Attractive New Bushwick Condo Rises on One of Brooklyn’s Ugliest Streets

It’s rare to see a new development in Bushwick with any kind of style and grace, but a recently finished six-unit condominium at 27 Dodworth Street actually looks like some thought went into it. Even more remarkable is that it manages to do so on what is probably the most unfortunate looking street on the eastern seaboard. So breathtakingly ugly in fact that it could be thought of, by some, as chic. And as it turns out, buyers have shelled out up to $1 million for condos along this gritty stretch near the Bed-Stuy-Bushwick border.

Let’s start with the good. The new five-story condo building at 27 Dodworth was designed by Dorit Cohen/DoritDesign and developed by Great Neck-based 27 DODWORTH LLC. Its handsomely scaled exterior–composed of an earthy palate of iron, wood, and concrete–allows the building to be distinctive without sneering down on its neighbors. Even the large balconies are inoffensive. All we could ask for is a a more pronounced front entrance, a canopy, and perhaps a bit of shrubbery couldn’t hurt. Inside are five apartments, equipped with solid wood doors, reclaimed wood floors, and open kitchens finished with Brazilian Ipe wood and Viroc cement board flooring.

Two of the five apartments are already spoken for, including a two-bed first-floor duplex with accompanying outdoor patio and garden space. That unit is in contract for $995,000 or $972 per square foot. Among the three units still available is a two-bed duplex penthouse priced at $795,000 or $876 per square foot. That unit includes a terrace and private roof deck.

Now for the ugly. While Dodworth Street is only one-block long, it seems to contain all the architectural and planning blunders that plague our neighborhoods’ streetscapes: an incoherent streetwall, paved front-yards, rampant curb cuts, cheap materials galore, and an unfriendly mish-mash of fences, bars and gates. All Dodwoth lacks is a 30-story, confetti-clad ‘McSam’ hotel. While gentrification pains abound, and some locals are taking a stand against the resulting displacement and price escalation, surely developers view the pock-marked block as prime for redevelopment; especially since the nearby JMZ Myrtle Avenue station can shuttle you to Manhattan in just ten minutes. So before Dodworth is all wiped clean, here’s a walk down the downtrodden stretch.

Dodworth begins at Bushwick Avenue, where it’s anchored by a rowhouse coated in Mylanta-toned stucco and accented by quoins. Indigestion-inducing for sure. ↑

On the opposite side is a vinyl-sided building housing a hipster bakery with charming outdoor seating area. ↑

The classic pink-brick Fedders style. Characteristically adorned with Con-Ed meters, Fedders A/C panels, and burglar-bar windows. ↑

The “I-can’t-wait-to-move-to-Florida” style. Often clad in warm pastels, peaches, pinks and turquoises, these are typically the temporary abodes of those yearning to retire to sunnier locales. The house sits adjacent is the classic “I-found-extra-scrap-siding-round back” style. ↑

Further south, we have the “I-look-better-in-AutoCad” style. ↑

The “We renovated during the crack era” style. ↑

One last look up Dodworth Street. ↑

Find listings for 27 Dodworth Street at CityRealty.

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Renderings via InFocus Design and Planning; Street views via Google