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Open House Agenda: Three Apartments to See This Weekend

By Donna M. Airoldi | June 13, 2014 7:10am | Updated on June 13, 2014 3:15pm
 Get a bird's-eye view of New York City in one of these penthouse apartments.
Penthouse Apartments To See This Weekend
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NEW YORK CITY — After location and natural light (affordability is a given), two of the more desired apartment characteristics are outdoor space and a high floor. Penthouse apartments typically achieve both — along with the aforementioned sunlight. Here are three top-floor apartments to check out this weekend, two of which have two private outdoor spaces.

957 Pacific St., Apt. 504, Prospect Heights/Crown Heights, Brooklyn
1.5 Bedrooms/1 Bath
Condo
Approximately 802 square feet
$700,000
Common Charges: $443.67 per month
Real Estate Taxes: $42.67 per month
Open House: Sunday, June 15, 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Lowdown: A move to Minneapolis for work has prompted the owner to sell this condo with both a private terrace and rooftop spaces after only about three years, said Kris Sylvester, of Halstead Property.

Because it was a new-build, a Nest thermostat and treatments to the south-facing wall of windows to “minimize the heat gain in the apartment from the unobstructed sunlight” are the only touches the seller added, Sylvester said.

Those four floor-to-ceiling glass doors also “collapse to the side, so the living room extends onto the patio, which is a nice feature, especially for entertaining,” he noted.

In similar fashion, the pocket doors between the bedroom and office area add flexibility to the layout — allowing for the spaces to be used interchangeably, as a single room or as two bedrooms — albeit one on the narrow side.

The building is also part of the HelloLiving Community, a cluster of buildings in the area that share amenities. This building has a screening room, billiard room and owners' lounge. Others include a gym, pool and children’s playroom. Owners in the community buildings have access to all the shared amenities, Sylvester said.

Location: Whether you consider the block between Washington and Grand avenues Prospect Heights or Crown Heights, both have become “coveted neighborhoods” in recent years. Proof — Starbucks is due to debut in Crown Heights in the fall and a section of Franklin Avenue will become a dedicated bike lane in early July.

Both the C train on Fulton Street at Clinton-Washington and the Shuttle at Franklin Avenue are about four blocks away. It’s a little less than a mile to the Grand Army Plaza 2, 3 or Seventh Avenue B, Q trains.

Why put it on your open house calendar? Sylvester credits the apartment’s uniqueness, including the flexible bedroom/office space, the extension of the living room onto the patio and the rooftop deck with its views and barbecue grill.

“You can see the Fourth of July fireworks now that they’re back on the East River,” he said. “It’s really perfect living for Brooklyn.”

970 Kent Ave., Apt. PH01, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn
2 Bedrooms/2.5 Baths
Condo
1,324 square feet
$999,000
Common Charges: $1,169.86 per month
Real Estate Taxes: $0 (abated until 2021)
Open House: Sunday, June 15, 2-4 p.m.

Lowdown: The sellers are giving up this two-bedroom condo duplex that also has two private outdoor spaces. They are moving to a nearby townhouse, said Caroline Aim of Keller Williams NYC.

Main-floor entry is to the kitchen and living area, with the bedrooms, washer and dryer, and outdoor spaces — one of which runs the entire length of the apartment — a level below. The unit is in a converted factory dating to 1930 and, although the kitchen area is small, there are “very high ceilings and lots of light,” Aim said, adding that the area is “lofty, and you usually don’t have such big windows in new developments.”

Also unusual is the half bath on the upper level. “It’s a nice plus,” Aim added.

Building amenities include a playroom, gym, garden and an outdoor running track that is “a nice area within the building’s compound. Parents can look out the window and see their kids down below,” Aim said.

Although listed at $792, the common charges have been recalculated and now total $1,169.86, Aim noted.

Location: Pratt Institute is two blocks west; the ever-gentrifying Myrtle Avenue is 1.5 blocks north. The neighborhood’s post office will be five blocks closer when it relocates to Kent Avenue in the near future. The G train at Classon Avenue is three blocks away.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “It’s full of light and has [two outdoor spaces] that are quite big,” Aim said. “If both [terrace] doors are open, you are high up and get fresh air and wind, and very nice views of Wall Street and a little of the [Manhattan] bridge.”

200 W. 54th St., Apt. PHF, Midtown, Manhattan
1 Bedroom/1 Bath
Co-op
Approximately 700 square feet
$1.35 million
Maintenance: $1,929 per month
Open House: Sunday, June 15, 1-3 p.m.

Lowdown: The first open house for this Midtown co-op with a sweeping 2,000-square-foot terrace is Sunday and the seller — a famous Broadway director and choreographer with multiple Tony Awards — has priced it to sell, said Adam West Hemming of Douglas Elliman.

The owner gut-renovated the entire apartment a “year or two” after buying it in 2002 and noted architect David Rockwell designed the kitchen, Hemming said. “The point was to add pocket doors and create an open space for entertaining."

The unit is “tricked out” with an electric-flushing toilet, a BainUltra therapeutic tub and an indoor and outdoor sound system. It gets “crazy, amazing light,” and although located in Midtown, the unit is quiet, Hemming noted.

Because of its close proximity to Broadway, the building — erected as the Adlon Hotel in 1912 and designed by George and Edward Blum — has long attracted famous performers, including Mickey Mantle and Carol Burnett in earlier days, Hemming said.

Location: If you want to be in the heart of the city, you can’t get much closer. Times Square is a few blocks south; Central Park is a short walk north. You can see the New Year’s Eve ball drop from the terrace. The B, D and E trains are a block away at 53rd Street and Seventh. The F is at Sixth Avenue and 56th Street.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “It’s a quiet penthouse in the most bustling part of the city,” Hemming said. You have this “dichotomy of a modern, spacious, high-ceiling design in this traditional pre-war building.”