Search Results for: brownstone

July 26, 2016

Maya Angelou’s Historic Harlem Brownstone Finds a Buyer for $4M

The historic Harlem brownstone of author, poet, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou listed for $5.1 million in February, and after a drop to $4.95 million in March, it's now found a buyer for a reduced price of $4 million, The Real Deal tells us. Dr. Angelou purchased the four-story home, built in 1909 in the Mount Morris Park Historic District, sight unseen in 2002 to serve as her northeast residence when she wasn't teaching at Wake Forest University in North Carolina. But she didn't move in until 2004 (vandals had turned it into a "dilapidated shell"), when East Harlem-based architect Marc Anderson had completed a gut renovation that added contemporary amenities such as an elevator, two skylights, and a basement entertainment area, while retaining historic details like the original oak-front door, wainscoting, carved banister, and decorative fireplaces.
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May 12, 2016

Preserved Stuyvesant Heights Brownstone Was Jackie Robinson’s First Home in Brooklyn

By Michelle Cohen

Besides being a newly-hot neighborhood, Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant holds one of the city's finest collections of historic brownstones. Though many beautiful homes didn't survive the neglect of the late 20th century, many that did have been remarkably preserved or painstakingly restored to their original splendor. One of the highest concentrations of those impressive townhouses can be found in the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District in the south-central part of the neighborhood. It's here that you'll find this landmarked four-story home at 407 Stuyvesant Avenue, just arrived on the market for $2.875 million. According to the listing, baseball icon and civil rights pioneer Jackie Robinson lived here, and the brokers tell 6sqft that this was his first residence in Brooklyn. They add that when the current owners moved in, they found a treasure trove of memorabilia. So let's just say this 20-foot-wide Romanesque Revival-style brownstone hits it out of the park when it comes to intact historic detail and unspoiled 19th century architecture.
Explore this central Brooklyn treasure

May 10, 2016

The Elegantly Designed Interiors at This Carroll Gardens Brownstone Can Be Yours For $3M

By Michelle Cohen

The location of this lovely Brooklyn townhouse at 357 Hoyt Street is a dream combination of breezy, funky Gowanus and quaint, historic and classic Carroll Gardens. Everything surrounding it is either pretty or cool (or both), and on top of being subway adjacent, the borough's flagship Whole Foods market is within just a few blocks. This enviable home is about as perfect as you can get if you’re a brownstone buff and you're not looking for four stories or a big yard. At three stories and 2,360 square feet, it's not huge, but space is used efficiently and it's still more spacious than many apartments at its asking price of $2.9 million. Renovated to perfection, the home’s interiors - designed by mother-daughter design team McGrath II - have been featured in both the New York Times home and garden section (according to the listing) and recently on 6sqft.
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May 9, 2016

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

By Michelle Cohen

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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May 5, 2016

Author Ta-Nehisi Coates Buys $2.1M Brooklyn Brownstone; Why NYC Has So Many Tulips

By Dana Schulz

Atlantic writer and MacArthur Genius Grant winner Ta-Nehisi Coates bought a landmarked Prospect-Lefferts Gardens brownstone for $2.1 million. [NYP] Tour the 25 indoor and 12 outdoor venues for this summer’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics via Google Maps. [Refinery 29] For the first time in 40 years, a new brewery opens in Bushwick. [Edible Brooklyn] Take a look around NYC […]

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April 19, 2016

Live the Park Slope Brownstone Life in This Regal Rental for $17.5K/Month, Sauna Included

By Michelle Cohen

In the coveted environs of north Park Slope, steps from Prospect Park on a pretty tree-lined and landmarked block, this Brooklyn townhouse beauty at 594 Second Street has all the historic details homeowners here work so diligently to preserve, yet with every modern comfort in place. Understated luxuries–like tall french doors that open out to a landscaped garden, two decks, three wood-burning fireplaces, a sauna, an upstairs family room and a laundry room make this historic house a home–albeit an expensive one. Starting in July, you can rent this regal residence for an equally regal $17,500 a month (furnished or unfurnished).
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March 31, 2016

$8M Park Slope Brownstone Is Historic and Luxurious With a Professional-Grade Gym

By Michelle Cohen

It's pretty rare to come across an historic home that manages to be "sophisticated and elegant" with "prolific original architectural details" and also be a block from Prospect Park. But this amazing Park Slope townhouse, a restored Romanesque brownstone, "perfectly integrates historic detailing with a modern sensibility" and boasts a professional-grade gym in the basement and a private landscaped rose garden. The 6,000 square feet of perfection at 178 Eighth Avenue, which probably already has plenty of offers over its $8 million ask, is luxurious in the best possible way, from gorgeous chandeliers to wall treatments that have plenty of flair but never veer into the whimsical or look "decorated." There's not an ostentatious frill or questionable architectural choice in sight; no Hermès leather walls. No spotlit purse-cochere. It's almost too understated in places, but not even close to austere.
Take a look at the house and fail to drool.

March 21, 2016

Soap Star Cameron Mathison Sells Turn-Key Harlem Brownstone for $3.3M

By Annie Doge

In September, 6sqft uncovered the listing for 136 West 130th Street, the brownstone owned by Emmy-nominated “All My Children” regular and current "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent Cameron Mathison and his wife, Vanessa. The couple bought the four-bedroom home for $1.2 million in 2004 after house hunting and falling in love with Harlem's "Sesame Street” vibe. It had already been through a substantial developer-led renovation, but Mathison finished up the job, creating an urban oasis that's a mix of classic charm and contemporary fixes. Though the Canadian actor told the Times in 2009 that he “envisioned being in this place forever,” the plans changed when the TV show moved studios to Los Angeles. That same year, the couple listed the four-story home for $2.7 million, followed by a price cut to $2.5 million in 2011. There were no takers, so they rented the property out for $6,900 a month, before re-listing it this past fall for $2.9 million. Despite moving back to NYC, Luxury Listings NYC reports that the soap opera heartthrob has now sold the residence for $3.3 million, pretty significantly over ask.
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March 10, 2016

Indulge Yourself in History at This $15K/Month Park Slope Brownstone Rental

By Michelle Cohen

When you think "historic Brooklyn brownstone," this restored Park Slope home is likely to at least come close to what's on your mind–and more likely to hit a bullseye. Perfectly-preserved flourishes and original details frame every room, including decorative moldings, original oak floors and Lincrusta wallcoverings, adding up to elegance you don't usually find in such flawless condition. Yet there's nothing old-fashioned about daily life in this five-bedroom, 3,680-square-foot triplex currently seeking tenants at $15,000 a month. You'll get zoned central air and heat, a laundry room with a washer/dryer, a kitchen that's ready for cooking and entertaining a crowd, baths filled with luxurious details, and countless other ways this pretty period piece has been optimized for modern life.
Take a walk around

March 3, 2016

Grand Carroll Gardens Brownstone With Original Details Gets a Price Chop to $6M

By Michelle Cohen

The story of the historic townhouse at 46 First Place in Carroll Gardens is just as much a story of its owner, Kathryn Sennis, who has lived in and worked from the elegant 1899 brownstone for nearly 32 years. In 2012, Sennis, a psychotherapist, opened Who's On First? Children's Enrichment Studio with her daughter here, offering art classes, parties, baby yoga and programs for parents and children, including foreign language classes and parenting groups. Ms. Sennis's story was highlighted in the Observer last May, where she told of buying the townhouse in 1981 for $250,000 from an “elderly Italian woman,” how her presence confused the neighbors at the time ("you ain't even Italian!") and how much the neighborhood has changed since then. She also talks of the extensive, exhaustive renovations she painstakingly undertook. She rents out the upper two floors, and her daughter uses the garden level of the four-family home. It’s a Brooklyn story like so many others–though in this case it's one with a $6 million price tag attached.
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February 1, 2016

Maya Angelou’s Historic Harlem Brownstone Lists for $5M

By Dana Schulz

During the last decade of her life, author, poet, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou split her time between Winston-Salem, NC (she taught American studies at Wake Forest University) and New York. While in the Northeast, she resided in an historic Harlem brownstone, located at 58 West 120th Street in the Mount Morris Park Historic District, according to the Times, which is now on the market for $5.1 million. The four-story home was built in the early 1900s, but when Dr. Angelou purchased it sight unseen in 2002, "it was a dilapidated shell...the victim of vandals, with missing stairs and rotting floor beams." She hired architect Marc Anderson of East Harlem-based firm M. Anderson Design to oversee a gut renovation that preserved the brownstone's historic details while adding contemporary amenities.
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January 28, 2016

Comedian Louis C.K. Buys Third Unit in West Village Brownstone for $565K

By Annie Doge

Louis C.K. is a self-professed lover of the Village, and he's certainly putting his money where his mouth is, as he's just picked up a third unit at 345 West 4th Street, a ten-unit co-op. The comedian and his ex-wife, painter Alix Bailey, paid $564,900 for the country-charming studio, according to The Real Deal. The former couple (C.K. has spoken publicly about retaining a good relationship with his ex for the sake of his two daughters) bought their first unit in the building in 2006 for $250,000, and then another in 2013 for $475,000.
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January 23, 2016

$2M Historic Bed-Stuy Brownstone Comes With an Ethereal Interior

By Emily Nonko

There really is something dreamy about the interior of this Bed-Stuy home at 231 Decatur Street. From the outside, it looks like a well-kept, historic townhouse -- prominent Brooklyn architects Axel Hedman and Eli Bishop designed this barrel-front, Renaissance Revival-style brownstone in 1897. The interior is chock full of historic detailing, too, like intricate mantels and woodwork, decorative fireplaces and stained-glass windows. The design, very bright and white, compliments those old details well, and gives the spaces an ethereal feel. If we could pick any Brooklyn brownstone to show up in our dreams, this would be the one.
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January 13, 2016

Plenty of Period Splendor at This $5.5M Park Slope Brownstone

By Emily Nonko

There are some New York properties in which it'll depress you that "we just don't make them like we used to." This is one of them. 226 Garfield Place is a single-family, four-story Park Slope brownstone built in 1901. It's located smack dab in the neighborhood's historic district and a few blocks from Prospect Park. The home withstood the test of time, then underwent a restoration and renovation in 2006 that returned many of the period details back to their original splendor. That means while you've got restored woodwork, mantlepieces and parquet floors, there are also fancy additions like dual zone central AC, new windows, plumbing and electrical and an upgraded roof. Best of both worlds!
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December 16, 2015

Beautiful Brownstone Rental in Fort Greene Sports Historic Details and a Spacious Kitchen

By Michelle Cohen

If you're going to inhabit a couple of floors of a brownstone, the top choice is definitely a parlor-garden combo; you get the grandeur of high ceilings, huge rooms and lots of light on the parlor floor, and then–ideally–you get a lower level that opens out to a pretty backyard. If you're extra lucky, the parlor floor has access down to the yard as well. This beautifully-restored duplex at 75 Willoughby Avenue in Fort Greene is just that perfect combination–hence the $7K a month rent. But what you get–three bedrooms, two baths, a gorgeous private backyard accessible from both floors in a mint-condition historic townhouse with all the trimmings–is about as good as it gets.
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December 7, 2015

Brooklyn Bath Bombs Will Leave Your Skin Smelling Like Brownstones

By Dana Schulz

We can't say we're surprised that now you can bathe in the scent of Brooklyn neighborhoods. But we are surprised that these Brooklyn Flavors bath bombs don't offer gimmicky scents like "Hipster's Beard" for Williamsburg or "Bacon Cupcake" for Crown Heights. As Brooklyn Mag explains, the creator of the products "conducted demographic research of the residents that live in the neighborhood—past and present—to create each scent." For example, the Church Avenue bath bomb has a Caribbean scent representative of the neighborhood's West Indian demographic.
More neighborhood scent profiles

November 19, 2015

Have a Picturesque Holiday Inside This Historic, Fully Furnished Park Slope Brownstone

By Emily Nonko

What better way to enjoy the holidays than from a historic, beautifully-furnished brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn? This entire three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is now up for short-term rent, with a minimum stay of five nights. (To stay the month, it'll cost you $12,500.) There's plenty of room to host, with enough space to fit a six-person dining room table. It's also a good location from which to enjoy all of Brooklyn, as it's located two blocks away from Prospect Park and right between the main drags of 5th and 7th Avenues. Twelve-foot tin ceilings, a fancy chef's kitchen, plenty of bedrooms and a leafy Park Slope street–if that sounds like a vacation to you, keep reading.
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November 9, 2015

‘Scrubs’ and ‘Clueless’ Star Donald Faison Sells $2.5M Harlem Brownstone

By Annie Doge

Depending upon your age, you may know actor Donald Faison best for his role as Murray on "Clueless" or as Dr. Chris Turk on "Scrubs." But long before he became a household face, Faison grew up right here in Harlem, with his parents active in the National Black Theatre in Harlem. In 2010, he returned to his roots and bought a historic townhouse at 206 West 137th Street for $1.4 million, but The Real Deal reports that he's now sold the six-bedroom home, last listed for $2.5 million.
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November 5, 2015

Check Out the Retro Kitchen in This Otherwise Historic Italianate Brooklyn Brownstone

By Emily Nonko

When it comes to historic Brooklyn brownstones, most of them look pretty similar: a beautiful, high-ceilinged parlor floor, moldings, fireplaces, some woodwork and backyards. Over the years, owners have obviously updated the kitchens, but usually it's a run-of-the-mill open kitchen located in the back of the parlor floor. Not so at this brownstone in Fort Greene, at 30 South Portland Avenue. This property is pretty much the creme de la creme of Brooklyn real estate: a well-preserved, spacious brownstone on one of the prettiest blocks of one of the most in-demand neighborhoods. (That is why it's on the market for a whopping $5.25 million.) It also comes with a surprise: a retro kitchen that looks like it's straight out of a 1950s diner!
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October 21, 2015

Jennifer Morris Infuses Bold Design Accents Into This Vibrant Fort Greene Brownstone Interior

By Rebecca Paul

Most Brooklyn brownstones have been around for decades, if not centuries, making renovations on these types of properties standard procedure when purchased by a new owner. However for this family, their lack of experience almost led them to disaster. Excited about making their house a home, they charged full speed ahead with updates on their four-story, 18-foot-wide brownstone in Fort Greene, and were well into demolition before realizing they had no layout or design. They initially called interior designer Jennifer Morris to help them select finishes, but when the she questioned the couple about their plans, it was obvious they needed much more. Regardless of the misstep, Morris, who has extensive experience in the hospitality business, was able to expeditiously execute on this stunning interior. Plus according to Morris, unlike many new home owners, these clients were excited and fearless when it came to making bold design decisions, creating the perfect recipe for a beautiful and refreshing interior.
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October 9, 2015

This $4.7M Historic Park Slope Brownstone by MESH Architectures Has the Heart of a Loft

By Michelle Cohen

When the owners of this North Slope townhouse at 144 Lincoln Place purchased it in 2005 for $2.1 million, they'd had their hearts set on a loft; after choosing a Victorian brownstone instead, they worked with MESH architectures to create their dream space without having to give up their dreams. The result? The architects explain how the home is "consistent with contemporary family life but does not erase the original structures. Instead a layered, more complex spatial composition balances gravity with lightness, old with new, raw with finished." Now on the market for $4.7 million, this 3,300-square-foot classic-on-the-outside 1882 townhouse consists of a spacious and creatively designed owners’ triplex over an adorable garden-floor apartment (in a high-rent neighborhood). The landscaped back garden paradise alone is a show-stopper. The interior of the house was thoroughly reimagined, and the resulting “vertical loft” is a unique home that’s a fit for both daily life and the pages of a design book.
Check out this history-meets-industry dream house

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October 6, 2015

My 2,200sqft: A Couple Brings Serene California-Style Living to Their Park Slope Brownstone

By Alyssa Alimurung

Our ongoing series “My sqft” checks out the homes of 6sqft’s friends, family and fellow New Yorkers across all the boroughs. Our latest interior adventure brings us to Park Slope. Want to see your home featured here? Get in touch! We've all been there: dreaming of leaving the city behind and heading out west for a new adventure. Some of us do it, but most of us continue dreaming. For financial services executive Bill Fellows and his graphic designer and nurse practitioner-in-training wife Kerr, change wasn't something to be feared, and more than six years ago the pair took a leap of faith and left for San Francisco. However, as anyone who's spent more than a year in the Big Apple can attest, once you've lived in a city as great New York, it's only a matter of time before you're sucked back in. And after a long stint on the other side of the country, Bill and Kerr came back to the city—this time in search of a calmer experience more akin to what they had on the west coast. Since August of last year, the pair have been cozying it up in the bottom two floors of a Park Slope brownstone. Originally an unkempt photography studio and living space, Bill signed for the house before Kerr even had a chance to see it (now that's trust, people). When Kerr did finally check out the place, her design-background kicked in. She saw the challenges and opportunities that steeped the 2,200 square feet, and she got to work. Keep reading to find out how Kerr and Bill turned a shamble into a tranquil, well-composed space.
Inside the home here

September 29, 2015

Cobble Hill Brownstone by Budding Designer Blair Harris Mixes Vintage Finds With Modern Details

By Rebecca Paul

The gorgeous interior of this Cobble Hill townhouse was completed by Blair Harris Interior Design. The home is an eclectic yet elegant combination of classic vintage pieces and crisp modern detailing, all of which is a tribute to the hard work of this budding designer. Harris entered the New York design scene in 2005 after receiving her BFA in Art History. She then spent the next six years honing her skills working at The Jeffrey Design Group before breaking out on her own in the winter of 2011.
Check out one of Harris' beautiful designs

September 28, 2015

Interior Designer Hilary Robertson Brings British Charm to Her Brooklyn Brownstone

By Rebecca Paul

Interior designer Hilary Robertson moved from a four-bedroom Victorian in Hastings, England to Brooklyn about nine years ago with her husband and infant son. Prior to her departure west, she had to get rid of most of the objects and furniture she had used to make her house a home for many years. Attempting to settle into her new space in Brooklyn, she found it challenging to recreate the same feeling of home she was accustomed to back in England. That was until she and her husband made their first trip to the Brimfield Antiques Flea Market in Massachusetts where Ms. Roberston's passion was reignited. Her home is now a sprawling tribute to her own personal style and is packed full of beautifully curated rooms.
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September 28, 2015

Upper West Side Brownstone Co-op Packs In the Charm for $649K

By Emily Nonko

It isn't easy to find a charming Upper West Side apartment, a block from the Museum of Natural History and Central Park, for less than $1 million. But here's apartment #3R at 118 West 81st Street, a historic four-story brownstone. The co-op isn't huge, but it's still a lovely one bedroom that's asking $649,000. For a (relatively) affordable price, you can enjoy all the perks of Upper West Side living–historic pad, beautiful block, close proximity to Central Park, even private outdoor space.
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