The Market

The Open House Scorecard: Historical townhouses with classic touches

By Sara Alessi  | October 15, 2012 - 2:38PM
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Old-world townhouses take center stage this week in the Open House Scorecard (the 10 listings StreetEasyusers saved to their open-house planners more often than any others this past weekend).

If classic details and a taste of history make you drool (and you’ve got the means to afford it), take a look at a $3.4m four-bedroom, three-bath townhouse on Commerce Street and Seventh Avenue South in West Village. The classic brick Federal, called Irving House, was built in 1826 has been in the same family for more than 50 years -- it’s believed “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” was written there. Original details include fireplaces, wide oak floorboards, a mahogany banister, front stoop, and Greek Revival doorway. Though it’s currently being used as an owner’s duplex with two floor-through apartments, it will be delivered vacant and can be converted back to a single-family home. Though it's been on the market for 6 months but the price was recently shaved by $200k, perhaps accounting for its appearance on this weekend's Scorecard.

Hop over one borough to an 1850s, $1.67m five-bedroom, three-bath classic Greek Revival townhouse featuring six original marble fireplace mantles, the original staircase and detailed crown moldings. Located on a tree-lined block on Adelphi Street (between Green Avenue and Fulton Street) in Fort Greene, it’s currently configured as a two-family home, but can become a single-family home if desired. Even with the old-world charm, the kitchen and bathrooms need to be updated.

Also in Ft. Greene, a new-to-market four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath three-family townhouse on Carlton Ave. is going for $1.8m. It’s located on an historic block between Greene and Lafayette Avenues and can be delivered vacant for conversion to a single-family home, or any other combination. Upgrades include a new roof, windows and boiler. There are three decorative mantles and a rebuilt winding staircase.

Not willing to pay over $1m? In Park Slope, on 17th Street and Eighth Avenue, a more affordable $850k three-bedroom, two-bathroom multi-family townhouse is a major fixer-upper that requires both cosmetic and structural renovation. There’s an owner’s duplex and the potential for a basement rental unit and a small extension. The lot is 120 feet deep, offering a large backyard.

For more classic townhouses (and even some apartments) browse the rest of the Scorecard below. 

  1. 160 West 77th Street—2-bed co-op, $1.149m
  2. 355 Carlton Avenue—4-bed multi-family, $1.8m
  3. 426 17th Street—3-bed multi-family, $850k
  4. 215 West 91st Street—3-bed co-op, $1.525m
  5. 190 Garfield Place—2-bed condo, $749k
  6. 402 Adelphi Street—5-bed townhouse, $1.67m
  7. 11 Commerce Street—4-bed townhouse, $3.4m
  8. 514 West End Avenue—2-bed co-op, $1.25m
  9. 171 West 12th Street—2-bed co-op, $1.1m
  10. 49 Downing Street—1-bed co-op, $985k

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