Condo of the Day: 302 Washington Avenue
We were very bullish about the condo-ization of the corner brownstone at 302 Washington Avenue when we wrote about it mid-construction last April. At the time, we got the sense it was going to be more of a historic restoration than it now appears. The brownstone exterior was nicely restored but, now that the units…
We were very bullish about the condo-ization of the corner brownstone at 302 Washington Avenue when we wrote about it mid-construction last April. At the time, we got the sense it was going to be more of a historic restoration than it now appears. The brownstone exterior was nicely restored but, now that the units are on the market, the photos of the interior finishes are leaving us a little limp. Prices are at the high end for the neighborhood - $750 a foot - but not unreasonable if you buy into the idea that these are top of the line. We haven’t been inside, but the apartments just don’t feel as special as we had hoped.
302 Washington Avenue [Warburg Realty] GMAP
302 Washington Avenue 2 BR [Warburg Realty]
302 Washington Looking Very Promising [Brownstoner]
I went to the open house last weekend and looked at the triplex (which has an entrance on Dekalb) and the 3 bedroom ground floor/parlor floor duplex (which has entrance on Washington). I was underwhelmed. Not in a million years would I spend that kind of money on those places, and I would imagine that I am their target market. The triplex has some wonderful details but the layout is not the most desireable. You enter into a pretty stair hall — a windowed den is up a few stairs to your left, and the living room is through a door to the right. Eat in kitchen is downstairs with a bathroom on that level also. NO dining room. Kitchen seemed nothing special to me. Thought the cabinets were ugly, personally. Three small bedrooms upstairs. Original wainscoating in stair hall and stairwell remains, as well as gorgeous tile just inside the door on Dekalb. As I recall, the living room has beamed ceilings – pretty – but there is no detail whatsoever upstairs and the closets are the cheapest possible slatted folding-door variety. I mean, I had closet doors like that in the first studio I ever inhabited in New York. Ugh.
The duplex 3-bedroom also had what I consider an inconvenient layout: kitchen on ground floor with another den-type room off it, living room on parlor level with non-descript bedrooms in back. Despite being in a historic house, this apartment felt like any old sheetrock development to me.
All this is why I don’t understand why buyers always want to buy places that have already been painted and kitchen and bath installed. Ideally for me, I like the guts and the structure to be in great condition, and to do the finishing details myself. But it seems buyers want the kitchen and baths fully 100% finished. As for me, I can’t wait to put in the new kitchen, entirely the way I want it, in our new house. I’m looking forward to it. (Even though I’m prepared for the joys of slow shipping of cabinets and no-show contractors!)
TonyTone wrote: “it looks to me like they ran out of money and consequently used lower end finishes”
Except on the outside, the crappy wierd brown sand paint was one of the first things they did.
So it has to be corner cutting from the very beginning.
“Impeccably restored”? What about a cornice? Looks naked.
Well that sounds about right, doesn’t it? I’ll go to the Open House and report back.
it looks to me like they ran out of money and consequently used lower end finishes. either that or they just got worried about profit and did the same. then they set the sell price super high so someone will think they’re getting a deal when it’s reduced.
WTF, a cherry and marble vanity with a white medicine cabinet?
They are OK; one nice thing is that they are bright. But they are pretty expensive. Also I don’t like the triplex. I really cannot imagine why anyone would pay that kind of money for Washington Ave and not buy a building instead.
This seems aggressively priced to me. Bedrooms are tiny. Some of the design choices seem a bit odd too.
Isn’t that a busy corner too?