All articles by Emily Nonko

Emily is a Brooklyn-based writer who has covered New York City real estate, architecture and design for Brownstoner, The Wall Street Journal, Dwell and other publications. You can follow her on Twitter @EmilyNonko.

October 30, 2015

Insane Skylights at this $18 Million Tribeca Penthouse Loft

By Emily Nonko

140 Franklin Street in Tribeca is a prewar building designed by Albert Wagner (also the architect of the Puck Building in Soho) in 1887. It's considered one of the city's best Romanesque Revival buildings, with its grand arched windows and detailed facade. Although it was built for the Walton Company, a manufacturer of wrapping papers, it has since been converted into 12 luxe condo apartments. This one, a penthouse unit, occupies the entire top two floors of the building and spans over 4,000 square feet. The skylights in here are just as grand as the building facade, creating a truly awe-worthy living area. And don't even get us started on the 1,640-square-foot roof top patio...
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October 29, 2015

It’s Only $275,000 to Live in This Old Stone Meeting House in Upstate NY

By Emily Nonko

New York City real estate got you down? There's nothing more refreshing than perusing properties upstate, which have plenty of history and charm for loads less money. Exhibit A is this "old stone meeting hall," an 1810-era home that was originally built as a Presbyterian church in the town of Barneveld, New York, at the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. The current owners purchased it back in 1970 and converted it to a single family home, and the result is a wonderfully warm, quirky and historic house. And yes, this five-bedroom home, which sits on .45 acres of land, is only asking $274,900.
There's lots more to see

October 28, 2015

Wood Is Everywhere at This Tribeca Loft Apartment Asking $5.5 Million

By Emily Nonko

Tribeca is the land of lofts, but we've never seen one quite like this before. You'll find wood paneling, wood ceiling beams, just wood everywhere—even in the backyard—at this floor-through apartment, located in the 1915-era brick building 321 Greenwich Street (h/t Curbed). The building only has four units total, this one is located on the second floor.) It's a ton of open space, 3,000 square feet to be exact, and it's all quite unique. The living room, pictured above with its wood floors, wood ceiling, wooden beams and wood tables, only gives you a taste.
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October 27, 2015

The Parlor Floor’s the Star at This Bed Stuy Rental, Asking $4,500 a Month

By Emily Nonko

If you've got the option to rent a floor of a historic New York townhouse, you'll always want the parlor floor. Originally designed to be the showcase of the home, this floor comes with big windows and the best light, a great layout and usually access to the backyard. This Bedford-Stuyvesant townhouse at 611 Macon Street now has a rental apartment available, for $4,500 a month, that covers both the parlor floor and floor above it. The home is indeed lovely, with some well-kept historic details and some renovations to make it feel like an "open concept space."
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October 26, 2015

Uber-Historic Townhouse in Clinton Hill Is Also Uber-Expensive

By Emily Nonko

Cambridge Place is a short and charming block of Clinton Hill, Brooklyn—the type of leafy, brownstone-lined street that has made the borough so popular. And once you're inside this townhouse at 14 Cambridge Place you're still living the Brooklyn dream. There are historic details everywhere, like fireplaces, coffered ceilings and elegant wood-framed doorways. There's tons of space, more than one outdoor area, and a fancy kitchen. This house has got the goods, but it's going to cost you $3,999,999 to own it.
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October 23, 2015

$26K/Month Soho Penthouse Gets Great Light and Has a Huge Outdoor Space

By Emily Nonko

Everywhere you look in this massive Soho penthouse, located at 27 Howard Street, you've got big windows and streaming light. This bright space has a lot of other perks, too–it's a duplex with a backyard, there are 12-foot ceilings, and the master bedroom is a whopping 900 square feet and has its own movie projector setup. Of course, the Soho penthouse life isn't cheap, as it'll cost you $26,000 a month to live here. Prices like that come with celebrity perks, too; Jonah Hill was trying to sell his apartment in the building last year.
See the apartment

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October 22, 2015

Cool Co-op Asks $2.195 Million in the Thomas English Muffin Building

By Emily Nonko

The English muffin has a pretty notable history in New York City. In 1874, Samuel Bath Thomas–yes, that Thomas–left England to sell English muffins to the New York masses, and his recipe was a hit. For a long time, he baked underneath the Chelsea townhouse at 337 West 20th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, which you can read all about here. But before he baked there, he got his start at another Chelsea building, at 161 9th Avenue. This very first New York bakery of his is now the site of the two-bedroom co-op on the market for $2.195 million. It's a cool duplex space with an even cooler private garden.
See the whole place

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October 21, 2015

Quirky Brooklyn Heights Duplex Comes With Its Own Backyard Studio Space

By Emily Nonko

Charming, cute, quirky, lovely: these are all words commonly used to describe well-designed Brooklyn apartments. And we're going to use those words to talk about this one too, at 173 Hicks Street in Brooklyn Heights. 173 Hicks is a five-story brick townhouse built in 1827, and this duplex co-op apartment occupies the garden and the first floors. (There's also a super-special, super-huge backyard included, which we'll get to in a bit.) The current owner has decorated well, and the apartment has more of a modern, fun vibe than a historic, stuffy one.
Take a look

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October 20, 2015

Brooklyn Author Lists Whimsical Prospect Lefferts Gardens Townhouse for $1.85M

By Emily Nonko

Isn't it the dream of every aspiring novelist in Brooklyn to have a gorgeous townhouse to write in? Brooklyn-based author Emma Straub (of novels like "The Vacationers" and "Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures") has lived the dream, in this lovely Prospect Lefferts Gardens limestone at 182 Rutland Road. The super-adorable house has been featured in places like Design Sponge and Apartment Therapy. On the latter, Straub characterized the design style as "Colorful and eclectic. Slightly goofy." She and her husband Michael Fusco (together they run design studio M + E out of the house) bought it back in 2009 for $975,000. Today, it's not so easy for a Brooklyn writer to afford a Brooklyn townhouse–it's on the market for $1.85 million.
Take a tour

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October 19, 2015

Candy Entrepreneur Lists Glassy, Modern UES Condo for a Sweet $6M

By Emily Nonko

When most people think Upper East Side real estate, they think of historic and grand co-op apartments and townhouses. This condo, located in a very modern and very glassy building at 147 East 84th Street, is an exception. The three-bedroom duplex pad is outfitted with floor-to-ceiling windows, fancy fixtures, some bold wallpaper and a screening room to boot. Simply put, it's anything but a historic old residence. It has been on and off the market for a few years now, with a price tag right around $5 million, and now it's asking $6.495 million. The seller is candy entrepreneur Mark Tarnofsky, who listed just in time for Halloween.
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$7,500/Month Greenwich Village Loft Looks Good Even With All Its Carpet

By Emily Nonko

In the world of New York real estate, there's generally a rule: wood floors are good, and carpeting... not so much. It gets dirty, doesn't look as authentic, and there are usually gorgeous wood floors hiding underneath. This is especially true for loft apartments, which are typically dominated by wood flooring throughout. But not this one, at 12 East 14th Street in Greenwich Village. And you know what? We don't hate it. Maybe it's the handsome blue color and the way it blends into the furniture. Or the idea of having a nice cushion underneath our feet. (Plus, this loft hasn't totally abandoned its wood floor roots... you'll find some in the kitchen and the hallways.) The co-op apartment is now on the rental market for $7,250 a month. It comes fully furnished, so the renter is going to have to embrace that carpet living.
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October 16, 2015

Jaw-Dropping Apartment in Former Ballroom of Park Slope’s Historic Montauk Club Asks $5.25M

By Emily Nonko

Well, it doesn't get much better than this. The entire fourth floor of Park Slope's historic Montauk Club, located at 25 8th Avenue, is now on the market for $5.25 million. This apartment was originally the private social club's ballroom, which was built in 1889 to serve the Brooklyn elite. Today, it's still a private club, although a lucky someone now gets to live on the fourth floor. 4,000 square feet, mahogany woodwork, chandeliers, fireplaces, and a copper bathtub? It's too hard not to swoon.
Take the tour

October 14, 2015

Historic Townhouse With a Glassy Add-On Asks $3.5 Million in Brooklyn Heights

By Emily Nonko

This mid-19th century Greek Revival townhouse at 29 Joralemon Street is located on a cobblestone block of the Brooklyn Heights Historic District. And the listing says that the sellers have lived in the garden and parlor floor duplex since 1969, when Brooklyn wasn't such a hot commodity. These days, things are different, and the property is asking $3.5 million. The house has got lovely historic elements still intact, a new glassy addition, and a deep landscaped garden. (Not to mention a tenant upstairs who's getting the deal of the year on their apartment.)
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October 13, 2015

18th Century Farmhouse, With Art Gallery and Pool Additions, Costs Less Than Most NYC Apartments

By Emily Nonko

Does the price of New York City real estate get you down? Then consider this: an organic farm nestled within the Catskill Mountains with additions like a pool and art gallery, plus barns, an equestrian facility and enough land to hold 200 cows. And this isn't just any farm–Charlotte Valley Organic Farm, as it's called, has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest and this very website for the merits of the modern residential addition built in 1992. So what's the cost for this unique upstate property? Take a deep breath. The price tag comes in at $998,000 for the house, garage, two barns and 10 acres -- the price of many small one-bedroom apartments in Manhattan. For $1.75 million, you get the entire property, which spans 464 acres.
Take a tour

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October 12, 2015

Fashion Photographer Francesco Carrozzini Asks $16M for Historic Greenwich Village Townhouse

By Emily Nonko

This Greenwich Village townhouse at 88 MacDougal Street is full-on historic from the outside, and completely chic once you walk through the doors. The seller is fashion photographer Francesco Carrozzini, who the Daily News says is singer Lana Del Rey's boyfriend, and who has photographed the likes of Angelina Jolie, Naomi Campbell, Beyonce, and Heidi Klum. He bought it seven years ago for $6.8 million and is now trying to make a big profit with an ask of $16 million. Will that high price fly for this renovated townhouse, which includes a retractable rooftop penthouse and deck? Last year, it was on the rental market for $16,000 a month.
Check it out to decide

October 11, 2015

Upper East Side Co-op Personally Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Asks $9.5 Million

By Emily Nonko

Talk about a selling point: This apartment, located in the Upper East Side co-op building 820 Park Avenue, has been personally redesigned by starchitect Robert A.M. Stern. He is well known for his project on the other side of the park, 15 Central Park West, where he designed a condo reminiscent of the historic co-op towers along the park. Here, he's taken a prewar co-op, which fills up the entire 12th floor, and added some modern luxury perks. The apartment itself has an interesting history; it was originally configured as a triplex for the building's owner, and was then owned by pharmaceutical giant Cheng Ching Wang, the late father of Vera Wang. Serena and David Steinberg (she's the daughter of Houston-based real estate mogul Gerald Hines, who's built projects designed by I.M. Pei, Frank Gehry, and, of course, Robert A.M. Stern) purchased this floor for $6.5 million in 2008, pre-reno, and subsequently brought on Stern. After such a grand renovation, the owners started seeking a hefty profit back in 2013, originally listing it for $16.5 million. Now, after several price chops, it's back for a much-reduced price of $9.5 million.
See the full renovation

October 8, 2015

There’s an Historic English Muffin Oven Hiding Underneath This Chelsea Co-op

By Emily Nonko

Although the popular song would have you believe that the muffin man lives on Drury Lane, he actually has digs right here in Chelsea on West 20th Street. 337 West 20th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues, is a nondescript, four-story brick building that is officially known as "The Muffin House." Looking at the building from outside, you wouldn't think there's anything special to it. But underground, preserved below what is now a modest co-op complex, there's a massive bakery oven. And not just any old oven, although that discovery is unique in and of itself. This is the oven once operated by a very well-known baker, the one responsible for introducing English muffins to the United States.
His name was Samuel Bath Thomas

October 8, 2015

Corner Loft in NoHo, Asking $4.25 Million, Is All About Its Windows

By Emily Nonko

If you've got something going for you, flaunt it. That's the case with this apartment at 644 Broadway, a NoHo co-op building, and its windows. These glorious windows are from an impressive building, formerly known as the Manhattan Savings Institution Bank Building. It was constructed in 1890 by architect Stephen Decatur Hatch as a mixture of Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival styles with sandstone, terracotta, brick, copper and cast iron on the facade. It was converted to a co-op in the 1980s, and the grand facade still remains well preserved. And from this two-bedroom co-op, now priced at $4.25 million, you certainly benefit from the extravagant design. The rest of the apartment, however, has been thoroughly modernized.
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October 7, 2015

Live Inside a Decadent Prospect Park West Mansion for $1.9 Million

By Emily Nonko

If you've ever walked along Prospect Park West, the thoroughfare that divides Park Slope from Brooklyn's beloved Prospect Park, you have likely marveled at the architecture. There are a number of gorgeous mansions and townhouses, all boasting Prospect Park as their front yard. This duplex co-op unit comes from one such mansion, at 118 Prospect Park West. It's a two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit with tons of wood detailing, a private garden, even a parking spot. It is now on the market for $1,899,999.
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October 6, 2015

$4M Chelsea Loft Boasts Tons of Stylish Space Inside and Out

By Emily Nonko

This Chelsea co-op, located at 139 West 19th Street, has got lots of things going for it: it's super stylish, has some great interior details, there's an expansive living room along with two full bedrooms and bathrooms, and it has a huge backyard that will incite envy. It's also located in a charming central location on 19th Street between 6th and 7th avenues. The cost for all this good stuff comes in at $3.895 million.
Take the tour

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October 5, 2015

$4.15M West Village Co-op Full of Brick Fireplaces Tries to Be a Townhouse

By Emily Nonko

This apartment comes from the West Village co-op building 838 Greenwich Street, but it looks like it could be a townhouse. That's because it's a triplex–rare for a co-op–with seven rooms total, including two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The space even comes with its own private garden, and plenty of exposed brick to go around. The asking price for all that co-op space in one of the most charming neighborhoods on Manhattan is $4.15 million.
Take a tour

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October 2, 2015

A Major Renovation Brought This Soho Loft From a Cheesy Bachelor Pad to an Historic Chic Crib

By Emily Nonko

It's rare that a listing gives you a backstory to the apartment it's trying to sell, but that's the case with this unit at 426 West Broadway, a condo building in Soho. Here it goes: "It literally took a year of demolition, permit wrangling, and construction to finalize this $600,000.00 renovation that saw a Pop Art-inspired bachelor pad stripped down to its 19th-century shell." The result is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom loft apartment that now relishes its "original industrial charms," as the listing calls it. Our opinion? It's a big step up from a bachelor pad. The asking price comes in at $3.5 million.
See the rest of the reno

October 1, 2015

Upper East Side Triplex, Asking $1.795 Million, Looks Like a Medieval Castle

By Emily Nonko

There are some apartments in New York that leave you at a loss of words. This one, a triplex co-op at 403 East 87th Street in the Upper East Side, has a decor that definitely stands out. The best we could come up with in describing it was "medieval castle," with its wood detailing, dark red furniture, and antique collection of books. Even the backyard space has some distinctive lighting and decor. If that's your thing, it is now on the market for $1.795 million.
Take a look

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September 30, 2015

A Flatiron Loft That’s Rocking Exposed Brick Asks $3.85 Million

By Emily Nonko

All New York City loft lovers should check out this apartment for sale at 11 West 20th Street, a prewar Flatiron condo building. It's a big space with two bedrooms, a den, home office, and three full bathrooms, plus plenty of those lofty prewar details. High ceilings and big windows, of course, are a given, and then there's tons of exposed brick to go around. You'll find it in most every room, some natural and some of it whitewashed. Now on the market, this apartment is asking $3.85 million.
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September 29, 2015

Epic Outdoor Space for This East Harlem Condo, Asking $875K

By Emily Nonko

We're not exaggerating when we say this is one of the most epic backyards we've ever seen on a New York City condo. The apartment in question is #1A at 440 East 117th Street, a 10-unit condo out in East Harlem that was built in 2004. What you're looking at (and likely drooling over) is two levels and 915 square feet of backyard enclosed in bamboo walls. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom interior is pretty comfortable as well, with a total of 1,286 square feet. So what does it cost for all of that indoor and outdoor space? The asking price comes in at $875,000.
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