Gravesend

Gravesend House With Cobblestone Fireplace, Wood Floors, Parking Asks $1.388 Million

This standalone has some appealing features including arched doorways and stained-glass windows.

living room with cobblestone fireplace, wood floor

Photo by brodyphoto.com

by Susan De Vries

09/09/2024 1

Looking neat as a pin, this early 20th century detached house in Gravesend has some appealing features including arched doorways, decorative niches, wood floors, and an Arts and Crafts style stone fireplace. At 1633 West 2nd Street, the two-family dwelling also comes with a private driveway and a garage.

The tidy appearance begins on the exterior with a front garden in front of the white stucco American Foursquare style house. It has the low hip roof typical of the modest style, which was popular from the 1890s through the 1930s. Less ornamentally fussy than earlier revival styles and with simple floor plans that were readily available in the small house pattern books of the period, it was a popular style for builders in quickly developing neighborhoods.

The silhouette of this Gravesend example can be seen a bit more clearly in the circa 1940 tax photo. It also shows a Colonial Revival-style portico and door surround which, from the listing photos, appear to still be in place. Also visible is the front porch sans railing and the garage with its original wood doors.

The house was likely built as a single-family, and later renovations gave it some Deco flair and enlarged the ground floor and carved out a second unit upstairs, going by historic maps and filings. That top floor apartment is a one-bedroom rental reached via a side entry.

The owner’s unit has two bedrooms and a full bath on the ground level and storage, laundry, and another full bath in the basement. A new owner might want to arrange the house as a single-family with a guest or extended family suite.

The front door opens directly into the living room, dominated by the aforementioned fireplace, which the listing notes is wood burning. The room also has a wall niche, and a leaded glass window. A glass-paned door leads out to the hallway and to the staircase to the upstairs rental.

Wood floors extend into the dining room, reached via an arched doorway from the living room. Decorative details include a stained glass window, picture rails, a chair rail, and floral wallpaper.

White dominates the kitchen with cabinets, appliances, and wall tile all in the neutral shade. There isn’t a dishwasher but, like much of the house, the kitchen appears in good repair. A door leads to a mudroom and steps down to the rear yard.

Upstairs, the wood floors have been covered with carpeting in most of the rooms, but other details are the same, with wall niches in the living room, arched doorways, and a white kitchen.

Both the bathrooms shown have Deco-era style with white fixtures, white wall tiles with black border tiles and accessories, and black and white floor tiles.

The house has been in the same family since the 1970s and the listing doesn’t mention any mechanical updates; presumably some upgrades might be in order.

Outside, the driveway leads to a paved rear yard where there are planting beds with trees and perennials and room for dining. The concrete-block garage seen in the tax photo is still in place, but with a modern door.

Delton Cheng of Century 21 has the listing and it is priced at $1.388 million. What do you think?

[Listing: 1633 West 2nd Street | Broker: Century 21] GMAP