Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Limestone Love at First Sight: 1134 Bergen Street





You might've missed when this Crown Heights limestone gem at 1138 Bergen Street from 1896 by architect George P. Chappell went in contract for $1.3M all cash a few weeks ago.  Why'd you miss it?  Because it was locked up for asking price before the brokers could even bring it to market.  Interestingly enough, Platinum Members had just finished locking up the house two doors down at 1134 Bergen Street with an even sweeter renovation.  These 18' x 45' 4-story limestones between Nostrand and New York Avenue are legal 2-Fam's used as 3's...




We're loving the mix of original details and modern upgrades to 1134 Bergen Street...











And that's before you even see the parlor and the pimped-out master bath with the jacuzzi tub!  (Which we failed to get pics of) -  The kitchen's got black granite counters, shiny red cabinets, stainless steel appliances, colorful checkerboard tile back splash...  This may not be precisely your taste, but it is tens of thousands in recent upgrades that you don't have to come out of pocket for on day one.  The extra-deep 127' lot makes for a nice yard...






The rental units are in great condition...






We hadn't realized how prolific this architect George P. Chappell was.  He's got townhomes and churches throughout Brooklyn, including one of our other favorite buildings in Crown Heights, 1142 Dean Street:




We knew we loved this house for a reason!  And across the street...




But if Crown Heights wasn't impressive enough for ya, he even got busy in Park Slope, like here on Garfield Place...




To put the finishing on touches on 1134 Bergen Street, we're calling in a more modern architect, our main man Phil Ryan of Studio Modh, whose renovation around the corner at 1377 Pacific Street we fell in love with instantly last year, and was recently covered in Dwell...




In fact we loved his work on 1377 Pacific Street so much, we helped Platinum Members snag the house next door at 1379 Pacific Street for a staggeringly-low sub-$700K number, just last year!  By the time Phil's done with 1134 Bergen Street, it may not be Dwell magazine material, but it'll certainly be a sight to see.

In terms of valuation, maybe you missed 1261 Dean Street closing around the corner in the exact same condition for $1.7M off-market.  Or maybe you missed 1277 Bergen Street even further east going in contract for $1.5M.  Or maybe you missed 100 New York Avenue around the corner going in contract for a reported $1.6M.  1234 Dean's bids are close to $2M for a single-family!!  When deep Bed-Stuy has a handful of houses hitting $1.7M-$1.8M, is it okay for Crown Heights (at the geographical equivalent of west Bed-Stuy, only on the other side of Atlantic Avenue) to start poking above $1.5M too?  And we're talking about a turnkey house.  We think you could owner-occupy 1134 Bergen Street for years, but we've wondered what it's worth if fixed-up even further.  Could it reach the $1.7M of 1261 Dean Street?  Certainly $1.5M is in reach.  Rumor is buyers might even be open to offers at this point, so let us know.  Either way, it's a win/win.


Pro's:  historic limestone with original details and modern upgrades that wasn't on everyone's radar, extra-deep lot, great owner's unit with rental income, express A train nearby and 3 train up the hill

Con's:  access was tough, this block isn't as nice as Dean's, it's not 20' wide, some work to do to optimize, neighborhood isn't for everyone, some buyers called the interior "dark"

Ideally:  another Platinum Member gem.  Keep as a 3-Fam or restore to its 2-Family double-duplex glory - either way it's a win!


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