'Queer' Guy Snags Washington Avenue B-stone
It took some flexibility on price on the part of the sellers, but the Washington Avenue house that Aguayo & Huebener was hawking for much of last year finally closed in February. The buyer? Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’s food expert Ted Allen (left) and his partner Barry Rice. The pair traded in their…
It took some flexibility on price on the part of the sellers, but the Washington Avenue house that Aguayo & Huebener was hawking for much of last year finally closed in February. The buyer? Queer Eye for the Straight Guy‘s food expert Ted Allen (left) and his partner Barry Rice. The pair traded in their three-bedroom Chelsea condo for the grand four-story house. Amidst the negative market sentiment of last fall the sales price of $1.7 million might not have felt like a bargain, but given the location and the incredible level of historic architectural details, we’d say this was money well spent. House-hunting turned out to be a major production for the tv personality and his interior designer partner. The pair looked at more than 50 houses all over Brownstone Brooklyn. Park Slope? Too bustling. Carroll Gardens? Not enough architectural detail. Clinton Hill? Just the right combination of “gorgeously preserved houses” and a “great mix of people.” And despite having to deal with the occasional less-than-honest broker, Allen got addicted to the thrill of the chase: “I’m a total real-estate geek — we go to open houses for entertainment,” he says. “Barry yells at me for reading Brownstoner so much.” Keep on clicking.
Queer Eye’s Ted Allen Pays $1.7M for Brownstone [Big Time Listings]
Washington Avenue Listing [Aguayo & Huebener]
We ran into him at a 2BR co-op on So. Oxford at Hanson Place back in December (or thereabouts) which I think was on the market for about $475K or so. Seemed very nice. Ted obviously loves open houses since the place was kind of a dump and in a bad spot (too close to AY).
Welcome to the ‘hood, Ted!
I always had a crush on Ted — he was such a gentleman and so smart. And his style was so much more refined than uh Carson’s or any of the other dudes. Welcome Ted and family! Hope to see you around!! Swing by Propsect Heights!
i’ll agree that subway access is an important factor, but isn’t it for everyone??
i see gay men most interested in the areas around the 2/3 train stops near grand army plaza or bergen street and near the atantic terminal/ft. greene hub.
i understand that the richard meier building at the gap has attracted a few gay buyers.
If you don’t know what gay cache is, you must not watch “Queer Eye”. I agree that gay are moving to many neighborhoods in Brooklyn, but I think cost and commute are huge factors.
The C train to 14th or 23rd st. How much easier is that?
I dont know what the ‘gay cache’ is. However, i do know many gay men who have cashed in on their Chelsea 1-bedrooms and are looking to buy brooklyn brownstones.
sorry 11:08, but i rather disagree with you. i am a single gay male and have noticed a huge increase of my gay friends moving to places like clinton hill, ft. greene, park slope, etc. lately. (i just recently moved to park slope, myself).
the center of gay culture in new york no longer centers around chelsea or the west side nearly as much as it did even 5 years ago. the gay hangouts for the 20 and 30 something set have become much more spread out over manhattan and brooklyn, and in fact most of the more popular places are now located in the east village, which is quite convenient for those of us that live in brownstone brooklyn.
i’m not suggesting that i think clinton hill will be the next big gay neighborhood at all, but i do think that brooklyn is receiving a lot of attention lately as a good alternative to manhattan living. i think we’ll see more and more of this in the future.
Gee, cashing in on “gay cache” to promote the neighborhood where you live? How open-minded and offensive at the same time!
Frankly, I wouldn’t expect Clinton Hill to become the next big neighborhood for gay men in New York City. It does have something that appeals to gay men in general: exquisite architecture. However, it is way too inconvenient by train to Manhattan’s west side. Your average twenty-something or thirty-something queer guy prefers to live close enough to walk. Gay men who do not live within walking distance to Manhattan’s west side tend to rely HEAVILY on the subway at all hours, so the need to transfer trains is becomes a huge burden.
Of course, one day, downtown Brooklyn will be just another urban center in NYC (like Midtown or Wall Street). Once you can use the G-train on a daily basis to do most things you need to without transferring, the sky will be the limit.
I love Ted. Ted, say something. I thought this was a good buy for someone with love for old details & imagination.
awesome!