Real Estate

Renovated Clinton Hill Italianate and Other Open Houses With Potential, Starting at $1.449 Million

Our picks for open houses to see this weekend include two renovated to varying degrees and two in need of restoration.

by Stephen Zacks

09/20/2019 0

While you may be doing nothing today but supporting the kids who want the world not to go up in climate-collapse-induced flames, here nonetheless are some choice houses to look at this weekend, two renovated to varying degrees and two in need of restoration. They’re more sustainable than new construction, in principle, if you upgrade the building envelope to hold in heat and replace the mechanical systems with energy-conserving ones. Three are mid-19th century Italianates located in Clinton Hill. The third, a late 19th century number in Bed Stuy, may be in better condition than the photos of crumbling walls suggest. Prices start at $1.449 million for the one in Bed Stuy and go up to $3.275 million for a gleaming brick Italianate with all new mechanicals.

In Clinton Hill, behold a dazzling renovated and restored circa 1860s brick Italianate house. Laid out as a two-family with a triplex over a garden-level apartment, 22 Lefferts Place possesses a wealth of original details. The elaborate ceilings on the parlor floor are particularly extraordinary, and extend from the living room through the dining room to the renovated kitchen. The latter, with its gleaming white and stainless steel, contrasts sharply with the Italianate black marble mantels and dark-stained hardwood floors. Apparently in move-in condition, the 20-foot-wide house has zoned air conditioning and new mechanicals. The asking price is $3.275 million.

Down the block, 14 Lefferts Place is a slimmer Anglo-Italianate brick house with center stair. It’s also a four-story two-family, according to the listing, currently configured as one. It’s got hardwood floors, high ceilings and some lovely curving features matching the arched entry and eyebrow lintels, including a gracefully curling banister and garden landscaped with rounded brick borders and stone paving. The kitchen and bathrooms have been modernized but not particularly recently, and some buyers might want to make some cosmetic updates. Original details include moldings and picture rails, and it appears to be in move-in condition. It’s listed at $2.35 million.

Also in Clinton Hill is another circa 1860s narrow Anglo-Italianate house with a center stair at 164 St. James Place. This one is a brownstone on a desirable and landmarked block. Another advantage on this one is that it’s already optimally configured, in this case for single-family use with the kitchen in the traditional spot on the ground floor and two parlors above. Though it appears from photos to need everything short of a gut renovation, the Italianate mantels and moldings show promise. The ask is $2.295 million.

Finally, in Bed Stuy at 522 Monroe Street, we have a late 19th century brownstone with original details including an impressive mantel with colorful tile, crown molding and wainscoting. The facade has incised floriate patterns on the projecting door and window surrounds, and top-floor windows set into a cornice with long corbels — and also a very visible drainpipe snaking across it. The listing says the building needs a full gut renovation, but if so photos do not reveal it: Despite the peeling plaster and unfinished floors, they don’t show structural problems. This one is offered for $1.449 million.