House of the Day: Lefferts Avenue 2-Family
This three-story gray brick in the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens Historic District caught our eye for both its beauty and its price. Since the agent neglected to give an address, we decided to see if Bob Marvin could clue us in. Bob told us that this has to be Lefferts Avenue, either between Bedford and Nostrand or…
This three-story gray brick in the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens Historic District caught our eye for both its beauty and its price. Since the agent neglected to give an address, we decided to see if Bob Marvin could clue us in. Bob told us that this has to be Lefferts Avenue, either between Bedford and Nostrand or Nostrand and New York, because this is the only stretch with houses that have these particular terra cotta details. He also told us that this house would have been built as a two-family home, as it remains today. While there is some lovely original woodwork in the hallways and stairwell, other parts look like they’ve been dumbed down over time. Regardless, we suspect the $750,000 price tag will appeal to some.
UPDATE: A reader identified this as 298 Lefferts Avenue.
PLG 2-Family [Eskimo Omolade] GMAP
There’s no way these houses could have been made for two families. I live on the top floor of one these houses and it’s cramped with three people. The blue print is 2 bedrooms (a tiny 6×9′ office), living room, dinning room, and a kitchen that isn’t big enough for a small table.
Anon, 8:10,
Anyone who’s familiar with my posts knows I’m sensitive to claims that PLG is “dangerous” (which I, of course, deny) but If I read Vitucci’s post correctly he was only pointing out that SOME crime is to be expected in ANY urban neighborhood.
Babs,
I got the information about these houses being BUILT as two family from the LPC’s PLG Historic District Designation Report (or actually my RECOLLECTION of the report–I can’t get to my copy right now). I’m pretty sure that it’s correct.
I viewed this house over the weekend. It’s too small for a two family in my book and it’s a bit of a mess. Strange reconfigurations of a single family home. Most of all, I would not want to displace the sweet elderly couple who live on the first floor–I hope that they’ll get a benevolent landlord
Vitucci,
It LOOKS like limestone in the photo, but the VERY distinct joints are the give away that the details are moulded terra cotta–its a very different look, but clearer in reality then in the illustration.
BTW, I screwed up when I answered Mr. B’s inquiry (sorry–I was tired)–these houses are on the Bedford–Rogers or Rogers–Nostrand blocks–the northern (non-Lefferts Manor) part of the PLG Historic District. You can get a PDF file of the HD map by clicking on the link in this page of the LMA website:
http://www.leffertsmanor.org/landmark.shtml
Incidentally, sale of this house will displace two long-term (over 35 years!) residents, unless the new owner would like to keep them in place (a very good idea — they’re great people!). The house is being sold following the death of the owner.
At this price, assuming a mortgage of $675K, what rent do people think one would want to charge? There’s actually a place on the next block (between Bedford and Rogers) for which the owner is asking $2200, which I think is quite high, but probably (and unfortunately for long-term residents and poor people like me) a sign of things to come.
298 it is (closer to Nostrand than Rogers). But I didn’t know that these were built as 2-family homes, and I’m quite surprised to hear that (but if Bob says so, I’m not going to argue) — they’re really on the small side for that, especially considering the larger families that were the norm when they were built. I live on the top floor of an identical house, and the layout just doesn’t make sense — I can’t imagine it having been built that way, it just seems so arbitrary, although all the houses I’ve seen on the block do seem to be laid out identically. Very strange.
the quality of life in Lefferts Manor (the main portion of the historic district) is far better than PLG in general although the Manor falls within PLG, the wider area. most houses in the Manor are architecturally superior and best, maintain their one family status. thanks to the covenant which was established almost 100 years ago.
please note houses in the main historic district fetch the higher prices.
No hipsters, thank god. Crime? It’s the heart of Brooklyn.