double entrance doors, stained-glass, waist-high wainscoting, and six mantels — four marble and two wood. And that’s only to name a few. This former Open House Pick sold in August for $2.6 million, which was $350,000 below the asking price.
Following that, a picture-perfect Greek Revival-Italianate hybrid that’s spacious and updated, with details and a two-zone central air system. Built circa the 1850s, it’s a one-family located at 58 Tompkins Place in the Cobble Hill Historic District. This former House of the Day entered contract in October.
And closing out this week, this stunning bay-fronted Renaissance Revival brownstone on Decatur Street in Bed Stuy that was previously in contract but apparently didn’t sell. There are five fireplaces and an abundance of original details, including pier mirrors, oak wainscoting and stained glass window transoms, much of which has been meticulously restored. This former Open House Pick sold in July for its asking price of $1.825 million.
3 Martense Court
Price: $1.995 million
Area: Flatbush
Broker: Corcoran (Deborah Rieders, Sarah Shuken) See it here -> Sold in September for $1,767,500
136 Hancock Street
Price: $2.95 million
Area: Bed Stuy
Broker: Halstead (Morgan Munsey, Donna Myrie) See it here -> Sold in August for $2.6 million
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58 Tompkins Place
Price: $4.65 million
Area: Cobble Hill
Broker: Brown Harris Stevens (Bill Sheppard, Richard Naley) See it here -> Entered contract in October
538 Decatur Street
Price: $1.825 million
Area: Bed Stuy
Broker: Corcoran (Judith Lief) See it here -> Sold in July for $1.825 million
The capturing of memories through storytelling and treasured artifacts is crucial in the preservation of family and neighborhood histories. Weeksville Heritage Center hopes to empower area residents to save that history.
Their “Archives for Black Lives” event this month is a full-day workshop with oral history and archive experts offering advice and sharing their thoughts on the importance of preserving memories of the black experience. Attendees of all ages are encouraged to come and bring a physical photograph that has deep meaning to their family or community. It may be a photograph that is a bit of a puzzle because you aren’t sure of the story or need some advice on how to properly care for the image.
The photographs and memories of attendees will play a huge part in the day. Obden Mondésir, the Oral History Project Manager at Weeksville, will lead participants through the process of recording the stories inspired by the images. To make sure the photographs survive, Celeste Â-Re, with the Library of Congress’ National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, will provide tips and best practices on digitization. Attendees will be able to put those tips to use by scanning their photos during the workshop.
The day will also include discussions on community archives, lunch and tours of the historic Hunterfly Road Houses
The event takes place on Saturday, October 27 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Weeksville Heritage Center at 158 Buffalo Avenue in Crown Heights. For a full list of all the activities planned for the day or to register for the free event, click here.
In Crown Heights, here’s a spacious two-bedroom floor-through apartment in a barrel-fronted three-story building. Located at 1599 Union Street, it’s on the parlor level and has numerous original details.
For example: this unit boasts parquet flooring throughout, a built-in closet with frawers underneath, coffered ceilings, plaster picture frame wall and ceiling moldings and window surrounds, at least one visible sconce, millwork floor moldings and doorway surrounds and, according to the listing, pocket doors.
The listing says there is both a living and dining room in addition to the two bedrooms, not to mention a home office-sized walk-in closet, which is not pictured. The rear room has a beamed ceiling, and there’s a window seat with storage in the front room.
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The kitchen is thin but has plenty of cabinet space, as well as a dishwasher and microwave. A door in the back leads out onto a deck and yard.
An equidistant two blocks from the express Utica Avenue 3, 4 and 5 station and the local Kingston Avenue 3 station, the apartment is available for move-in on November 1.
Corcoran’s Jonathan Regis has the listing, which is asking $2,300 a month. What do you think of it?
