Sales Start at 38th Seventh Avenue in Slope
May 25, NY Post –Sales started last Sunday at 38 Seventh Ave., the latest brownstone rental building to go condo in the Park Slope neighborhood. A conversion of a five-story brownstone located between Sterling Place and St. John’s Place, the neo-Greek-style building is offering four units: two duplexes and two floor-throughs. Units range in size…
May 25, NY Post –Sales started last Sunday at 38 Seventh Ave., the latest brownstone rental building to go condo in the Park Slope neighborhood. A conversion of a five-story brownstone located between Sterling Place and St. John’s Place, the neo-Greek-style building is offering four units: two duplexes and two floor-throughs. Units range in size from 780 square feet to over 1,700 square feet and prices range from $795,000 to $1.395 million. Details like 5-inch-wide plank maple floors and cherry-stained crown moldings were added to retain a Victorian feel, according to Mark Dicus, associate broker at Aguayo & Huebener. Developers also preserved original details in the 1881 structure, keeping the units’ working wood fireplaces and mantles, and the front door of the building.
Slope Sales Start (4th Item) [NY Post] GMAP
Elegant Brownstone Condos [Aguayo & Huebener]
Correction on the above: in the dormer BR, it’s the highest part of the sloping skylight that my husband could stand under. And he reminds me that he’s 5’11. 😉
My husband and I saw the upper duplex with an A&H broker. A&H’s fact sheet lists the duplex as 1733 square feet with a 160 square foot roof terrace.
The positives:
– The finishes are nice and not garish in person. The developer has kept and restored much of the period woodwork. There is lots of light throughout.
– The 4th/main floor (LR/DR – kitchen – back BR or study/family room) has very high ceilings.
– There’s lots of closet storage space, in each bedroom as well as several hall and under-stair closets.
– Workmen are still in the building and we got the distinct impression from the broker that the developer would make minor changes for a buyer – move a closet door or wall, for example.
– Roof deck is small but well-done with spectacular views.
The negatives for us were three minor design flaws and one major one that would prevent us from considering this unit:
– The U-shaped kitchen is anchored at the short part of the U with a (high-end) six-burner Viking range and hood. The undercounter cupboards to the right, on the stem of the U, were installed improperly so the utensils drawer is impossible to open more than 1″ before it bangs into the side of the range. The cabinets underneath the drawer are basically unusable as well due to this problem.
– The top-floor utility closet has the central A/C and heating mechanicals in the back with the gas and plumbing hookup for a washer/dryer in the front. The closet is just wide enough for a W/D but installation would block all access to the mechanicals.
– The top-floor master BR is poorly thought out. It’s 10×18 (same size as the lower-floor back BR) but, in the interest of creating a “master bedroom suite”, the developer has lopped off one corner and installed a huge angled walk-in closet. It severely limits your floorspace and means you have to put your bed on the other side of the room’s doorway. When you subtract space for protruding window ledges and bathroom access, it’s a tight squeeze to put in a queen-size bed.
– The front two bedrooms on the top floor are “dormer” bedrooms with sharply sloping ceilings. One measured 8×12, the other 10×12, but the actual usuable space that an adult can stand in is half of that. The picture on A&H’s site with the skylight is one of the dormer BRs. My 5’10” husband could barely stand under the lowest end of the skylight – all the other space heading towards the front windows is unusable except for storage. The front (higher ceilinged) part of both BRs has a walk-in closet as well, further limiting the usable space of the rooms.
We were excited when we saw the lower floor of the duplex, but went “uh-oh” when we got upstairs and saw the actual layout of those two dormer BRs and the poor design of the master BR. I can’t see paying $1.4 mil for what’s essentially a nice 2BR with two windowed storage spaces masquerading as BRs.
I spoke to an agent at A&H and they said the developer was negotiable on the top floor duplex. The finishes are a little garish but very nice in person. They obviously spent a pretty penny seems to me to be a quality job.
if i remember correctly it was around 1650sq ft for the top duplex.
ps: it is so BIZARRE that just a hop and skip down 7th across flatbush to carlton and up 4 or 5 doors doors you can get a whole 21″ wide brownstone (last weeks open house pick) with rental income for less than 1.6m – just a shade over the ask for this condo duplex..
any idea on the sq footage on the 3rd/4th duplex? I also got the message the developer was very negotiable on that unit.
i live at 36, right next door, watching this place evolve from abandonded shell to a pretty well-done reno. we stopped by one of the first open houses (originally held by Corcoran) to see the work. EVERYTHING has been replaced and in some cases with the woodwork not for the better. Some expensive choices in appliances mask the fact that there are some short cuts in the tiling and electrical work.
The basement/garden duplex is quite nice and there is plenty of light in the basement from the back tall windows.
The Parlor floor (which is our doppelganger)has lost its Pier mirror and pocket doors in lieu of a half-enclosed kitchen and fairly small bath. The ‘second bedroom’ or ‘den’ as some agents would call it off of the main bedroom is too small for much and most anything in there would block access to the private terrace (nice touch on that though). Large closets.
The gem is the 3rd/4th floor duplex with the private roof deck. Skylights and all. Very nicely done. Corcoran was offering this at $1.65m but she said they could go as low ast $1.35…gee thanks.
All in all, nice touches on the outside details and attempts at keeping some of its history.
Can’t wait to meet the neighbors.
I am the 2.59 anon. I agree with your comment re appliances (Viking and Jenn Air are not cheap though, but in the scheme of things appliances would not sway me). What would potentially cause me concern is borderline tacky backsplash tiling, or somewhat garish choices in granite countertop selection, or tacky looking bathroom floor tiles and vanities. If I’m buying a relatively expensive newly finished condo, I’d prefer the finishes, however expensive, to either be a bit more subtle and neutral, or chosen by me as a part of the closing process.
Anon at 2:59pm – Appliances are pretty easy, and relatively speaking, not that expensive to replace. Certainly it should not be the major driving factor in a decision to buy or not.