Railroad Walkup Offers Stained Glass, Lots of Windows, Two Bedrooms in Park Slope for $949K

This co-op offers a lot of character and two actual bedrooms, but it is compact and has only a single bathroom.

by Hannah Frishberg

05/22/2018 0

This co-op at 509 2nd Street is compact and has only a single bathroom, but offers a lot of character and two actual bedrooms for less than $1 million — an increasingly rare scenario in Park Slope these days. If you suspect there may be a catch, you’re right: It’s a railroad apartment, located on the third floor of a walkup.

The circa-1900 building has eight units and is in the historic district. It’s a double-bay-fronted brick Beaux-Arts number with limestone details. (The Landmarks Preservation Commission calls it neo-Georgian, perhaps because of its keystoned lintels and other neo-Classical touches.)

The interior of the apartment has a good number of historic details, including moldings and casings, inlaid parquet floors, and built-ins. Many of these are in the apartment’s large living room and dining area, distinguished by wood paneling topped by a bracketed shelf.

The room also has a built-in sideboard whose back wall has been removed to create a passthrough to the kitchen beyond, and a mirrored and columned bookcase — presumably originally a fireplace. The space appears to have been fashioned by annexing what was originally a small bedroom and knocking down the wall between it and the original dining room, making for a slightly awkward transition where the dining room paneling ends and two floors meet.

The large kitchen has room for a table, two walls of exposed brick, Moroccan tiles and plenty of cabinet space. The serene-looking bedrooms share a back wing and a new-ish stained glass window.

The master bedroom, originally the parlor back in the day, has quite a bit of attractive detail, including an original stained glass window, window casings, and parquet floor with inlays. It does not, however, have a closet.

The smaller of the two bedrooms has a built-in wardrobe and drawers, and there are two other closets in the unit, in the living area and foyer. The bathroom, not pictured, is small but has a tub.

One thing worth noting: There are a good number of windows in the apartment so it may get good light.

Also, the railroad layout is slightly more workable than some, thanks to an exit door in the master bedroom. So if, in the middle of the night, you wish to visit the unit’s tiny bathroom, you may do so by exiting the apartment rather than wake your sleeping children by tromping through their bedroom.

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The building has basement storage, laundry, and stroller and bike parking as well as a shared back patio. It’s located less than two blocks from Prospect Park and is 7.5 blocks from the F and G trains at the 7th Avenue stop.

Corcoran’s Jackie Torren and Charlie Pigott have the listing, which is asking $949,000. Monthly maintenance is relatively low at $800. Worth it?

[Listing: 509 2nd Street Apt. 3R | Broker: Corcoran] GMAP