Prospect Lefferts Gardens

September 28, 2016

Not too big, not too small, turnkey Prospect-Lefferts townhouse is just right–and just $1.95M

On a quiet block of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens--lined with similar round-fronted row houses and low-rise brick apartments--this thoughtfully-renovated, 20-foot-wide limestone townhouse is move-in ready, no contractor required. Asking $1.95 million, 176 Lefferts Avenue changed hands in 2014 for $1.6 million, and just before that in 2013 for $830,000 to a local developer–so you can see how much property values in this neighborhood have changed in recent years. Though the home has been renovated for use as a one-family, it's legally a two-family if you wanted to take advantage of the income–or other expansion–potential.
Explore all three floors
May 9, 2016

Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Brownstone Purchase LLC Tells of Escaped Slaves’ Brave Journey

Atlantic Writer, National Book Award winner and MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant recipient Ta-Nehisi Coates recently made an appearance in real estate news; Coates, who is among today's most prominent writers on African-American issues, and his wife recently purchased a landmarked five-bedroom townhouse in Prospect-Lefferts Garden for $2.1 million. Not one to miss an opportunity to explore a facet of cultural history, the couple worked an interesting story into the LLC they used to purchase the property, DNAinfo tells us. Buyers commonly register Limited Liability Corporations (LLCs) to purchase property in order to conceal their identities (celebrities, for example, or when making a big-ticket buy), and LLC names are often mundane, using the name of the property itself. But the Coateses LLC, "Ellen and William Craft Excursions LLC” has an inspiring tale behind it: The Crafts were an escaped slave couple from Georgia in the 19th century. Disguised as a white male slave owner and his slave, they escaped to Philadelphia in 1868.
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October 20, 2015

Brooklyn Author Lists Whimsical Prospect Lefferts Gardens Townhouse for $1.85M

Isn't it the dream of every aspiring novelist in Brooklyn to have a gorgeous townhouse to write in? Brooklyn-based author Emma Straub (of novels like "The Vacationers" and "Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures") has lived the dream, in this lovely Prospect Lefferts Gardens limestone at 182 Rutland Road. The super-adorable house has been featured in places like Design Sponge and Apartment Therapy. On the latter, Straub characterized the design style as "Colorful and eclectic. Slightly goofy." She and her husband Michael Fusco (together they run design studio M + E out of the house) bought it back in 2009 for $975,000. Today, it's not so easy for a Brooklyn writer to afford a Brooklyn townhouse–it's on the market for $1.85 million.
Take a tour
April 9, 2015

Live in One of the First Buildings Constructed in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens’ Historic District

How would you like to brag to your friends that you live in one of the first buildings ever in what is now the Prospect-Lefferts Gardens Historic District? This four-story townhouse at 51 Midwood Street was built in 1898 by William A.A. Brown and designed by William M. Miller. Among its offerings are striking tiger oak millwork, a grand center stair and coffered ceilings, with some head-turning renovations, all for $2.325 million.
More pics inside
February 16, 2015

Historic Ship-Inspired Townhouse in Prospect Lefferts Gardens Hits the Market for $1.5M

It's not rare to find an amazing historic townhouse in Brooklyn, but this is a first for us–an Arts and Crafts-style home inspired by the original owner's career as a shipbuilder. Built in 1914, 26 Winthrop Street is a 20.5-foot-wide, three-story red brick house that sits on an extra-deep lot of 132.5 feet in Prospect Lefferts Gardens. What makes the residence one-of-a-kind is the living room, modeled after a ship's stateroom and complete with a vaulted ceiling and floor-to-ceiling mahogany wainscoting.
See the rest of the house here
January 14, 2015

Affordable Brooklyn Fading: Last Chance to Buy a Home Under $1M in Areas Like Bed-Stuy and Bushwick

If you've been looking to buy a home in Brooklyn, you'd better do it now–because townhouses under $1 million are going fast as investors and house hunters turn to the likes of Bushwick, Bed-Stuy, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Crown Heights for cheap buys after being priced out of other areas in the borough. The news, which comes via DNA Info, isn't all that surprising, as we reported just yesterday that $3 million-plus townhouses are becoming the norm in already-gentrified neighborhoods like Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope. But those mulling over whether or not to close on a home in an up-and-coming neighborhood had better make the move, because affordable townhouse listings are increasingly becoming few and far between.
Find out more here
September 3, 2014

Coffee Culture: Are Neighborhood Cafes the First Sign of Gentrification?

From “coffices” to lab-like minimalist gourmet coffee meccas to cozy neighborhood hangouts, neighborhood cafes are a fine example of the essential “third place” mentioned in discussions of community dynamics: that place, neither work nor home, where regulars gather and everyone’s welcome. Along with yoga studios, art galleries, community gardens, vintage clothing shops, restaurants with pedigreed owners and adventurous menus and, some say, a change in the offerings on local grocery shelves, cafes are often the earliest sign of neighborhood change. The neighborhood cafe serves as a testing ground for community cohesiveness while adventurous entrepreneurs test the still-unfamiliar waters around them. Beyond the literal gesture of offering sustenance, cafes provide a place where you can actually see who your neighbors are and appreciate the fact that at least some of them are willing to make an investment locally.
Get a fleeting glimpse of old New York City cafe culture in the West Village, meet the future of coffee distribution in Red Hook.
August 14, 2014

$2.3 Million Prospect-Lefferts Garden Townhouse Could be a Historic Movie Set

When you've traveled the world making documentaries about topics ranging from the "greening" of Big Oil to life in North Korea, you're probably a little hard to impress. So this circa 1898 Romanesque Revival townhouse really must have made an impression on filmmaker Peter Yost. He and his wife snatched up the circa 1898 house at 66 Midwood Street in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens for $2.3 million according to city records, coming in over the $1,975,000 listing price. The five-bedroom house has been renovated to both preserve its historic elements and provide updated, modern amenities.
Ogle all of the home's period details
June 19, 2014

NIMBY: Residents Lose Out to Hudson Properties’s Plan to Build a 23-Story Tower Near Prospect Park

Workers will resume construction today on the 23-story residential tower planned for 626 Flatbush Avenue at the edge of Prospect Park in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. Yesterday, a judge threw out a lawsuit placed against Hudson Properties that demanded they chop their tower down to just eight stories. Through the Prospect Park East Network, residents managed to attain a temporary restraining order through State Supreme Court […]