House of the Day: 160 Maple Street
Since when is Citi Habitats in the Brooklyn brownstone game? We’re not sure, but they can hold their heads high with this listing in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. This bay-front limestone two blocks from the park from under a million bucks is the kind of listing that makes PLG one of the few interesting plays left…
Since when is Citi Habitats in the Brooklyn brownstone game? We’re not sure, but they can hold their heads high with this listing in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. This bay-front limestone two blocks from the park from under a million bucks is the kind of listing that makes PLG one of the few interesting plays left out there in the market. If you can look beyond some of the chintzy interior decoration, you’ll see original parquet floors in perfect shape, pristine wood paneling and some lovely plaster moldings. The kitchen may not be a keeper, but it’s certainly is in move-in condition from a functional standpoint. Sidestepping the same old PLG neighborhood debate, we’ll be interested to hear how locals think this place stacks up to the rest of the nabe.
160 Maple Street [Citi Habitats] GMAP P*Shark
156 Maple is in contract.
The gimp lives in the English basement. eeeeurrggh
Good for them! Now maybe this one can move too.
I believe both the FSBOs have offers in on them.
There are now three houses for sale on this block, I think — the other two both FSBOs, and priced considerably lower than this one ($950K and $930K). They should have taken the $925K and run.
I agree with Anon. 6:32 who wrote “I don’t see this [small hall bedrooms] as a Lefferts issue, but more of a living in a townhouse issue”.
Fortunately, I don’t think anyone HAS taken this as a “Lefferts issue” (although FWIW it DID catch MY eye because the Maple St. house is in my beloved LM/PLG).
IMO the discussions on this blog about my neighborhood have been VERY civilized of late–something i find most gratifying
I’d like to correct some misinformation I wrote earlier. After reading CrownHeightsProud’s post about looking at a house similar to the Parkside Ave houses I mentioned,but with a full basement underneath, I got out my copy of “Bricks& Brownstones”(which I haven’t looked at for at least 20 years)and realized that I had confused the terms “English basement” and “American front.”
The Parkside Ave houses are American front*. The term “English basement “may still be puffery as used by RE salespeople, but my definition of the term was WRONG–sorry.
* According to “Bricks & Brownstones”, by Charles Lockwood, (pp. 237–238) “In the 1890s, some New York row houses were built without the longstanding high stoop and the floorplan in which rooms opened off a long stair hallway. Under the new “American front” plan the doorway appeared in the center of the building one or two steps above the sidewalk level and opened ito a large reception room. which occupied the full width of the house. A large stairway…led to the parlors on the next floor”.
I can’t believe this house hasn’t sold yet. I bet Brown Harris Stevens would have already sold it by now. $975K is clearly a bargain, even if it’s only 3000 sq. ft. of usable space. That block is absolutely stunning – it’s one of the most beautiful blocks in the city, let alone Brooklyn or PLG. Go check it out if you don’t believe me. Meanwhile, if houses are going for less, it’s just because there are Brokers and owners who aren’t aware of their value with respect to the greater New York market.
As a survivor of an english basement in Washington, DC (where they are commonly used as rentals), I don’t recommend they be used as living spaces. EBs are mostly below grade and tend to be damp and flood prone. They make good workshops and might be a good place for an extra bathroom.
An EB might solve the teenager problem when they bust out of the inhumanely small upstairs bedroom the wicked parent squeezed them into. Teenagers love dark, damp, airless rooms.