Townhouse With Sculptural Staircase in Cobble Hill and Three Others to See, Starting at $670K

Modern, with variable degrees of renovation, is the theme this week for our open house picks.

by Stephen Zacks

10/11/2019 6 minute 0

Contemporary, with variable degrees of renovation, is the theme this week for our open house picks, starting with a four-story brick townhouse with a modern-organic-style update in Cobble Hill asking a hefty $6.495 million. On the most affordable end, an East Flatbush single-family home has been unevenly renovated with quixotic details and is listed for $670,000. Other properties include a petite Neo-Grec townhouse with a garage near Prospect Park in Windsor Terrace and a still-chic contemporary townhouse, built in 2011, in Greenwood Heights.

First we have a very high end-looking renovation and conversion of a mixed-used brick townhouse at 82 Amity Street in Cobble Hill by architect Peter Gee back into a single-family. It was one of several row houses owned by Long Island College Hospital and used for medical offices that developer Fortis offloaded as part of its controversial development of the LICH medical complex. The design has a modern-organic feel with a (possibly original) Neo-Grec-style incised marble mantel in the living room and a curving, sculpted plaster-finished staircase at the center. Its blond wood treads match the Scandinavian minimalist finishes in the open plan kitchen with a quartz-topped island and a full wall of casement windows. A door opens to a small balcony with steps down to the garden. The bathrooms match the high-end aesthetic with gray tile walls, herringbone floors, a deep tub, and minimal blond wood cabinets, as does the patio edged with planters in the garden. It sold in 2017 for $2.7 million and doesn’t appear to have a certificate of occupancy yet, but it’s certainly priced on the higher end for the neighborhood at $6.495 million.

Next, at 338A 22nd Street in Greenwood Heights, we have a modern four-story, two-family townhouse next to Green-Wood Cemetery designed in 2011 by architect Yossi Melamed. It’s set up as a triplex with roof deck over a garden-level rental with a basement rec room. Nearly full-length wall-to-wall windows are everywhere. A built-in window seat on the second floor is bookended by Juliet balconies; in the rear there’s a full balcony, and a terrace is featured on the third floor. The minimalist design details, which include quartz surfaces in the kitchen and bathrooms, look meticulous in the photos. It was purchased in 2012 for $1,069,163; now it’s on the market for $2.725 million.

Then at 168 Prospect Park Southwest in Windsor Terrace, close to Prospect Park, there’s a petite Neo-Grec two-family brick house with a garage on a rear alley. With faux stone covering its first story and few original details left inside apart from a staircase, it might be a good project for architect or designer looking to put their stamp on something. It could also appeal to a buyer who could make do with a few simple improvements such as removal of drop ceilings and updates of the 1970s louvered panel closet doors. The facade retains its bracketed cornice, fascia with decorative diamonds, and incised stone lintels and door hood. Currently set up as a top floor rental over a garden-level duplex, it also has a small landscaped garden. It’s been in the same family since at least the 1970s, according to public records, and is being offered for $1.85 million.

Finally, at 194 East 35th Street in East Flatbush, an early 20th century single-family Tudor-style wood-frame row house has been partially renovated with some colorful and contemporary design choices. The ground-level living room has an attractive multi-colored, patterned hardwood floor that could perhaps be reclaimed wood from a bowling alley or basketball court. The modern, industrial-style kitchen is unfitted, with open shelving. The dining room has a bold, multicolored wall of built-in bookshelves. One of the bedrooms is lofted, and the master bathroom mixes exposed plumbing with elegant stone and tile work. All the mechanicals are new, including central air conditioning and a tankless hot water heater. It changed hands in 2017 for $510,000, was listed last year for $635,000 stripped down to the studs for renovation, and is now asking $670,000.

82 Amity Street
Price: $6,495,000
Area: Cobble Hill
Broker: Douglas Elliman (Douglas Bowen, Zia O’Hara, Alexander Maroni)
Sunday October 13, 11:30 am – 1 pm

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