Ah, To Have Bought In 1996

For everyone who missed the chance to buy a house in Fort Greene or Clinton Hill ten years ago, Sunday’s profile of Gitta Robinson and Richard Grisaru’s Clinton Avenue Edwardian townhouse will be a little bittersweet. How much did the couple pay for the 4,000-square-foot house back in 1996? A whopping $270,000. Ouch! As the article describes, despite having been an SRO for years, the house had retained much of its original detail: oak paneling, claw-foot tubs, handsome fireplaces, a stained-glass skylight and a wall of casement windows topped by leaded-glass transoms stretching the width of the house. Even at what seems like a bargain-basement price today, the purchase was a stretch for the couple, both of whom are architects. Their strategy was to quickly fix up the top duplex to start generating rental income while they camped out amidst the renovation of the lower half. The process informed their outlook on architecture.

“When we work with clients on their own renovation projects, we design every square inch to perfection,” Ms. Robinson said. “But I’ve discovered that I don’t need that level of perfection in my own life. It doesn’t bother me that this house shows its quirky age.”

Amen, sista.
From the Beginning, It Felt Like Home [NY Times]
GMAP P*Shark