Greenpoint Prewar Walkup With Mantel, Fireplace, Dishwasher Wants $780K
The largely intact 19th century railroad apartment has windows on three exposures, vintage style, and low maintenance.
Photo via Brown Harris Stevens
In a circa 1870s Greenpoint tenement building turned co-op not far from McGolrick Park, this top-floor unit has period charm, modern updates, and low maintenance. The four-story, eight-unit wood frame walkup at 100 Newel Street boasts a well-preserved exterior with Italianate/Neo Grec-style arched and incised window surrounds, a matching canopy over the front door, bay windows, and a bracketed cornice.
Greenpoint is home to a surprising number of early apartment buildings, with some possibly going back as far as the 1860s. The most famous is The Astral, developed by Charles Pratt as progressive worker housing in the 1880s.
This one was likely built sometime between 1874 and 1886. An 1874 land transaction indicates the property was a lot and doesn’t mention a building. The apartment house is there by the time of a map of 1886.
This unit is a largely intact railroad comprising four rooms. With windows on three exposures and high ceilings, it appears airy in the listing photos. There are wood floors and original moldings throughout.
The front parlor has a ceiling medallion and an incised slate mantel that would have originally had a painted faux marble finish. In the rear is a large updated kitchen with tin ceiling, white minimalist cupboards, built-in pantry, industrial metal pendant lights, and a dishwasher.
The brick of the chimney breast has been exposed and shelves inserted in the firebox. The fireplace would probably have had a cast iron stove coming out of it for cooking and heating, and the bracketed mantel shelf is likely original.
Awkwardly, the kitchen floor is not level with the rest of the apartment but requires a step up — perhaps to accommodate plumbing for the bathroom.
The latter — with mid 20th century black and white wall tile, “Venetian” mirrored medicine cabinet, and newer floor tile and vanity — is a somewhat recent addition, an old i-card reveals. Perhaps built with a privy and pump in the backyard, by 1902 the building had a toilet in each hallway shared by two apartments per floor and running water going to sinks and laundry tubs in the kitchens.
In the center of the unit are two bedrooms, one of which has built-in shelving for books or other items and a niche for a desk.
The floor plan shows only one closet, but a private storage room in the building is included with the apartment, according to the listing. The self-managed co-op also provides shared laundry, bike storage, and a garden.
Maintenance is a relatively low $600 a month. Listed by Christian Emanuel of Brown Harris Stevens, the apartment is asking $780,000. Worth it?
[Listing: 100 Newel Street #4L | Broker: Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP
[Photos via Brown Harris Stevens]
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that seems pretty high for the size and condition of the apartment no? i know greenpoint is expensive but i didn’t think it was THAT expensive…
Looks like unit 1R in the same building sold last year for $800k (asking $775k).
Would be interesting to jump on streeteasy and compare to some of the new construction 1 bedrooms nearby with better finishes and amenities.
Bloomberg has an article from Sept of the year entitled “Even New York City’s Wealthy Renters Can’t Avoid the Housing Crisis” and it lists the median rent for that zip code as $4,600 using streeteasy data from mid 24 to mid 25.
Here is link (maybe behind paywall): https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-nyc-wealthy-renters-housing-crisis/
I did a mortgage calculator assuming 20% down, 6.3% interest rate, and assuming the monthly maintenance includes the taxes and it spit out a monthly payment of $4,587.
So . . . roughly in line? I also looked at one bedroom apartments in the the West Wharf Greenpoint building and their one bedrooms are in the $5,500ish and up range. But you get a washer/dryer in unit and I think access to the pool and gym and stuff.
https://westwharf.com/availability
Interesting questions. The co-op might be slightly bigger than the West Wharf one-bedroom, but the latter will have HVAC and, of course, an elevator. They’re both small enough that they are really suitable only for single people or maybe a couple but not a family. If my calculations are correct, you’d have to be earning $184,000 a year to afford the co-op and $220,000 for the new construction rental. You’d be building equity in the co-op (and calf muscles) — you’d also qualify for the mortgage interest deduction — but not in the rental.