303 Park Pl: If You Don't Like Old Houses, Don't Buy One!
You’d think that people who have no appreciation for older architecture could find a house that’s already missing its original details when it comes time for them to buy something. Instead, some people (like the new owners of 303 Park Place) buy a gorgeous historic home and proceed to strip it to the bone. Here’s…
You’d think that people who have no appreciation for older architecture could find a house that’s already missing its original details when it comes time for them to buy something. Instead, some people (like the new owners of 303 Park Place) buy a gorgeous historic home and proceed to strip it to the bone. Here’s what the Craigslist ad (which expired over the weekend) said:
Due to remodeling of a 100-year old Prospect Heights 1-family brownstone, we are offering selected antique Victorian architectural items. This is a one-time chance to improve your home with gorgeous authentic details that are seldom on the market. Items include Victorian oak fireplace mantels, redwood staircase complete with 3 stair runs, curving railings, balusters, Tiffany-style stained glass window panels, Victorian solid gingerbread entrance doors, antique tin ceiling tiles, ornate glass ceiling chandeliers, hinges and doorknobs and more.
Can any neighbors let us know what the couple plans to do with this place? Ugh.
House of the Day: 303 Park Place [Brownstoner] GMAP P*Shark
Victorian Antique Architectural Items [Craigslist]
“Old houses, have tons of problems which equate to high maintainence cost.
Updating them while keeping all of the ‘wonderful’ original details intact is wildly expensive (to say nothing of if it suits the homeowners taste).”
I don’t know where you are coming from. Even Home Depot sells ceiling medallions and egg and dart molding. No one is “restoring” these houses to original condition. That would mean taking out central heating and cooking on a wood stove. But to keep the floors walls, doors, mantels etc. and renovate in the spirit of the building in no more expensive than ripping all the detail out. These people paid approx 1.5M for the home to begin with Please don’t use this specious argument with respect to renovating brownstones.
Sorry TYPOS:
Just for the record: This is barely “Victorian” but more Edwardian and since Victoria and Edward were never American monarchs there is more appropriate nomenclature out there for the styles of these houses.
I would not call our 1850’s house Victorian for example. It is Italinate coming out of the federal style. Early Italinate very much shows the romantic era influence with a big nod to rococo revival. This look died out entirely by the time the house on this thread was built.
BTW, to the one who mentioned people update interiors in Paris, please remember that there is not that great number of “ancient” residential buildings in Paris. Only certain areas have retained buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of the buildings are from the mid-1800’s and after.
When we sold our house, the new buyers ripped out eight original Victorian fireplaces, plus every possible period detail–every shard of stained glass, every bit of fretwork, the original staircase, the dado rails, the picture rails, tiles, etc. Of course it was their house and they could do what they wanted, but we still felt terribly betrayed–still do, and it’s 2-1/2 years later. They turned it into a modern all-white loft-like place, beautiful in its own way, but still. . . one wishes they could have found a dump to do this to.
Just for the record: This is barely “Victorian” but more Edwardian and since Victoria and Edward were never American monarchs there is more appropriate nomenclature out there for the style of these houses.
I would not call our 1850’s house Victorian for example. It is Italinate coming out of the federal style. Early Italinate very much show the romantic era influence with a big not to rococo revival. This look died out entirely by the time the house on this thread was built.
BTW, to the one who mentioned people update interiors in Paris, please remember that there is not that great number of “ancient” residential buildings in Paris. Only certain areas have retained buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of the buildings are from the mid-1800’s and after.
What is so wildly expensive about leaving it be? Change the lights, whatever, but why not leave the mouldings, door and window frames, wainscoting etc? Paint ’em, if you don’t like natural wood, at least the next owner will have them, if they want to strip.
Why is it the most richly detailed houses get bought by these types of people who want to gut it, while those who would love to have that kind of detail can’t find these houses? I would only sell my house to someone who obviously loved every inch of the period detail in it. I owe it to the house. There are plenty of those folks around.
Old houses, have tons of problems which equate to high maintainence cost.
Updating them while keeping all of the ‘wonderful’ original details intact is wildly expensive (to say nothing of if it suits the homeowners taste).
I think homeowners should be responsible with the facades of older historic homes and have their absolut way with the interior.
I love Victorian style. If it were not for local renovations I wouldn’t have nearly as much original detail in my house. Sure, it’s a little sad to see many of these brownstones get gutted like a fish. However, it is peoples private property to do what ever they want. It seems really silly to think of ourselves as some sort of fashion police for Victorian style! ( Just don’t paint your house pink if you live on my block! )
Owner is listed on PropertyShark as The James Choy Irrevocable Trust.
Dunno if that’s the current or previous owner, but the price and sale date are current.
Must be nice to have an irrevocable trust!
I would expect that most people who would visit this site would be in favor of saving details in a brownstone. I understand that people have a right to change the inside of their building as the owner of my brownstone did by removing marblee mantles in the 60s so the sofa would be flush against the wall. It kills me that people are still doing this kind of thing. It seems like brownstoner’s post was reasonable. Why does this site interest all of these hostile people cheering on the gutting of old houses.