House of the Day: 250 Lefferts Avenue

The photographs on the listing are SO poor that I can’t tell very much about the condition of this house.

Both blocks of Lefferts Ave. in the PLG Historic District (Bedford–Rogers and Rogers–Nostrand) have similar brick and terra-cotta houses. Here are exerpts of the description, from the 1979 LPC Designation Report (the similar houses are described as a group,so there’s no useful listing for no. 250 alone (except that there’s a mention that the door replacement was already there when the report was written:

“Lefferts Avenue is a wide street containing 108 similar, modest, two-family houses erected in 1905-06. The street also has the only apartment building in the Historic District….

Nos. 139-215. nos. 143, 157, 167, 177, 189, 201, and 213 have been omitted
from the street numbering). The thirty-two small two-family rowhouses on this blockfront were designed in 1906 by architect Frank S. laws for the Kingston Realty Company. the houses, identical to those on the south side of the street, are similar to the rows built by Kingston Realty on Lefferts Avenue between Rogers
and Nostrand Avenues. All of the houses are constructed of brick ornamented with areas of unglazed terra-cotta. Two different designs were used for the houses
between Bedford and Rogers Avenues—one type with. rounded bays (“A” houses) and another type with three-sided angular bays (“B” houses). Although extremely simple vernacular buildings, these houses use ornamental detail that can be traced to
French Renaissance precedents…

The “A” houses are faced with white brick and have prominent, three-window-wide bays. Modest stoops with stepped wing walls lead to double-doored entrances which have clear-glass transom lights. Each entrance is surmounted by a terra-cotta
entablature that rests on foliate brackets and is ornamented with anthemion friezes.
Above each entrance is a single rectangular window topped by a splayed lintel ornamented by a raised keystone. The six windows of each bay are surrounded by a terra-cotta enframement. The windows are flanked by stylized Corinthian pilasters,
each with a centrally-placed lozenge form- A band with larger lozenges separates the first and second floors. Additional interest is provided by leaded-glass transom lights on the parlor level and by a continuous, galvanized-iron, dentilated cornice.

The “B” houses are dominated by three-sided angular bays, each clad in terra-cotta. These houses are constructed of red brick and, like the “A” houses, have modest stoops, stepped wing walls, double-doored entrances, terra-cotta doorway lintels with anthemion friezes, clear-glass transom lights above the doors,
leaded-glass transom lights at the parlor floor windows, and continuous dentilled cornices. The windows of the angular-bays are set within an enframement high-lighted by a foliate molding. A wide band of heavy, three-dimensional carving separates the window of the first and second floors. All of the second floor
windows are crowned by single modest anthemia….

Nos, 241-301. (Nos. 243,, 255, 265, 283, 295, and 303 have been omitted from the
street numbering). these twenty-six houses, designed in 1905 by Frank S. Lowe for the
Kingston Realty Company are similar to the row described at 139-215 Lefferts Avenue.
but they are more ornate than those between Bedford and Rogers Avenues. Above the
doorway lintels of the rounded-bayed “A” houses are large shell forms not found on the rows to the west. the angular-bayed “B” houses also have more elaborate door-way lintels. Here, slab lintels support cartouche-like panels that are flanked by volutes. The window above the doorway of each “B” house is set within an ornate
terra-cotta enframement similar to those surrounding the windows of the bays.

Nos. 242-302. (Nos. 248, 260, 270, 284, 296, and 304 have been omitted from the street numbering). are identical to the row across the street at 241-301
Lefferts Avenue.

Alterations are limited to doorway hoods, iron work, and new doors at Nos. 242, 244, 250, 252, 254 262, 268, 272, 280, 292, and 300″.

FWIW I prefer 181 Midwood, the previous PLG HOTD, (after all–it’s my block) but, for some people the possibility of a rental apartment, on this block outside of Lefferts Manor, will be a plus.

About the attacks on Jon Band his site, I can’t imagine why anyone who dislikes the site somuch would bother to read it.

I will NOT be commenting further on this particular thread–I wish I could sign in with Typekey, but, as far as I can tell,it hasn’t been working on Brownstoner for many days.

In response to 2:36, the aparent doubling of prices is due to homes that were fixed up. 181 Midwood, asking 925K, was bought in ’03 for around 400K. But I bought an identical house in better shape on Maple II in ’01 for 525K. And a similar home on Rutland sold that year for 550K. Based on comps I’d say my house is worth around 975K now, which is less than 50% increase in 6 years.

I’m amazed when a blogger comments anonymously on his own site!

No one who responded to 12:49’s attack on Brownstoner follows him (Mr. B) or it (the site) blindly. Brownstoner’s own posts make it clear that he is initiating discussions, not offering be all and end all proclamations on the state of the market. As the above posters defending Brownstoner make clear, they are defending the service the site provides, not the opinions per se. Mr. B’s own opinions help trigger what is often (hopefully) an informative discussion, but no one, least of all Mr. B, is “blindly” following the site. Some of us “kooks” have put a lot of time, sweat and money into what we own, whether as homeowners, investors or whatever, and this site helps us keep aware of what is going on in terms of the market, renovations, legal developments, etc. Mr. B’s own mild provocations keep it real and interesting. So, 12:49 and 1:40 (whether you are one or two people) if this site is of no value to you and we are all a claque of kooks, take it elsewhere.