House of the Day: 208 Hancock Street
The days of someone paying a lot of money for a wreck of a house in Bed Stuy are over, if they were ever really here at all. (Most of the houses in Bed Stuy that sold for close to a million dollars or more in the last couple of years were either in good…
The days of someone paying a lot of money for a wreck of a house in Bed Stuy are over, if they were ever really here at all. (Most of the houses in Bed Stuy that sold for close to a million dollars or more in the last couple of years were either in good shape or had something pretty spectacular to recommend them.) As much as we dig the exterior of this brownstone at 208 Hancock Street, we’d be very surprised if someone paid the asking price of $859,000. There are no interior photos of the 3-family, 3,600-square-foot house, but judging from those windows, we’d be surprised if the inside of the house had been particularly well-preserved. So what do you think the market is for something like this? Not very strong, we’d guess.
208 Hancock Street [Weichert] GMAP P*Shark
In case anyone is still checking this thread, here’s a candid report from the open house last Sunday. I stopped by mostly out of curiosity, although I am keeping an eye out for investment property. This house is full of unusual and charming period details: beautiful fireplace surrounds, window surrounds, tilework, built-ins, etc. It was clearly used as an SRO at one point … realtor says the C of O is 3 family, so perhaps it has been legally changed, but be sure to verify that if you make an offer. The parlor floor has been renovated into a cute apartment (nice reno, not a “developer’s special”). The other floors all need substantial work. This house could work well for a young couple who’s willing to live on the parlor floor while renovating the other floors. Linoleum on the stairs and in the hallways… this is usually good news, because the original flooring often stays well-preserved underneath. Clearly there was a bad roof leak at one point (perhaps still?) and there’s some sagging that I would personally want a structural engineer to look at. Yet in spite of all that, I was really drawn to this place. I hope it gets bought by someone who wants to make it their home, because the details cry out for loving restoration. There are fun little archeological surprises everywhere. It’s not for the faint of heart, but in the right hands it could be a really charming owner’s duplex with two floor-throughs above, or owner’s triplex with a garden rental.
The block has an active block association and a large proportion of lovely, community-minded residents. There are a few blighted-looking houses, but most are very well-kept, with pretty front gardens, and several are downright immaculate. It’s in the proposed landmark district.
Amzi Hill: Thanks! I’ll give it a try.
I really wish that Bedford Corners section of Bedford Stuyvesant would get landmarked. Verona, Arlington, Halsey, Macon, Jefferson and Hancock should have been landmarked years ago when Stuyvesant Heights got theres. The blocks in this area are really nice between Bedford but really Nostrand and Marcy/Tompkins.
Hey RH – Your appreciation of visual details over condition of house/location (per Historic status) made me interested to know who you are. So I snooped a little and went to your profile and alas you are a photographer — which makes perfect sense. Along the lines of photography, I was just thinking this morning about a very small project that I’d like to do on my block, but in order to pull it off, I’ll need a certain type of camera and equipment. Would it be okay if we contacted each other? My email address is posted above, I’d appreciate hearing from you.
Thanks.
OK 718. You know everything because you’re a real estate agent. Funny how they all seem to think that!!!
11217, I was picking on you because you were making passing judgment without having your facts straight. Truth is, I have no idea whether or not the house is worth the asking price and I never said I did. Just because it has newer nasty windows doesn’t mean it lacks in detail. My house has the worst updated windows ever made which we can’t afford to replace just yet. But the detail remains inside. Which brings me to MacD’s question: Personally, a house is more important to me than the fact that it’s in an historic district. I want details, space and close proximity to subway, city and amenities. For me, condition of the property is secondary to the details. I love to restore these babies! If this house has details, then perhaps it IS worth the price to someone?
MM – The best way to reach me by e-mail is:
skr200 at NYU dot EDU. It’s the only one I check daily.
Mongoose there is a search section in the old Eagle online papers and you can type in Hancock Street in Bedford and the article should come up. It talks about this grand old street and all the high society people that lives on Hancock in 1894. Names such as John C. Kelley that lives in the huge house at 247 and his neighbor who name slips me that has the other huge mansion two doors down towards Marcy. In doing the research on my house there is a similar article on MacDonough Street from the following year. These articles are so neat to read. The big thing is the building boom of 1890s that has happend in the last 15 years. When you read these articles the next time you walk down these Bedford Stuyvesant streets you really feel the ghost of the past.
When these turn of the century wealthy WASPY people became old in the late 1920s and 1930s and sold there houses to middle class Jewish and Italian people. Then 20 (1950s) years later sold the houses in this area for way too much to West Indians and Black Americans that now had a mortgage so high that they could not afford to renovate these Bedford Stuyvesant houses. This became a blessing for everyone today because many of these homes on the market today came from the people who brought 40 -50 years ago and many people did not do anything to these homes.
This house could be a old houses lover dream.
I am glad that you are updating your “countdown to doom” counter though. 85 days huh? You do realize that you have in your last two screeds said we were doomed in November (well after the 85 days) and after the Olympics (well before the 85 days are up). So which is it going to be–November, or this month?