Brooklyn Beauty A Bit Much for Our Tastes
We know this house–at $14.5 million, the most expensive in Brooklyn right now–is supposed to inspire awestruck oohs and ahs, and while we wouldn’t kick it out of bed for eating crackers, it just ain’t doin’ it for us. The bathroom? Come on, this isn’t Versailles. The kitchen cabinets, which we’re sure cost tens of…
We know this house–at $14.5 million, the most expensive in Brooklyn right now–is supposed to inspire awestruck oohs and ahs, and while we wouldn’t kick it out of bed for eating crackers, it just ain’t doin’ it for us. The bathroom? Come on, this isn’t Versailles. The kitchen cabinets, which we’re sure cost tens of thousands of dollars in custom labor, leave us a little limp. And the fact that the fireplace was modeled on Tina Turner’s? Big whoop. Clearly, the location of the house is unbeatable and the facade is perfection. But we can’t in a million years imaging paying this kind of dough for someone else’s over-the-top renovation. We love traditional design if it’s the real thing but when it comes to new design, give us true modern over “new traditional” any day. In the end, when it comes to these historic houses, we like an occasional creak in the floorboards. Sometimes having too much money can be a really bad thing.
Brooklyn Beauty [Forbes]
Daily News Article [Corcoran]
Cloumbia Heights Listing [Corcoran]
This is a small thing, but every time I see the spelling “mantle” in these ads it sticks in my craw. I grew up thinking it should be spelled “mantel,” like “lintel,” and a “mantle” is something you wear. But everywhere I look it’s mantle, mantle, mantle. How did this happen?
Think about getting a Thanksgiving dinner from one floor to the next and all of the dirty dishes back again. They may have a cook and other help but not the large staff required to serve a meal like this. Wealthy people do not squander their money. It’s how they stay wealthy.
I would have to disagree with whoever was complaining about the unimpressive facade of this building. I love the elegant clean lines of federal bricks like these. Their facades are far better proportioned than the most of the more ornate brownstones.
“these days who has a staff to bring you meals?”
I think every single person who has $14 million to blow on a house has a staff including a cook, no doubt. Think about it. I know a lot of people who spend A LOT less on their housing who have staff. I think that’s a given in this price range.
The house is lovely and the views are amazing however one huge problem I have with it is that the dining room is on a different floor from the kitchen. I know this is how these houses were set up originally but these days, who has a staff of servants to bring your meals up the elevator and the dirty dishes back down again. Are the servants even allowed to use the elevator?
The other house on the Promenade on Cobble Heights’ website has also been on the market for about a year. Vickie Negron of Corcoran also has it listed on her website with better pictures of the owner’s apartment and a better description (at least everything is spelled correctly). This house has incredibly grand details and proportions. However, it’s cut up into 8 rent stabilized apartments. If I had that kind of money I’d buy the Cobble Heights/Vickie Negron house and restore it.
The rumor in the hood four years ago was that they put four million into renovation. Don’t know if it’s true. You may not like the features – but seems like they did a great job of turning a dark townhouse with a warren of small apts into a bright, beautiful showplace that takes advantage of a Woody Allen caliber view of the city. Given that you’d spend 14 million to buy it, it’s chump change to adapt the surfaces you don’t like. Seems like all systems were upgraded. From the Promenade, they did a beautiful job with wrought iron and such…
john–
i had read that story about 10 years ago in the ny times, i think… i still tell that to people. i never realized they lived in the nabe.
i also remember Warren being quoted as saying he has other friends who invested with him early in simiilar situations.. VERY wealthy but they live very modestly and no one knows.
Don’t tell me the Othmar’s did this to the house, John! Must have been somebody else after they died. They must have had better taste than this.
Aww, lighten up! Most of us here in the real world are not in that income bracket,and never will be, so we just like to have some fun speculating and wishing, and yeah, some cheap trashing. No one cares what a bunch of anonymous people on a blog think about their house, they’re laughing all the way to the bank.
We reserve the right to say “You may have a lot of money, but your taste is all in your mouth!”