Townhouses

You don't seem 'em like this everyday in Park Slope! This townhouse at 473 11th Street may not look it, but it was built back in 1890. It's undergone a major transformation, both inside and out, by the architecture firm Redtop Architects. The project added extra square feet, brought in lots more light, dramatically opened up the floor plan, and modernized each room. Simply put: It looks nothing like its 1890s past. It's no surprise that historic Park Slope townhouses command some of the highest prices in Brooklyn, but what about the super modern ones? This property will cost you just as much as its older counterparts, with a price tag of $4 million.
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Distinctive Homes

November 12, 2015

$22K/Month West Village Townhouse Was an Underground Railroad Stop

By Dana Schulz

Over the weekend, 6sqft brought you a listing for a charmingly historic upstate house that was once an Underground Railroad safe house. With its location on sprawling land in a small town, this makes sense, but even houses in bustling New York City played a role in the historic story. There was the 1830s historic mansion at 45 Grove Street, and there's this 1847 West Village townhouse at 95 Barrow Street. The Post reports that the home, now on the rental market for $21,900 a month, was a stop on the Underground Railroad. The three-bedroom residence retains its historic details in the form of exposed brick walls galore, wooden beamed ceilings, and original wide-plank pine floors. But it's also recently undergone a gut renovation that added modern amenities such as radiant heat flooring (and sidewalk!), a chic kitchen, and lots of custom built-ins.
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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 9, 2015

Noroof Architects Transformed This $1.6M Historic Bed-Stuy Home With Modern Appeal

No matter how lavish, developer and flipper renovations rarely hold a candle to the custom designs executed by architects for their clients' homes–even more so when the architects are the clients and the homes are their own. This unassuming townhouse at 702 Monroe Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, on the market for $1.635 million, is a prime example. In this case, the innovative pair behind architecture firm noroof (they received national recognition for their "Slot House" and specialize in designing small spaces) worked their creative and practical magic on a comparatively compact historic Brooklyn townhouse with a unique front porch and a lot of potential charm. Based on love and respect for the porch as a gathering, sheltering and enhancing element, they've named the resulting project "porchouse," an elegantly-designed home with a clean, modern interior that's perfect for family living–with plenty of curb appeal.
See how the magic happened

November 5, 2015

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

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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Distinctive Homes

November 4, 2015

Spend Eight Months in This Picture-Perfect Prospect Heights Townhouse for $12K/Month

There's not much about this townhouse triplex at 159 Prospect Place, available for short-term rental, that doesn't embody the brownstone Brooklyn ideal. On a beautiful block near the corner of Carlton Avenue and Prospect Place in heart of the neighborhood, this bright, sun-filled and renovated home also has the pretty historic details that give these big old houses such charm, and the private outdoor space we dream of–including one of those extra-long backyards unique to Prospect and Crown Heights.
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Distinctive Homes

October 27, 2015

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

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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Distinctive Homes

October 22, 2015

Historic Charlie Parker Townhouse in Alphabet City Hits the Market for $9M

By Dana Schulz

From 1950 to 1954 jazz legend Charlie "Bird" Parker, along with his common-law wife Chan Richardson, lived in the garden-floor apartment at this townhouse at 151 Avenue B in Alphabet City. It was here, at the height of his career, that Parker and his family would share Sunday dinners at a dining table shaped like a G clef, but according to his stepdaughter Kim Parker, the saxophonist liked to keep work and personal life separate, so only classical music was played in the house. In honor of the music great, Avenue B between 7th and 10th Streets was renamed Charlie Parker Place in 1992, and the historic 1849 Gothic Revival house was landmarked in 1999. And now you can own a piece of this history, as the Post reports that the home and its five apartments has hit the market for $9.25 million.
Learn more about the Charlie Parker Residence

October 22, 2015

Wine-Making Artists Called This $6.8M UWS Townhouse Home for Over 50 Years

Like many a New York City address, this classic townhouse at 307 West 103rd Street has a creative legacy as well as a rich history as a family home. The Queen Anne bow-front on a tree-lined Upper West Side block was, since 1956, the family home of Leonard and Chiarina "Cherie" Tredanari, a sculptor couple who also happened to be winemakers (as per the listing, The New York Times called theirs "one of the rarest Italian wine labels in the world"). Leonard's career could have been right out of "Mad Men:" He was a live TV director in the '60s for JFK's presidential campaign and president of the advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach (DDB), where he created The Director's Studio. Leonard passed away in 2003 and his wife followed in February of this year at the age of 96. The family's longtime home is now on the market for $6.795 million. While the historic four-story townhouse with so many original details intact is a treasure in its own right, its artistic and artisan past add a compelling energy, from the unassumingly creative decor to a cellar filled with wine casks and vintners' equipment.
Have a look inside

Distinctive Homes

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

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.
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Distinctive Homes

October 15, 2015

Beastie Boy Mike D Gets $5.5M for Fun and Funky Cobble Hill Townhouse

By Annie Doge

The Post reports that Beastie Boy Mike D (Michael Diamond) has sold his fun and funky Cobble Hill townhouse for $5.5 million, just $150,000 under the asking price. He and his wife Tamra Davis (a cookbook author, online cooking show host, and music video director) bought the four story, five-bedroom home back in 2011 for $3.1 million and then undertook a quirky yet modern renovation. Thanks to custom design details like Brooklyn toile wallpaper, sculptural hanging kitchen shelves, a giant mirrored swing in the bedroom, and an enormous master bath, the Italianate home was featured in several publications, including a New York Times house tour titled “Licensed to Grill.” And now, all of Mike D's hard work has paid off with a pretty nice profit.
Take the full tour

October 14, 2015

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

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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Distinctive Homes

October 13, 2015

Upper East Side Townhouse by Blair Harris Boasts Opulent Details and Regal Allure

Blair Harris Interior Design is relatively new to the New York design scene, but the work they've been churning out thus far is simply stunning. This beautifully decorated Upper East Side townhouse boasts an array of opulent textures, colors, and patterns, and the carefully curated furniture and light fixtures give the home a regal allure. The architectural details include floor-to-ceiling windows, ornate ceiling medallions, handsome molding, and decadent built-ins.
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October 12, 2015

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

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 9, 2015

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

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

Distinctive Homes

October 8, 2015

This Cobble Hill Townhouse Rental Is Filled With Historic Charm and Contemporary Cheer

If it's been a while since your last case of townhouse envy, enter this 3,000-square-foot Cobble Hill classic at 217 Degraw Street, on the rental market for $15,750 a month. This four-story, single-family Gothic Revival-style home on one of those postcard-worthy Brooklyn blocks has that quality that inspires both admiration and bidding wars: It possesses many of its original details–intricate plaster molding, bedroom arches and pocket doors, for example–plus the benefits of a custom renovation that bestowed a modern dream kitchen, a wall of glass patio doors and several coats of personality. Equal parts contemporary cheer and historic charm, these four floors would be hard for any family, fraternal order, sewing circle or small army–assuming they could part with the five-figure monthly outlay–to resist.
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Distinctive Homes

October 8, 2015

Jan Eleni’s Brooklyn Townhouse Mixes Primitive and Industrial Styles for a Perfectly Curated Look

Jan Eleni, the designer responsible for the interior of this Brooklyn townhouse, first made a name for herself in NYC in the '90s with a little shop in the East Village. The store, also under her name, provided New Yorkers a place to buy an eclectic mix of primitive and industrial pieces. A self-taught designer who loves to "hunt," Eleni filled her shop with items that she found to be the most intriguing. She now splits her time between New York and Brazil and infuses this same aesthetic into her clients' interiors, with this home serving as a great example of her eclectic style.
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October 1, 2015

Carroll Gardens Townhouse Gets Modern Update With Glass, Metal and a Floating Staircase

When someone says, "Carroll Gardens townhouse," metal and glass aren't always the first things that come to mind. However, in this modern home designed by Robert Young Architects, they are both major players. The home's interior color palette is also unique, contrasting deep reds and bright citrus greens with brick walls and hardwood floors and furnishings. The multiple levels are structured around an open central channel, giving the home expansive views from every floor.
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September 30, 2015

Etelamaki Architecture’s Minimalist Prospect Heights Townhouse Is Warm and Inviting

Prospect Heights hasn't always been the most desirable area, but in the past 30 years this neighborhood has seriously upped its game. With beautiful townhouses like this one, renovated by the design team from Etelamaki Architecture, it's easy to see why the neighborhood has continued on the up and up. While each room of this home has noteworthy details, our favorite feature by far is the sweeping staircase that adds fluidity and elegance to this urban structure. Continue ahead for more.
Explore the home here

Distinctive Homes

September 29, 2015

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

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 25, 2015

Gorgeous Brooklyn Townhouse Featured on the Cover of House Beautiful Asks $4.5 Million

Get ready to swoon. This Carroll Gardens townhouse at 396 Sackett Street was restored and renovated in 2011 by the Brooklyn firm Baxt Ingui Architects, and it is still looking fine. Gorgeous details, high ceilings, big windows and a fancy kitchen—what's not to like? The listing even says the home earned the cover of House Beautiful back in 2013. This impressive townhouse could be all yours, as long as you've got $4.5 million to spare.
Take a look around

Distinctive Homes

September 25, 2015

Soap Star’s Renovated, Family-Friendly Harlem Brownstone Back on the Market for $2.9M

There's something compelling about a great-looking home without a superlative in sight, neither painstakingly restored to historic glory, cutting-edge contemporary or irresistibly luxurious. And for a busy city family, kid-friendly good looks and low-maintenance comfort go a long way. This 4,000-square-foot Harlem brownstone at 136 West 130th Street fit the bill and then some when Emmy-nominated "All My Children" regular (and more recently talk show correspondent and reality TV host) Cameron Mathison and his wife, Vanessa, happened upon it in 2004, and subsequently purchased it for $1.2 million. The couple had ventured into Harlem when apartment hunting (with a new baby) and fallen for the neighborhood's "Sesame Street" vibe. A developer had done most of the renovation work, and they added the finishing touches. Interviewed in the Times in 2009, the actor explains that the couple had "envisioned being in this place forever;" that plan changed when the TV show moved studios to Los Angeles. Mathison listed the turn-key renovated home for $2.7 million and headed west. There weren't any takers at the time, and the four-story townhouse is back, asking $2.9 million–albeit in a very different market, especially in Central Harlem, than that of 2009.
See more of this turnkey uptown home

September 23, 2015

Elizabeth Roberts Combines Styles for a Traditional Yet Hip Park Slope Brownstone

One of the best things about design and architecture in New York City is the constant flow of culture and influence, and the combination of styles and custom architectural detailing found inside this Italianate brownstone reflects this ever-present vibrancy and rhythm. The home is situated on quaint Bergen Street in Park Slope and recently underwent a gut renovation led by the design team at Elizabeth Roberts Design/Ensemble Architecture. The structure that now boasts four bedrooms is perfect for a growing family (plus it has a rental apartment on the garden level), and its interior is decorated with a combination of cool muted tones and dark bold accents.
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September 22, 2015

Park Slope Brownstone Renovation by Ben Herzog Adds Open Space and Natural Light