Townhouses

When she started working on "The Girl on the Train" back at the end of 2015, Emily Blunt was rumored to be moving to Brooklyn since the movie was filming here in the city (despite the fact that the book took place near London). Now that the thriller opened at number one in the weekend box office, the sleuths over at LLNYC have uncovered that she and hubby John Krasinski did, in fact, move to the borough in December of last year, dropping $6 million on this landmarked Park Slope townhouse. According to filings with the DOB, they also spent $300,000 renovating the six-bedroom limestone beauty.
Check out the historic home

October 11, 2016

$4.2M Carroll Gardens townhouse is pretty as can be

This four-story Carroll Gardens townhouse is impressive from the get-go. Located at 356 President Street, in a historic district, the 1869 home boasts a facade with an arched doorway, the original paneled doors and Italianate cast iron hand railings, and an impressive cornice. Inside, the historic details were recently restored, like eight fireplaces—five with ornate marble mantels—plaster moldings and ceiling medallions, decorative trim, and the original wood floors. On top of that, the backyard was redone by a landscape architect to include built-in seating and a bluestone patio. After all those upgrades, the impressive property just hit the market for a little over $4 million.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

October 11, 2016

$14.5M West Village townhouse survived a designer renovation with historic details intact

On a postcard-pretty block of the West Village, the single-family townhouse at 66 Charles Street was recently cleared of all imperfections in a top-to-toe reconstruction by noted architect David Hottenroth and master builder Hobbs Incorporated, while retaining many of its original details. The 1899 Italianate-style home offers 3,600 square feet of covetable Village townhouse living with every modern comfort and convenience to make daily life easy. The house sold for just under $8 million in 2014, and now, after its multi-year renovation it's asking $14.5 million.
View the old and the new

Distinctive Homes

October 5, 2016

$2.65M laid-back Carroll Gardens townhouse has historic charm and crayon-box cool

This unassuming townhouse at 189 Luquer Street starts out with the advantage of being in a particularly cool little section of otherwise postcard-perfect Carroll Gardens, near Gowanus and the Columbia Street Waterfront without being a hike to the subway and steps from some of the best restaurants in the borough (Buttermilk Channel, Frankie's). While the home may not be palatial at 1,848 square feet, there are four bedrooms and a lovely outdoor space. It's move-in-ready if not decked out in marble and European kitchen gear, and the current owners clearly know the value of colorful surroundings. Rather than the usual shades of pale, crayola colors wake the bedrooms from boredom, and bright pops of red and riots of pattern appear in unexpected places
Tour the rainbow

Distinctive Homes

October 3, 2016

$5.75M Federal rowhouse in the West Village was once owned by Aaron Burr

By Dana Schulz

It seems the hype of "Hamilton" the musical is having an affect on the real estate market. Just five months ago, the former East Village home of Alexander Hamilton, Jr. sold for $10 million, and now a rowhouse across town in the West Village that was once owned by Aaron Burr, who famously killed his father, is hitting the market for $5.75 million. The Post reports that the charming brick, Federal-style home at 17 Commerce Street sits on land that Burr owned just north of his country estate during the turn of the 18th century.
More history and a look through the house

September 28, 2016

Meryl Streep’s former Greenwich Village townhouse asks $28.5M

Before buying a penthouse at Tribeca's 92 Laight Street in 2004 for $9 million, three-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep called this lovely townhouse in Greenwich Village home. She purchased the five-story brick residence at 19 West 12th Street for $2.1 million in 1995, and then sold it 10 years later for $9.1 million to heiress Libet Johnson, according to LL NYC. Built in 1895, the home retained much of its historic detail when Streep resided there, but it's since been given an uber-contemporary makeover, most notably the Calacatta marble master bathroom that the listing describes as "unequivocally one of the most sensational in the city."
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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

Distinctive Homes

September 27, 2016

1890s carriage house fronts a glass-walled Gramercy home with six terraces for $16.8M

A block from Gramercy Park, 150 East 22nd Street lies just outside the borders of the Gramercy Park Historic District, but the property's owners have preserved and restored one of the most substantial carriage houses still in existence in the coveted neighborhood. The original carriage house, commissioned by one Miss E.L. Breese, a prominent New York socialite known for her rare (for the time) level of independence, was constructed in the Neo-Flemish style in 1893. It now functions as a private garage for the home, its uniquely decorative façade enveloping the front of a thoroughly modern five-story townhouse–on the market for $16.8 million–that spans nearly 7,000 square feet and boasts an elevator, six bedrooms and six terraces including an amazing rooftop paradise.
Check out this amazing combination

September 26, 2016

‘House of Cards’ and ‘The Strain’ actor Corey Stoll buys $2.4M Windsor Terrace townhouse

Native Upper West Sider and actor Corey Stoll--best known for his Golden Globe-nominated role as Congressman Peter Russo on "House of Cards" and for playing Dr. Ephraim Goodweather on "The Strain"--has a new Windsor Terrace townhouse, according to LL NYC. He and his wife, Broadway actress Nadia Bowers, dropped $2.4 million on the charming and quaint home, which was recently renovated and is just one block from Prospect Park.
Take a tour

Fort Greene brownstone from ‘Girls’ looks even better in real life, asks $5.6M

Remember that season on Girls where Lena Dunham's character falls for a handsome doctor with a gorgeous, pristine renovated brownstone? The townhouse that hosted those episodes is, in fact, the same 5,600-square-foot landmarked home that just hit the market for $5.6 million. Located at 52 Oxford Street in leafy, historic Fort Greene, it's currently owned by actor, screenwriter, and sometimes interior designer, Billy Morrissette, and according to the listing, also did star turns on Elementary, SNL and Difficult People. But the five-story 19th-century beauty with thoughtfully chosen and luxurious finishes, a sprawling deck, a deep landscaped yard and an industrial-chic glass-walled sun room has plenty of star power even when the cameras aren't rolling.
Tour all five star-quality stories of townhouse glory

September 16, 2016

Historic and possibly haunted mansion near Navy Yard is priced to scare at $4.5 million

Though we can see how the otherwise potential-filled historic–and allegedly haunted–Lefferts-Laidlaw mansion at 136 Clinton Avenue in the Clinton Hill/Navy Yard/Wallabout neighborhood may terrify prospective buyers with an ask of $4.499 million, an 1878 New York Times account describes the persistent and mysterious ring-and-run situation that apparently plagued the home’s then-resident, Edward F. Smith. Neither crafty attempts to discover who was responsible for “doorbells rung, doors rattled" on a nightly basis and a brick hurled through a window, nor police intervention could produce a culprit. The house became a fixture on the map of spiritualists who held seances on the sidewalk. Locals suggested the pesky poltergeist might be either a lawyer who had committed suicide on the premises, or, as Mr. Smith suggested (possibly with some sarcasm attached as it was, after all, Brooklyn), Satan.
Does this house look spooky to you?

September 15, 2016

For $1.6M this sweet Red Hook townhouse with a studio, garage and garden is a great condo alternative

While this compact and cute townhouse at 98 Pioneer Street on one of Red Hook's most Red Hook-y blocks may not be a grand mansion, at 2,148 square feet, it's bigger than most condos in its ($1.6 million) price range, and there's plenty of value packed in. First, a separate studio apartment with a garage and workshop, renovated and suitably adorable with garden access, is ready to be rented for extra income or used as a workspace or guest suite. There's a lovely landscaped garden, two additional balconies and plenty of thoughtful, modern renovations that you might find in newly-minted apartments with far less charm.
Take the tour

Distinctive Homes

September 14, 2016

Park Slope’s priciest townhouse gets a price cut to $12.75M

When the drop-dead gorgeous townhouse at 838 Carroll Street in Park Slope first hit the market, it made headlines with its $15 million price tag. That was earlier this year and apparently nobody bit, because a new ask of $12.75 million is now on the table. Even with the price cut, it's still the most expensive home for sale in the neighborhood.
Get ready to drool

August 31, 2016

$1.5M Bushwick townhouse charms with its blend of modern and historic

This Bushwick townhouse, at 169 Schaefer Street, has got a little something for everyone: details like the original fireplace mantle and wainscoting for the old house lover, a fancy, renovated kitchen for those who prefer something modernized, and a garden-level duplex rental for a buyer looking to make extra money from a renter. The two-family, semi-detached home was recently renovated to blend the old and the new, and it's now asking $1.449 million.
Go inside

Distinctive Homes

August 31, 2016

Kate Spade founder’s boho East Village townhouse returns as a $40,000/month rental

We'll take any opportunity to admire the four-story townhouse at 215 East 12th Street in the East Village, just south of the bustle of Union Square, and its appearance on the rental market for $40,000 a month is as good an excuse as any. Just a few months ago, the townhouse owned by Pamela Bell, one of the founders of fashion brand Kate Spade, popped up for sale at $16 million accompanied by many pretty pictures of its gently renovated historic-chic interiors and beautifully-preserved 1800s origins. Bell bought the house in 2007 for $4.3 million, so there's a tidy sum to be made if it snags a buyer; in the meantime, renters get a chance to experience nine-bedroom garden-filled townhouse living in a vibrant, 24-hour neighborhood.
Take the tour

August 30, 2016

$4M 19th century brick townhouse in Williamsburg masquerades as a loft

Williamsburg is best known for its stock of new condo buildings and converted warehouses, but the neighborhood boasts its share of historic gems in the form of 19th century townhouses. They don't come on the market very often, so that's why this one at 130 North 1st Street is asking nearly $4 million. Inside, it looks more like a loft than a townhouse--this is still Williamsburg, after all.
Take an interior tour

Distinctive Homes

August 29, 2016

Facebook co-founder Sean Parker buys three Greenwich Village townhouses to create mega-mansion

There must be something about the Village and Facebook that go together. Back in January, the social media company's co-founder Chris Hughes sold his Soho loft for $8.5 million and relocated to a $23.5 million West Village townhouse. And now the Post reports that the other founding partner, Sean Parker, who also created Napster, has acquired three homes along West 10th Street, where he plans to create one big mega-mansion.
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August 26, 2016

$3.5M Boerum Hill carriage house comes with a three-family townhouse in the front for rental income

And that's only one of the many possibilities for this unusual Brooklyn property. On a quaint and classic Brooklyn block in Boerum Hill, this three-family row house at 104 Butler Street is currently being used as a source of income from three separate apartments. Through the picturesque garden at the back, a three-story, four-bedroom carriage house is occupied by the home's current owners. A new owner could leave the setup as-is, use both of these 19th-century houses as a multi-generational home for family, or create condos in the front, with many more options imaginable. The ask is $3.45 million.
See some of the interiors and get ideas

Distinctive Homes

August 22, 2016

Local writer raising $150,000 to save Langston Hughes’ $3M Harlem townhouse

By Dana Schulz

Prolific writer and leader of the Harlem Renaissance Langston Hughes lived at 20 East 127th Street, an 1896 brownstone, in the 1950s and '60s, until he passed away in 1967. As Curbed notes, in more recent years, the ivy-covered, landmarked home has been plagued by lawsuits over its use and maintenance. The current owner listed it for $1.2 million in 2009, but it didn't sell even after the price was lowered in 2010. Today, it's estimated to be worth more than $3 million, though it's sitting vacant with its paint chipping. But local writer Renee Watson has big plans for the house that don't involve a multi-million-dollar sale that could potentially gut the interior, where Hughes' typewriter still sits on a shelf. CNN Money reports that she's launched an Indiegogo campaign to raise $150,000 to rent the home, renovate it, and turn it into a cultural center for Harlem-based artists.
Find out more

Celebrities

August 16, 2016

Harriet the Spy’s $5M Upper East Side Townhouse Finds a Buyer

By Dana Schulz

In May, the Queen Anne-style townhouse said to have inspired the fictional Upper East Side home of "Harriet the Spy" hit the market for the first time in 70 years, asking $4.95 million. And in less than three months it's already entered entered contract, reports Curbed. Author Louise Fitzhugh lived on 85th Street, so it's no surprise that this gorgeous 1880s property at 558 East 87th Street sparked her creative juices. Located on the corner of a quiet and leafy Yorkville block in the Henderson Place Historic District, the 3,000-square-foot stunner overlooks Gracie Mansion, Carl Schurz Park, and the East River, "the perfect setting to get into covert shenanigans, à la Harriet," as 6sqft previously quipped.
See the whole place

July 28, 2016

Rupert Murdoch’s Multi-Terraced West Village Townhouse Sells for $27.5M in Just Five Months

Last August 6sqft reported that News Corp. head and Fox News founder Rupert Murdoch had put his West Village townhouse–the one he'd bought just five months prior for $25 million–on the market. Now, just five months after listing the 25-foot-wide, four-story brick home for $28.9M, the house has found a buyer, the New York Observer reports. Whomever is behind the entity known as West 11th Street, LLC has purchased the 6,500-square-foot Greek Revival manse for $27.5 million. The deal represents a $2.5M profit for Murdoch (and we all know how much he needs a few more million).
See what else makes this townhouse so buy-able

July 22, 2016

What You Need to Know When Buying a Townhouse in New York City

By Diane Pham

Historic details, gardens, privacy, numerous bedrooms and bathrooms… In a crowded city like New York where quarters often come cramped, townhouse living is truly what real estate dreams are made of. However, while townhouses can offer far more space and flexibility than say an apartment in a glass tower, unlike buying into a condo or a co-op, they also come with a whole other […]

Real Estate Trends

July 13, 2016

Incredible 1842 West Village Townhouse With Multi-Level Garden Asks $9M