215 Hancock Revisited: A 'Stoner's Wet Dream
A Brownstoner reader who now lives in Copenhagen was nice enough to dig out the old photos she had of when she toured 215 Hancock with her engineer last year. “It was hard to capture the grandeur of this house,” she writes. “You have to see it to believe it.” Indeed. What’s truly amazing is…
A Brownstoner reader who now lives in Copenhagen was nice enough to dig out the old photos she had of when she toured 215 Hancock with her engineer last year. “It was hard to capture the grandeur of this house,” she writes. “You have to see it to believe it.” Indeed. What’s truly amazing is that the former owner who bought the house at auction in 2004 for $525,000 had no idea that the interior was anything out of the ordinary.
First Comes Flip, Them Comes Reno [Brownstoner] GMAP
But they forgot the Fedders openings, which totally reduced the value of the affordable $899K condos…
Just when I was ready to throw in the towel on this site, someone, thankfully, jumps in an puts things back into perspective!
I once had an opportunity to buy this house for $100,000. The seller was already in contract with his half brother. Deranged with grief, I bought the house across the street for $10 million, converted it to condos, and sold them each for warehouse of cocoa beans.
Meanwhile, the half brother was a penny short, and the seller was in desperate need of cocoa. He was living in lefert gardens, and could not leave his house in fear of his life. I offered to buy 1 percent of the house if I could just use the pocket doors every thanksgiving.
Exasperated, the seller gave the house to New Start Development, who covered the house in aluminum siding, installed vinyl windows, outdoor electric meters, and divided it into 17 separate affordable housing units, each selling for $899,000.
Every day I drink cocoa I break into a cold sweat and start kicking myself.
By the way, I have pictures of the house as it looked originally, when it was a stop on the underground railroad.
Wow, gorgeous, a fine example of what great brownstone architecture can be. I’m green with envy too.
Meanwhile, I passed this house the other day and it’s boarded up. What’s the story with that?
I am sick with envy