Clinton Hill House Tour Wrap

Interesting to note that probably more than half the properties featured are currently for sale. As a long time house tour organizer, I’d say that’s a reflection of the increasing difficulty of persuading homeowners to open up their houses just for the glory of it.

The two mansion conversions (275 Washington and 447 Clinton) were intriguing, as renovations in progress always are. Both are pretty high end but both also show up the weaknesses of developer conversions vs the more individual approach of an owner conversion. At 447 Clinton, shiny white reproduction rococco marble mantles had been installed in every apt. Clearly a good faith attempt to match the long-gone Italianate originals. But they looked ersatz and cheesy and took up too much room in the top floor bedrooms. Also the bathrooms on that floor had been placed in a way that chopped up the original floor plan. Though I will admit the original secondary staircase in the duplex was very special. 275 Washington was generally more sympathetic — if you could see past the OTT decorating that had obviously been thrown in place very quickly to stage the place. MONTROSE: The skylight was from one of these two houses — Clinton Ave I believe.

I loved the little house on Cambridge Place. A true labor of love, right down to the hand-stencilled walls (in lieu of wallpaper) and the installation of Lincrusta wainscotting. The carriage house on Waverly had a wonderful atmosphere (exposed ceiling beams, brick walls, Balinese-influenced decor) but the recent reno wasn’t holding up well.

Finally, the Charles Pratt mansion on Clinton Ave was a special treat. The central hallway had an amazing marble floor (quite large rectangular slabs, well worn but otherwise in perfect condition), massive walnut window architraves, walnut built-in bookcases, and — a first for me — original walnut parquet flooring. Wow!

In spite of the rain, it was a pleasure to walk around Clinton Hill, truly a beautiful neighborhood with an amazing variety of architectural styles.

This was my first house tour and I really enjoyed it. For me the highlights were 41 Cambridge Pl and 447 Clinton. The Cambridge Place house was a true restoration and the couple tried to preserve every last detail and recreate anything that had been lost right down to the original wallpaper. It felt cozy and seemed like people actually lived there unlike some of the homes which felt more like a showroom. I wish more of it had been open as I would have loved to see the kitchen.
447 Clinton was still very much under construction but you were able to see what the layouts of the apartments will be and the original details that had been preserved. Without seeing the finishes it’s hard to tell but these look like they will be jaw-dropping. They are definitely the grandest rentals I’ve ever seen. The parlor floor has a 2000 sq foot duplex with gorgeous mantels and a very open plan. There is another duplex upstairs that has the original interior staircase that would have been I guess the service stairs. These led up to the top floor which had all the beams exposed in the ceiling. I don’t know if that’s staying that way but I loved the effect in contrast with the lower floor which was more polished. I just can’t get over the fact that these will be rentals and I’m dying to know what the rents will be.
I was really not impressed with the condos at 275 Washington..I thought the layout was nice and spacious but the kitchen and bath were just not right.

“Evening attire is always appropriate. :)”

Horrors MM–not before 6!

Proper formal wear would be a morning coat and striped pants [plus, of course, a shirt and shoes] 🙂

Rob,

Here’s the NYT listing of all the NYC tours:

http://tinyurl.com/c2bdjm

You might like our [PLG] tour too–it’s on May 31st.

As far as dress codes, I’ve never seen one listed. Shirts and shoes would probably be appreciated at most house tours 🙂

you need to wear period-appropriate clothing to each home.