Townhouses

June 10, 2015

Wood Details Abound in This $1.3M Bed-Stuy Townhouse

Bed-Stuy is a Brooklyn neighborhood that's known for its stock of historic townhouses with incredible interior details. Here's one at 724 Macon Street, on the market for $1.299 million. The listing brags that the details are in "museum quality condition," and looking through the photos we'd have to agree. If you're someone who likes old homes, you will want to check out the extensive woodwork throughout the interior.
Right this way

Distinctive Homes

June 8, 2015

No One Will Dare Challenge Your Throne in This $29M Palatial Pad

By Aisha Carter

Here's a particularly gaudy apartment for those who want to literally feel like a king and queen of their palace. This six-story, 13,000-square-foot mansion at 7 East 84th Street came on the market for the first time in almost two decades in 2013, asking $30 million. It appears that after two years and no takers, it has finally lowered the price by a whole million, landing at $29 million. It's appropriately located inside the Metropolitan Museum Historic District, so its statues must feel right at home. Plus, it has a temperature-controlled wine cellar and tasting room in the basement that looks like it's straight out of "Game of Thrones," so we had to take a look.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 5, 2015

Historic Riverside Mansion Designed by Notable Architect Asks $14 Million

By Emily Nonko

Within the Riverside Drive-West 80th-81st Street Historic District on the Upper West Side, there's a row of eight stunning townhouses built in the Elizabethan Renaissance Revival style. The row was designed by the prominent architect Clarence True, who contributed greatly to the development surrounding Riverside Park. Elegant properties like this one at 320 West 80th Street attracted the New York City elite around the turn of the century, and not much has changed today. Now the mansion is on the market for $14 million.
See the beautiful interior

June 4, 2015

All the Details Are Intact at This $1.5M Historic Bed-Stuy Brownstone

By Emily Nonko

If you're in the market for a classic Brooklyn brownstone with all its details intact, check out this home for sale at 454 Jefferson Avenue in Bed-Stuy. The Second Empire-style house, which is four stories and holds two units, is boasting well-kept interior details alongside some more modern renovations. Simply put, it's a solid brownstone property without any special frills–just the exposed brick, wood floors and large windows. It's asking $1.55 million.
See the interior

June 4, 2015

Cobble Hill Townhouse Sets Record for Most Expensive Home Sale in Brooklyn at $15.5M

By Dana Schulz

You know the real estate market is getting shaken up when Brooklynites are abandoning their beloved borough for the cheaper island of Manhattan. And today's record breaker just goes to show how hot Brooklyn is right now. The Daily News reports that the super-modernized Cobble Hill carriage house at 177 Pacific Street sold for $15.5 million, setting the record for most expensive home sale ever in the borough. The four-story, six-bedroom house takes the top spot from Truman Capote's former home at 70 Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights, which sold in 2012 for $12.5 million.
More details about this Brooklyn record breaker

Real Estate Trends

June 4, 2015

Soho’s Only Freestanding Home Already Back on the Market, Now a $22.5K Rental

By Aisha Carter

If you thought you missed out on the chance to live in Soho's only freestanding home, you're in luck. Just two weeks after we broke the news that 514 Broome Street had sold for $6.887 million, it's back on the market with a new paint job and a rental price tag of $22,500 a month. Interestingly enough, "Million Dollar Listing" start Ryan Serhant is the broker once again.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 3, 2015

Bed-Stuy Townhouse with Flair and Flexibility Asks $2 Million

By Emily Nonko

This four-family brownstone at 278 Clifton Place in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, just hit the market for $1.995 million. It's a well-preserved historic brownstone that offers plenty of potential for conversion. It's currently set up as an owners duplex with two rental units above, but as the listing says, "You have the flexibility to make it a grand single family home, smart double duplex, triplex over garden rental or four floor-through income generating units." The house already has an extension that includes a terrace for the third-floor rental unit. The extra space and the flexible configuration gives the new buyer plenty of opportunity to use their imagination.
Check out the interior

Distinctive Homes

June 2, 2015

Elizabeth Roberts Brings Light Back into This 163-Year-Old Fort Greene Townhouse

By Shiloh Frederick

When Allison Freedman Weisberg and Peter Barker-Huelster bought this Fort Greene townhouse, it was the opposite of the home they envisioned. The couple wanted a house that was bright and uncluttered. Instead, the 163 year-old house was dark and decaying with its roof and back wall about to cave in. The family enlisted Elizabeth Roberts Design/Ensemble Architecture to put air and light back into the house, resulting in this indoor/outdoor blend thanks to a two-story addition, which features a wall of windows on the second floor and an operable glass door on the ground floor.
Look around the house here

June 2, 2015

This Historic $2.1 Million Bed-Stuy Townhouse Comes with a Koi Pond

By Aisha Carter

For $2.1 million you can nab a turn-of-the-century Italianate brick townhouse on a tree-lined block in Bed-Stuy. The two-family home measures 20 feet wide and 45 feet deep, and offers period details like inlaid parquet floors, pocket doors, pier glass mirrors, and marble mantelpieces. And who doesn't want a koi pond?
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

June 1, 2015

$18 Million Townhouse in Greenwich Village Will Speak to Your Inner Historian and Artist

By Emily Nonko

This Greenwich Village townhouse located at 52 West 9th Street is unique indeed. (And we're not just talking about that $18 million price tag). The home was constructed in 1848 for the physician Austin Sherman. And while it retains many of its period details, it was renovated to accommodate the influx of artists that moved to the Village in the early 20th century. The distinctive studio on the top floor of the townhouse was added around 1920. According to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, "the studio is not only unusually high (seemingly a nearly double-height space), but is recessed enough to supply a balcony with a balustrade for the lucky resident." So the building has a touch of both the historic and the artistic side of Greenwich Village, with a price that fits the market of 2015.
See the interior here

Distinctive Homes

Italianate Brownstone with Lavish Details Asks $4 Million in Clinton Hill

By Emily Nonko

The Brooklyn neighborhood of Clinton Hill is known for its blocks of historic brownstone properties. This one, a single-family brownstone at 370 Washington Avenue, is lovely inside and out. Built in the Italianate style, it has lots of lavish details that were restored by the current owner. And it's currently on the market for $3.995 million.
Tour the home here

Distinctive Homes

May 22, 2015

Soho’s Only Freestanding Home Sells for a Discounted $6.9M

By Aisha Carter

Soho's only freestanding home has found new owners. Bonnie and Seth Harris paid $6.887 million for the Broome Street townhouse, which initially popped up on the market a year ago, asking nearly $10 million. The two-bedroom home, listed by "Million Dollar Listing" star Ryan Serhant, has 3,430 square feet of living space with a 280-square-foot terrace and an additional 2,600 square feet of building rights.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

May 21, 2015

Park Slope Townhouse Sporting Woody Interior Asks $1.5M

By Aisha Carter

There's something intriguing about this $1.5 million two-family townhouse at 326 15th Street in Park Slope. The home almost looks like an upscale tool shed with wood everywhere you look: wooden built-ins, wooden beams, hardwood floors. But with the right owner and enough tender love and care, this 1,800 square-foot beauty could be a dream home in the making. Built around 1899, and available for the first time in 35 years, it can be yours for $1.5 million.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

The High and Low: Sweet Bohemian Cottage with Dreamy Private Garden

38A Windsor Place (l); 110 Clinton Avenue (r).

May 19, 2015

The High and Low: Sweet Bohemian Cottage with Dreamy Private Garden

By Michelle Cohen

Spring has finally arrived, and our spring fever has been replaced by a yearning to dine al fresco, savor morning coffee in the sunshine and—for the gardening-inclined—start hitting the dirt. For lucky city folk with private garden space, there's a just-right element: You get to enjoy the flowers but you don't have to mow the grass. These new-to-market charmers have all the boxes checked when it comes to the European-style cottage vibe with whitewashed walls and loads of DIY potential. They've also got enchanted gardens you won't want to step out of 'til the snow starts falling. The first, in south Park Slope, a block from the park, is a three-story townhouse with income potential and plenty of vintage details, listed for $1,800,000. The second, a two-bedroom garden duplex co-op in Clinton Hill for $895k, is as adorable as it is unusual inside and out, and the garden looks to be pure magic.
Read on for these two springtime finds

Distinctive Homes

May 15, 2015

‘Eat, Pray, Love’ Firehouse in Cobble Hill Sells for $6.25M

By Michelle Cohen

The 19th century Cobble Hill carriage house featured in the Julia Roberts movie version of Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat Pray Love" has just sold for $6.25 million, according to the Observer. We’re reminded of the boho-fabulous Park Slope townhouse featured in Noah Baumbach’s "The Squid and the Whale," which changed hands for its ask of $3.45 million back in 2012, so this may be a testament to how much the market has shifted since then–or one could compare indie film cred with Julia Roberts-grade mainstream appeal. Either way, this charming 1840s former firehouse at 172 Pacific Street on a pretty, shade-dappled Cobble Hill block has cinematic qualities on its own. The home, which had been on the market for nearly a year, is unique even on this block of quaint 19th century houses.
Take a look inside here

May 13, 2015

The Light Is Guiding You to This Chelsea Townhome Owned by an Emmy Winner

By Aisha Carter

It's good to have options. Take this former "Guiding Light" actress's 4,000 square-foot early Greek revival townhouse on James Phelan Row, for instance. It can either be delivered to you as three separate apartments with a potential rental income of $20,000 per month, or you can convert it into one giant dream home. Either way you've got three large outdoor spaces waiting for you during the warmer months, and eight wood-burning fireplaces ready to warm you during New York's fierce winters. And all these options can be right at your feet for $9.5 million.
More pics inside

May 12, 2015

19th Century Bed-Stuy Townhouse on ‘Doctors Row’ Is Swimming in Wood Details

By Aisha Carter

When you're lucky enough to come across a gorgeous older home that has been lovingly restored like this eight-bedroom home at 126 Hancock Street, you grab your broker and run like the wind to claim it. And you just might do so after you've had a look at this brownstone. This stunning home was originally built in 1883 by architect Isaac D. Reynolds and has been carefully restored to its original glory by a team of interior designers from Pure Interior Design of New York. After this group was finished shining this baby up like a brand-new penny, we were left with a stunning home with all the modern updates, asking $3.195 million.
More pics inside

May 11, 2015

Rock Out Like Mozart in This Hip but Historic Bed-Stuy Crib

By Aisha Carter

Original details like decorative fireplaces, wood moldings and pocket doors await you at this $1.85 million Bed-Stuy residence at 349 Hancock Street. This 3,104-square-foot home was built in 1900 and sits on an 18 x 100-foot lot. It is currently divided into an owner's triplex over a garden apartment—and there's even a cool room for your drum set.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

May 6, 2015

Billionaire Carlos Slim Looks to Break Record for Priciest Townhouse Ever Sold with $80M Ask

By Dana Schulz

Carlos Slim, Mexican business magnate and former world's richest person, is looking to break the record for most expensive townhouse ever sold in NYC. As the Daily News first reported, he's listed his Upper East Side Beaux Arts mansion at 1009 Fifth Avenue for $80 million, after buying it for only $44 million five years ago from Russian oil mogul Tamir Sapir. Built in 1901, the limestone-and-red-brick home is known as the Duke-Semans Mansion and is one of the last remaining private homes on Fifth Avenue. It's located directly across from the Met, rises eight stories, and encompasses a whopping 20,000 square feet. According to the listing, the French Renaissance interiors "feature soaring ceilings, hand-carved wood paneling, lovely trompe l'oeil accents, gold-leaf trimmed fixtures and intricate plaster friezes."
READ MORE

May 5, 2015

The Former Upper West Side Mansion of Charles Schwab Is Asking $20 Million

By Emily Nonko

It doesn't get any grander than this 11,500-square-foot, six-story mansion on the Upper West Side. Located at 323 West 74th Street, this home has an interesting history, to say the least: It was designed by the famous architect C. P. H. Gilbert as part of a larger row of residences off Riverside Drive to rival the mansions of Fifth Avenue. The infamous moneyman and steel magnate Charles Schwab lived here from 1914 to 1917, then, according to Daytonian in Manhttan, it was used as the "scandalous love nest" for the mistress of industrialist George Gould. Today, it's been configured as an owner's triplex with an apartment below. The asking price comes in at $19.995 million.
See more interior photos here

May 1, 2015

West Village Rowhouse Once Home to Photographer Diane Arbus Lists for $13.5M

By Dana Schulz

If you've ever seen the work of legendary photographer Diane Arbus, you know her style is a little offbeat. Born into a rich NYC family in 1923, Arbus became famous for capturing "deviant and marginal people," those who would otherwise seem ugly to most, with her camera. Unfortunately, she's also remembered for taking her own life at the age of 48 while living at the Westbeth Artists Community. But before moving to the well-known artists' complex, Arbus lived in an appropriately "secret world," a West Village back house that was once a stable, hidden behind its classic, Federal-style rowhouse at 131 Charles Street. She moved into the rear carriage house in 1959 after separating from her husband Allan Arbus and lived there until around 1968. As the Wall Street Journal reports, both the front and back houses are now on the market for $13.5 million.
Look inside this magnificent, historic home

May 1, 2015

Live in Eleanor Roosevelt’s Historic Townhouse for $18M

By Aisha Carter

Yes, one of history's favorite First Ladies once called this Upper East Side place home. In fact, she wrote about her apartment in a column she had, called "My Day," referring to it as her "new little apartment." Today the building, part of the landmarked Treadwell Farm Historic District, is a single-family townhouse owned by investor Charles Ueng. He purchased it for about $9 million in 2011, spent $2 million renovating it, and now has it on the market for $18 million.
Take a look around Eleanor Roosevelt's former home

April 30, 2015

$2.5M Clinton Hill Townhouse Is Dripping with Historic Details

By Emily Nonko

This beautiful Brooklyn townhouse, located at 181 St. James Place, is right in the heart of the Clinton Hill Historic District. The single-family property itself is historic inside and out–all three buildings were designed by the prominent Brooklyn architect William Tubby. No. 181 is the centerpiece, a combo of both Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne styles with an oeil-de-boeuf (bulls-eye) with four keystones at the center of the gable. The interior is decked out with incredibly restored historic details... a carved wooden staircase, fireplaces, stained glass windows, even a claw foot tub. To live in this piece of Brooklyn history, it's going to cost you $2.545 million.
Tour the interior right here

April 29, 2015

This Cozy Brooklyn ‘Slot House’ Fits a Bed in the Kitchen

By Emily Nonko

Who says small spaces can't be designed luxuriously? In fact, this compact home in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn looks downright gorgeous—even if there is a bed lofted above a refrigerator. Noroof Architects designed the home in the early 2000s, and nicknamed the project "Slot House." The exterior "slot" was inspired by the existing maple tree on site, which the owners did not want to remove. The slot allows the tree to be seen from the inside, and this clever slotted design gesture was carried to the interior.
See the impressive result here

April 24, 2015

Imagine the Possibilities in This $2.5M Central Park West Triplex with Verdant Garden

By Aisha Carter

It's build-your-own-dream-home time! Here's a look at a completely gutted brownstone triplex right off Central Park. This 2,100-square-foot pad provides the perfect excuse to grab your interior designer and unleash your imagination. The space includes the parlor, garden level, and basement of a prewar co-op, with a 750-square-foot backyard. And it can be yours for $2.495 million.
More pics inside

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