A Morningside Heights duplex that's more house than apartment

By Jennifer Laing | August 12, 2014 - 12:59PM

This family-friendly apartment at 380 Riverside Drive on the border of the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights checks off so many wish list boxes, it’s hard to know where to start.

Three bedrooms (perfect for a growing family with grandparents who can’t stay away)? Check. Two full baths (so the adults don’t have to share with the kids)? Check. Great closet space (to hide the high chairs and Exersaucers now and the sports equipment and afterschool-activity paraphernalia later)? Check. A washer/dryer (perhaps the most coveted amenity for a family)? Check and check.

The master bedroom in this Morningside Heights co-op is happily separated from the kids' rooms

What’s more, the apartment is a duplex with 10-foot ceilings, which creates a house-like separation of space—with two bedrooms upstairs and one on the lower level, no matter how much noise the little ones are making, there’s a place to escape.

The kitchen's got white cabinets and chrome appliances, plus a counter area for prepping meals and feeding the kids. And the open-concept kitchen-dining-living room creates space for the family to hang out together.

The wide countertops are great for prepping meals

On the potential downside, the apartment appears to be located on the first and second floors and boasts oddly positioned windows that don’t allow for much natural light. That said, given its lower-level location, it’s unlikely neighbors will complain about the pitter patter of little feet (either human or animal).

It’s all located in the Hendrik Hudson, a prewar, pet-friendly, doorman building constructed in 1907 with 146 apartments on eight stories. It's got a live-in super, bike room, storage and—unbelievably—parking. Best of all, it’s situated opposite Riverside Park within strolling distance of playgrounds, ball fields and bike paths.

The duplex looks like it's on the first two floors of the building, which means you're close to the street

But the proximity to the Upper West Side won't come cheap: listed at $1.25 million, with a monthly maintenance of $1,391, the apartment is priced quite a bit higher than similar Morningside Heights apartments, which sold for $735,000 on average in the last 90 days, according to StreetEasy.

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