Outdo Your Neighbors in This Japanese-Style Queens Home Going for $1.2M (Plus Elbow Grease)

While the rest of New York is vying to live in one of the lofty penthouses of Manhattan’s most luxurious buildings, your chance to outdo them all has arrived with this incredible Anglo-Japanese-style home located in Kew Gardens. DNA Info recently spotted a brand new listing for the storied structure on Craigslist. While we’d be lying if we were to say that this home is move-in ready (really, it would easily top our list of NYC’s scariest homes) with a little love, a lot of elbow grease, and $1.2 million, you could easily polish this Queens pad into a palace fit for an empress. And hey, it’s Craigslist, these prices have bargaining built into them.

Image via DNA Info

The building was constructed in the 1920s by Joseph Fleischmann, a florist who made a fortune after developing a flower shop franchise with stores in Chicago and Washington D.C, for his daughter to live in, according to Queens Chronicle. The home’s current owner, Mun Change, purchased the home back in 1973, but moved out over a decade ago letting the house fall into disrepair. In 2009, the Department of Buildings declared it unsafe for occupancy and in 2010 required that the ground floor windows be cemented up. For years a sign with the words “Don’t Enter. Property Being Watched. You Will Be Fully Prosecuted. STAY AWAY From Here!!!” has been taped to the door. The phone number listed on the sign, DNA Info reports, has been disconnected.

Image via Craigslist

Architecturally, the building is quite something. The lower half of the home is clad in white stucco with black beams, meant to harken back to the rustic cottages of the English countryside, while the roof of the building features the curved overhangs often found in Japanese architecture. The home has not been landmarked so pretty much any changes will fly.

The Craigslist ad isn’t modest either, describing the structure as a “Huge beautiful 1 Family house on corner property” with “Great details” and “Tons of options”. It’s also quite large coming in at three stories with a total livable area of 3,600 square feet on a 7,000 square foot loft. The buyer would also get his/her own personal garage and driveway.

Sound like a deal? We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether it’s worth the money.

[Listing: 84-62 Beverly Road, Queens on Craigslist]

[Via DNA Info]