Search Results for: brownstone

September 7, 2017

6sqft Guide: Everything parents need to know about renting for college-age kids in NYC

Living in a college residence might be fun for a year or two, but most college-age kids eventually want to move out. And who can blame them? After all, who wants to show ID to a security guard every time they arrive home, share a room with a stranger, or eat in a cafeteria night after night? In many smaller college towns, sending your kid first and last month’s rent is more than enough to get them out of residence and into their first apartment. In New York City, it’s a bit more complicated. In most cases, parents need to be directly involved in the housing search and rental process and prepared to come up with a substantial deposit, which can meet or even exceed the money needed to purchase a starter home in many U.S. cities. In order to rent an apartment in New York City, renters typically must come up with first and last month’s rent, a security deposit, and a broker’s fee (the fee is either one month’s rent or anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the first year’s rent). Also, as a rule, owners and management companies require lease holders to have an established credit history, to make more than 40 times the monthly rent on an annual basis, or to have a guarantor who exceeds these criteria. This 6sqft guide outlines everything parents need to know before going on the market to rent an apartment for a college-age child, including advice on where to find listings and how to decode them.
the full scoop here
September 1, 2017

Emily Blunt and John Krasinski list historic townhouse in Park Slope for $8M

Actors Emily Blunt and John Krasinski have put their recently restored four-story Brooklyn townhouse on the market for $8 million, which the couple first purchased for $6 million last fall. The seven-bedroom, 20-room home sits on a prime block in Park Slope at 586 4th Street, just steps away from Prospect Park. According to the Wall Street Journal, Blunt and Krasinski are selling the recently-purchased property because they’ve haven’t spent enough time there because of work.“We’ve been nomads for a while now, but that’s the nature of the business,” Krasinski told the WSJ. “The house is so special—someone who can spend every night there should have it.”
See inside
September 1, 2017

Homespun details and an outdoor pool make this Chelsea rental stand out from the pack

Though 634 square feet might not be an endless amount of living space, this one-bedroom Chelsea condo at 133 West 22nd Street packs in a lot of livability, starting with high ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, a well-appointed kitchen, a washer-dryer, central air/heating and FIOS wiring. And that's just the apartment–the building even has an outdoor pool. For $4,650 a month you could look forward to spending next summer poolside.
Get an eyeful, this way
August 28, 2017

$675K for a custom renovated condo in a beloved, historic building of Cobble Hill

Most Cobble Hill residents are familiar with the Cobble Hill Towers, distinctive red brick buildings—nine six-story walk-ups in all—built in 1879 by the philanthropist Alfred Tredway White. The buildings were converted to condos in 2010, and what was formerly envisioned as worker's tenements is now hot Brooklyn real estate. This particular one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment has been thoroughly renovated, with some custom touches from the dining table to the closet doors. The apartment sold three years ago for $416,120, and has just hit the market asking $675,000.
Check out the interior
August 23, 2017

If you don’t mind sharing a bathroom, live in happening Hell’s Kitchen for $714/month

Just about a year ago, nine $774/month SROs at Stardom Hall at 330 West 51st Street became available through the city's affordable housing lottery. While it was quite the deal--more so for its location on what is arguably Hell's Kitchen's most foodie-friendly block--the units had shared-floor bathrooms and just kitchenettes. But if those aren't deterrents for you, 13 more units at the building next door, 332, are now up for grabs, asking $714/month. They're available to single persons currently residing in Manhattan Community Board 4 and earning 60 percent of the area median income.
See the qualifications
August 15, 2017

NYC lawyers once gifted Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin a tenement in Brooklyn

>Google Street View of 541 Clinton Street. Map data © 2019 Google In the 1940s, two attorneys from Manhattan let the mortgage payments lapse on a building they owned in Carroll Gardens. Julius Freilicher and Martin Auslander had a $3,300 mortgage with Dime Savings Bank on their tenement at 541 Clinton Street. Believing it was a better idea to not pay the mortgage, the two lawyers decided the best thing was to file a deed of gift, as the Brownstone Detectives reported. The receivers of this gift? Adolph Hitler and Joseph Stalin.
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August 10, 2017

There’s a rare Guastavino tiled ceiling hidden inside this $359K UWS studio

A block of 78th Street on the Upper West Side, between the Museum of Natural History and Amsterdam Avenue, has more going for it than just colorful brownstones; it also has a colorful architectural secret. The block's display of Moorish brick and stone buildings shares a history with some of the city's notable public spaces. Known as "Guastavino Row," its decorative and altogether charming townhouses were designed by noted 19th-century architect Rafael Guastavino, famed for his beautiful and expertly engineered vaulted, tiled ceilings. Recently, a small but lovely first-floor studio at 120 West 78th street listed for $359,000, and it boasts a beautiful ceiling that, according to the listing, was one of Guastavino's iconic designs.
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August 9, 2017

NYC jobs that offer free housing – here’s where to find them

You’ve landed a great job in New York City—then the reality of the city’s housing market starts to sink in. It’s a situation that thousands of new city residents face every year. New York City’s cost of living, which continues to outpace most other cities across North America, can make a move to the city seem difficult and even impossible. In fact, even highly compensated professionals often balk at the idea of relocating due to the fact that it typically means radically adjusting one’s established standard of living. After all, most adults assume it is normal to have more than one closet and expect their kitchen to be large enough to accommodate more than one person at a time. This is why at least some local employers throw in the most coveted perk of all—free or at least steeply discounted housing.
find out where these jobs are
August 1, 2017

My 900sqft: An interior designer fills his Bed-Stuy home with rare objects pulled from the street

"This apartment has basically become my yard," says Alessandro Pasquale, an Italian designer, artist, and collector of incredible and one-of-a-kind pieces. "I’m an interior designer, so I love details. The little things catch my attention," he adds. These statements find considerable weight when you scan Alessandro's Bed-Stuy home, a 900-square-foot space filled with hundreds of objects he's arranged so "that any angle of the apartment can be photographed." But while you may be thinking this guy is either incredibly wealthy or a bit of a shopaholic given his lot, it's worth noting that Alessandro isn't raising a paddle at Christie's procure these rare items. Rather, since moving to NYC he's become something of a scavenger, plucking obscure items that have been abandoned curbside or trashed in dumpsters, then finding a place for them in his home.
take video and photo tours inside
July 25, 2017

Sunny Park Slope sublet asks $4,750/month, co-op board approval not required

This quintessentially lovely Park Slope apartment on the parlor floor of a gorgeous historic townhouse at 369 Sixth Avenue is available for sublet without co-op board approval, which may just set the stage for the easy life in this sunny Brooklyn home. An in-unit washer-dryer, a nice big bay window, a recent renovation and a tree-lined street add to the idyllic picture.
Take a look
July 10, 2017

Billie Holiday’s last home on the Upper West Side sells for $9.5M

In the years prior to her untimely death in 1959 at the age of 44, jazz legend Billie Holiday lived in this Upper West Side brownstone at 26 West 87th Street, just steps from Central Park. The storied, historic home first hit the market back in October 2015 for $12,950,000, and after a series of reductions, the listing was handed over this past September to Million Dollar Listing's Ryan Serhant, who dropped the price to $9,999,000 and featured the property on a recent episode of his show. Lady Day's house, built in 1910 but recently renovated, has now finally found a buyer for $9,475,000.
Take a tour
July 6, 2017

$589K co-op is nestled on the charming single block of Fiske Place in Park Slope

Fiske Place is a quiet, single-block of Park Slope between Carroll Street and Garfield Place, one block to Prospect Park. Inside this brick building at 19 Fiske Place is a one-bedroom co-op that's just hit the market for $589,000. If you don't mind a two-flight walkup, the apartment is bright and stylish, with a renovated kitchen and corner bedroom that overlooks the building's garden. The last recorded sale for the space was in 2005 for $349,000.
Take a look around
June 28, 2017

$1M Upper West Side townhouse duplex has a terrace and a fireplace for all-season character

A one-bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side for around a million seems almost too good to be true as it is; this townhouse duplex at 172 West 82nd Street is all that plus a terrace and a wood-burning fireplace for $1.01 million. While the interior reads more East Village than Upper West with two walls of exposed brick, a fresh renovation is uptown-efficient. This walk-up co-op is in a charming bay-windowed brownstone on an equally charming tree-lined block.
Get a closer look
June 16, 2017

This $7.5M modern abode in Park Slope was once a humble carriage house

From an 1890s carriage house to this stunning modern home, the Park Slope property at 77 Prospect Place has quite the story behind it. According to Brownstoner, this building, along with two others, was purchased by the Brooklyn Union Gas company for use in an alternative energy experiment. 77 Prospect served as the company's show house, and they installed experimental fuel cells on the roofs, the design of which was inspired by the Apollo spacecraft. More recently, in 2004, the building was completely renovated by the architect Philippe Baumann. He built out a chic, modern interior and added a second floor with a stunning open space that opens to an outdoor patio with a hot tub. Now it's up for grabs, asking $7.495 million.
Check out the home's most recent iteration
June 15, 2017

Hilary Swank’s picture-perfect former Village townhouse asks $12M

This historic classic brownstone at 33 Charles Street in the West Village, asking $11.995 million, is the very picture of townhouse charm in a neighborhood that's overflowing with charming brownstones. Adding to the home's cachet is the fact that Hilary Swank lived here with then-husband Chad Lowe from when she purchased it for $3.9 million in 2002 until 2006 when it was sold for $8.25 million (h/t New York Post). The home has been completely updated with central air and new windows throughout and every imaginable modern convenience, though much of its original woodwork has been retained.
See all the rooms of this gorgeous home
June 14, 2017

New York City’s iconic architecture comes to life on this skyline chess board

A new chess set lets you checkmate with New York City’s skyline. Developed by Skyline Chess, a company founded by two London-based architects, the game pieces capture the city’s early 1900s construction boom and the expansion of skyscraper architecture, along with more contemporary and recognizable structures. As contemporist discovered, the pieces are silhouettes of buildings like One World Trade Center, the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Flatiron Building, Guggenheim Museum, and traditional brownstones.
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June 13, 2017

This $8.5K townhouse rental is quintessential Upper West Side with parlor-floor panache

A block from Central Park in Lincoln Square, this 1,850 square-foot parlor floor-through at 52 West 69th Street is the kind of Upper West Side residence that has inspired many a dream of New York City living. Listed as having two bedrooms convertible to three, the $8,500 per month rent seems a bit less daunting when imagined as a comfortably sprawling choice for family or group living.
Get a feel for the space
June 12, 2017

$1.56M Cobble Hill condo has a garden, rooftop terrace, and laid-back loft style

This bright, loft-like Cobble Hill condo pulls off a pretty neat trick: It’s on the ground floor (giving it a private garden) and it also has the penthouse perk of an enormous skylight and a private roof terrace just above. How is this possible, you ask? The apartment occupies the rear extension of a 25-foot-wide brownstone at 56 Bergen Street, combining penthouse perks and garden level access. The two-bedroom 1,413 square-foot home is at the crossroads of Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights and Fort Greene, within walking distance to everything from Trader Joe’s to the Promenade and antique shops on Atlantic Avenue.
Check out the rest
June 9, 2017

You can own two Westchester homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright students

It's rare to own a home in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, but here's two just outside of NYC in Westchester County. Brownstoner showcased the homes, both designed with Wright’s "Usonian" ideals in mind--affordable homes integrated skillfully with the landscape. The first, in Pleasantville, is known originally as the Silson house and was designed in 1951 by architect Kaneji Domoto, a Wright student. It's located within the actual Wright-planned community now known as the Usonia Historic District and asking $1.2 million. The second is a home designed by architect David Henken, another Wright disciple. Located in Dobb’s Ferry, with the same seamless connection to nature, it is listed for $1.049 million.
See photos of both properties
June 9, 2017

Proposed state Senate bill would ban brokers from using ‘SoHa’ in listings

As real estate developers and brokers continue rebranding neighborhoods with new nicknames, some community members fear this gentrifies and strips the history away from their nabes. Like NoLo (SoHo + Nolita + Lower East Side) and DoBro (Downtown Brooklyn) before it, SoHa, the new branding moniker for South Harlem, has been met with resistance from residents. According to Crain’s, newly elected state Senator Brian Benjamin, a native of Harlem, talked with so many residents that opposed the term SoHa, he has introduced a bill banning people, specifically brokers, from using the nickname as a marketing tool.
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June 8, 2017

Diane Kruger snags eco-friendly loft in Tribeca for $4.2M

Actress Diane Kruger, who recently took home the best actress award at the Cannes Film Festival last month, just scored a chic two-bedroom unit in Tribeca for $4.2 million. The building, built in 1869, includes six units and features amenities like an on-site fitness center and a residential lounge with greenery. As reported by the New York Post, Kruger’s pad spans 1,943 square feet and has 11-foot high ceilings. Last month, the actress sold her apartment in the East Village for $1.1 million, higher than its $985,000 listing price, following a 12-offer bidding war.
See inside the chic loft
June 7, 2017

The lost plan to connect Brooklyn to Staten Island with a ‘boulevard under the sea’

Back when New York City planners were dreaming of building new tunnels and bridges, they set their sights toward Staten Island. It was the turn of the 18th century and the city was in the midst of a Brooklyn boom following the debut of the Brooklyn Bridge in 1883. In 1909, the Manhattan Bridge opened to accommodate the growth of Brooklyn residents who needed ways to get in and out of the newly-developed borough. So the city started thinking about Staten Island. Today, of course, the two boroughs are connected by the Verrazano Bridge. But according to Brownstone Detectives, "Before talk of a bridge began... there was talk of a grand tunnel."
Learn more about the tunnel and why it never came to be
June 6, 2017

Sophisticated $16M Soho loft is part French farmhouse, part tropical palazzo

The listing calls this three-floor home atop a classic Soho loft building at 12 Greene Street a "reimagining of urban living" that "defies easy categorization," and we'd have to agree. But what's instantly recognizable is the design knowledge and creative eye that was behind the construction of each room's eclectic but beautiful balance of form and function, including layers of verdant garden-draped patios, decks and terraces. Records show that the current owner purchased this 4,500 square-foot co-op for $1.7 million in 2005, which in itself sounds like quite a feat; the triplex is now asking a far more 21st century $16 million.
Tour the enchanted spaces of this amazing home
May 30, 2017

Redeveloping NYC’s armories: When adaptive reuse and community building bring controversy

Constructed between the 18th and 20th centuries to resemble massive European fortresses and serve as headquarters, housing, and arms storage for state volunteer militia, most of America’s armories that stand today had shed their military affiliations by the later part of the 20th century. Though a number of them did not survive, many of New York City’s historic armories still stand. While some remain in a state of limbo–a recent setback in the redevelopment plans of Brooklyn's controversial Bedford-Union Armory in Crown Heights raises a familiar battle cry–the ways in which they've adapted to the city’s rollercoaster of change are as diverse as the neighborhoods that surround them.
Find out how the city's armories have fared