Clinton Avenue 'Haunted House' in Contract
We have been, with good reason, on the edge of our seats wondering about the future of 405 Clinton Avenue, the turn-of-the-century William Tubby design that came on the market last September after many years of neglect. Given the shape of the house and the state of the market, the initial asking price was laughable…

We have been, with good reason, on the edge of our seats wondering about the future of 405 Clinton Avenue, the turn-of-the-century William Tubby design that came on the market last September after many years of neglect. Given the shape of the house and the state of the market, the initial asking price was laughable at $3,995,000. By November the price had been reduced to $2,995,000, a price that still seemed unrealisticone person we spoke to who toured the house told us that it couldn’t be worth any more than $1,500,000. Now comes word, via a tipster, that the house, which was originally built by a former mayor of Brooklyn, has gone into contract at an all-cash price “significantly less than ask.” If you know the price and care to drop us a line, please know that your anonymity will be protected!
Update: We just heard from someone familiar with the deal and, while we didn’t get a contract price, we did learn that it is being purchased by a preservation-minded couple that plans to restore it and keep as many details as possible; they will live in the house and create one rental apartment. Great news!
Update II: Another tipster tells us that they buyer is a couple from Manhattan and that the purchase price was somewhere in the $1.7 to $1.8 million range.
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DIBS – I’m sure I’d be horrified.
sorry hit post before I finished the thought…
So, even if you don’t tell the contractor they’re sure to look it up.
The sales price is public record.
http://www.1010wins.com/pages/3650249.php?contentType=4&contentId=3347263
Nice little article about the previous owner..
cw…you should hear some of the stories about what people pay up in Greenwich, CT.
I hope the new owners are preservationists, and will keep as much of the original details as possible. I guess the best we can hope for is that the house is on the Clinton Hill House Tour sometime in the future. I really hope they don’t chop it up too much, although I understand that that is probably way too much house for one family unless you have 12 kids and both sets of grandparents.
I’d love to get in there and take before pictures. Maybe they will let Jon or Kingston Lounge in there. It is, after all, more than just an old house. The historical provenance is quite impressive. Jon, if you set it up, I’ll volunteer to take the pix.
DIBS – because I expect people to have some kind of honesty and decency in their business practices? 🙂
Sure, there’s some wiggle room in hourly charges based on what city you’re in, and how good the contractor is, but putting in a granite countertop should be a comparable price per square foot whether you’re in a 2 BR condo in Kensington, or an 8 BR mansion in Clinton Hill.
it’s haunted by the ghosts of all the pomeranians the owner killed…
and you’re sounding a bit like rob today, cw!!! 🙂