House of the Day: Endangered on Orient Avenue
Barring the intervention of a very well-heeled hipster trustafarian, another unlandmarked gem in Greenpoint may be headed for the execution chamber. Its crime? Sitting on a 60-by-100-foot lot in a neighborhood that has been complacent about protecting its architectural heritage. (This block was known as Doctors’ Row in the middle of the 20th Century.) The…
Barring the intervention of a very well-heeled hipster trustafarian, another unlandmarked gem in Greenpoint may be headed for the execution chamber. Its crime? Sitting on a 60-by-100-foot lot in a neighborhood that has been complacent about protecting its architectural heritage. (This block was known as Doctors’ Row in the middle of the 20th Century.) The Victorian-era shingled house is on the chopping block for $2.5 million, more than it would likely fetch were it not for the 13,200 square feet of buildable space that accompanies a 6,000-square-foot lot in an R6 neighborhood. As the listing points out, the addition of a community facility could mean an even larger building. What a shame. Maybe some creative entrepreneur could make this work as a bed and breakfast or how about a Soho House East?
59 Orient Avenue [Capri Jet Realty] GMAP P*Shark
59 Orient Avenue [NY Times]
Well we live next door, and after suffering the “Olive Park” debacle behind us for the past 3 years, with raining styrofoam and debris, illegal practices, and a mysterious lack of punishment after dozens of complaints investigated and found to be true, I find that another scummy Hacid is going to build more crap with no concern for how it effects the neighbors
How do they get away with it? Ask yourself that for a second, and wonder why your tax money is fueling a machine which is unfair, and will never include you, and lets others who bribe their way do as they please.
And why can’t we ever talk about it without being labelled racist?
A nice bulletproof game you’ve set up for yourselves.
So you win, you get a few bucks in your filthy, greedy pockets, and NY has one less concerned family to populate it. Well done, hope you enjoy living in a town that has you and the stock brokers left.
We’re leaving town, last one out lock up.
I just bought the house 2 doors up and the real estate agent told me this house did sell as described above. I hope they build something nice. This street has a lot of history, a lot of new young families, and a great group of people that have been here for decades. I lived 8 blocks away in the Greenpoint zip code and look forward to a lot of years here on Orient.
Hi. I live in this house on the second floor.
It is true that it was in Eternal Sunshine of the Sporless mind, the gate hallway and one of the bedrooms. It’s unmistakeable and I’ve talked to the landlord about it.
It was designed by Peter Cooper sometime in the mid 1800s. People say 1899 this is because they don’t know and want to say it’s pre 20th century.
The house has sold to developers. The closing is supposed to happen today. . .They bought it for somewhere around 1.7 mil and are going to knock it down to build condos. It CANNOT be landmarked without owner’s consent, even though it is a historical landmark dating from Civil War times, one of the oldest houses in NYC and its burrows.
If anyone is listening or has any ideas of how to stop it being torn down, please comment. This is urgent. The lease is changing names it early September. . .
When Peter Cooper built this house, it was supposedly surrounded by his plantation. When he died the estate was split up.
i always knew it as the peter cooper house, but alas, it was built at the end of the 19th century, he was born in 1791, i hear that it may have belonged to a cousin.it’s a wonderful house, and it should never be torn down
It’s Williamsburg. Zip code 11211. I live next door to this house and my kids are zoned for the local school, PS132, a WILLIAMSBURG school.
From what i understand this house has more to do with NYC history than most believe. I live on this block, and was told that it is the childhood home of Peter Cooper…?
I do believe this is the house where they filmed a scene from Eternal Sunshine (they definitely filmed a scene on that block when I lived there).
Used to have an art studio down the block— it is “East Williamsburg”— at least it was until they renamed Bushwick. A realtor recently told me that the house used to belong to Peter Cooper (i.e. Cooper Union). Don’t know if this is true (Peter Cooper park is down the street)but if so, it would be ashame to tear down a piece of NYC history.
I agree with ABG. Why can’t they move this house somewhere else. I see that is done in other cities alot. I would imagine you would need to find a buyer for the house as well as the lot itself. And the house i’m sure does not have the original shingles/siding on front. If original siding is put on, house would look better.