A Successful Buy-and-Hold Strategy on Hoyt Street
What is it about stories about people who scored beautiful houses in Brownstone Brooklyn three decades ago that are at once so irresistible and envy-inducing? Whatever it is, The Times served up another dose this weekend in its Habitats column. In this case, the lucky owners are a charming couple that met at Pratt in…
What is it about stories about people who scored beautiful houses in Brownstone Brooklyn three decades ago that are at once so irresistible and envy-inducing? Whatever it is, The Times served up another dose this weekend in its Habitats column. In this case, the lucky owners are a charming couple that met at Pratt in the late 1960s before nabbing their 22-foot-wide brownstone on Hoyt Street in Boerum Hill in 1973 for a cool $49,500. Of course, there’s the requisite context of urban grittiness to smudge our rose-colored glasses. Wyckoff Street was an open drug bazaar, with guns and hookers everywhere, said Frank Cusack, one half of the pioneering real estate couple. Decades of block association work and one celebrity couple neighbor later, of course, Hoyt Street is a whole different animal, though Ms. Cusack still conducts her exercise classes for neighborhood ladies in the parlor floor living room. The couple just finished a renovation (a conversion of the garden floor to a rental), the last of many in the 36-year span they’ve occupied the house.
Shrink or Expand to Fit [NY Times]
Holy Family was the hospital..including several houses on Dean that later converted to new houses.
Who would go to their E.R.?
I agree with Oldtimer — we moved to our house in the late 80’s and I generally don’t share all of our experiences because it would flip people out.
Here’s a question. Who knows the name of the Hospital that used to occupy the Bishop Magovaro (sic) Home? And for an extra point who went to their emergency room to treat themselves during their renovation?
The Cusacks were here a few years before me, so a tip of the hat to them. But I rememeber the protestors against The House Tours because of their gentrification and aim to bring in middle class white folk. It made me feel like I was a settler in the West bank.
I was so impressed with the cost of these houses in the seventies also how nice the neighbourhood felt, except at night. There were gang wars on Wyckoff Street, every corner had a bodega with domino players outside, the corner streets were embedded with Micheloeb caps that clacked when you walked on and attracted lighting. There were sawd off bodies found in back yards, wild dogs ran free in the early morn and there was fighting on the streets from little lads to seniors. Those were the days.
There were no bars or restaurants for yuppies like us, there were a couple of places on Atlantic or else it was a hike to Montague or Juniors. If I found myself on Smith Street at night I would walk down the center of the street, there were few cars. It was damm scarey with tough guy social clubs, ‘ethnic’ bars and Reagge’record stores’with bullet proof glass.It was easier to buy dope than a Big Youth LP.
When I hear people say how much the neighbourhood has changed in the last ten years, I think you have no idea. Well done Cusacks many did move on, but why are these stories still in the time? Why not ask me ?
Good sport, BHO. You coming Thursday??? I’ll be the one with the “Biff” nametag!!!
TTThats rrridiculous, dddave!
***BBBid hhhalf oooff pppeak cccomps***
Margaret Cusack would make anyone’s list of most annoying people in the universe, but I do give her credit for being a force (for good or bad) behind the BHA, biannual BH House Tour, BH community garden, CB6, et al…you get the idea.
That block is no great shakes, but owning the house adjacent to the Nell Campbell/Michelle Williams home will bring the value up if/when they ever sell.
Margaret Cusack would make anyone’s list of most annoying people in the universe, but I do give her credit for being a force (for good or bad) behind the BHA, biannual BH House Tour, BH community garden, CB6, et al…you get the idea.
That block is no great shakes, but owning the house adjacent to the Nell Campbell/Michelle Williams will bring the value up if/when they ever sell.
BHO…I hear nervousness in your voice.