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Open House Agenda: 3 Upper West Side Apartments to See This Weekend

By Emily Nonko | May 5, 2016 12:30pm | Updated on May 6, 2016 7:09pm
 Three Upper West Side apartments with open houses this weekend. 
Open House Agenda: 3 Upper West Side Apartments to See This Weekend
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MANHATTAN — With landmarks like Central Park, Riverside Park, Lincoln Square and Columbus Circle, the Upper West Side is a much beloved neighborhood in New York. Here are one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments holding open houses in the neighborhood this weekend. 

875 West End Ave., #6F, Upper West Side
One Bedroom/One bath
Approximately 800 square feet
Co-op
$695,000
Maintenance: $919 a month
Open House: Sunday, May 8, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Lowdown: Brown Harris Stevens broker Miles Chapin said it's rare for apartments at this cooperative to hit the market because “people tend to stay for a long time.”

It is a prewar building designed by Rosario Candela, an architect known for his gracefully designed floor plans.

“You don't get a building of this quality in that neighborhood,” explained Chapin. “This is a Park Avenue building on 103rd St. and West End Ave.”

Although the seller has only lived there one year, he completely renovated to return the apartment to its clean prewar design, taking out the Murphy bed, sconces, and most of the wallpaper, Chapin said. A wall of bold wallpaper in the kitchen, which was renovated, is the only remnant left of the previous design.

“One year ago, you would never recognize it,” Chapin said.

Like other Candela floor plans, this apartment has a formal foyer, a kitchen with its own service entrance, and a large walk-in closet that the owner uses as a study. A hallway between the living room and bedroom offers a nice separation of space.

“It's hugely gracious,” said Chapin, “Not a cut-up afterthought of an apartment.”

Location: “Riverside Park is on one end of the block, and the 103rd St. station is on the other,” Chapin said. (You can catch the 1 train at 103rd Street.) Chapin added that Riverside Park is “the most glorious spot in the spring.”

Why put it on your open house calendar? Chapin lived in the area in the '70s and '80s when it was a “no man's land.” Now, he said, “it's a fascinating estuary... you have the energy of the college town drawing you north, as well as the graciousness of the Upper West Side.”

 

345 West 58th St., #8M, Lincoln Square
Two bedrooms/Two baths
Approximately 1,250 square feet
Co-op
$1.625M
Maintenance: $1,808 a month
Open House: Sunday, May 8, 11:30 to 1:00 p.m.

Lowdown: This two-building co-op complex, constructed in 1957, centers around a private, two-acre courtyard situated at the center of the property.

“It's in full bloom right now,” said Douglas Elliman broker Maura Jarach. She took the listing photo of the courtyard, surrounded in green grass and colorful tulips, just last week. In nice weather, it's a popular spot for residents to sit and read, she said. On colder days residents still view it through floor-to-ceiling windows in the building lobby.

This corner apartment offers views down onto the courtyard from every room. Views toward the garden and 9th Ave., which Jarach said was “very quiet in general,” ensure a “peaceful, serene quality” within the apartment. It doesn't hurt that the unit only shares one wall with a neighbor, in the kitchen.

The owner purchased the apartment in poor shape around 16 years ago, said Jarach. Although the parquet floors are original, she gut renovated the rest of it. She took away closet space in the master bedroom to enlarge the ensuite bathroom. “She's from Europe and added a bidet,” noted Jarach. She decked out the second bathroom with white marble finishes.

For a buyer who loves entertaining, the living room offers enough space for a formal dining area. But for those who desire room to grow, the living room could be separated with French doors for a third bedroom, office or nursery.

“The layout's very flexible,” Jarach said.

Location: “This particular complex is so close to so many landmarks,” said Jarach, listing Lincoln Center, the Juilliard School, Time Warner Center (which includes a Whole Foods) and Central Park. The closest subway is the A/B/C/D/1 at Columbus Circle.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “You have to ask how well a building will retain its value,” said Jarach. “There's no better value than an apartment near Central Park.”

 

110 West 90th St., #4C, Upper West Side
Three bedrooms/Two baths
Approximately 1,250 square feet
Condo
$2.395M
Common Charges: $1,340 a month
Taxes: $1,122 a month
Open House: Sunday, May 8, 12-2:00 p.m.

Lowdown: A half-a-million-dollar renovation left this large condo apartment with lots of luxury finishes.

The owners completed the project about five years ago, adding light dimmers, a full sound system, new shelving and storage and climate control panels. The square footage of one bedroom was reduced to create a desk area with built-in-cabinets. The customized kitchen boasts special pull-out pantries that hold spice racks.

“It is pristine,” said Town Residential broker Michele Franco Perez. “Nothing has to be done.”

While some potential buyers felt that “1,250 square feet was not that big,” Perez said, “every corner of this space is useable.”

That includes the south-facing balcony, which has enough room for patio furniture.

The fourth-floor balcony looks down on the building's common garden.

“At one open house, people were shocked when they looked out the windows onto treetops,” Perez said.

She added that there are beautiful weeping willow trees growing in the garden. For even more greenery, there is a community garden right next door to the building that residents like to walk through.

“Two summers ago I listed another apartment in the building, when the garden was just so lush, and it went in a few weeks,” Perez said.

Location: “It's right between Amsterdam and Columbus Aves.,” Perez said, adding that “all the great restaurants are on Amsterdam Ave.” Central Park is about one block away. The closest subway stations, each about a five minute walk, are the B/C at 86th St. and the 1 at 86th St.

Why put it on your open house calendar? “It's almost a respite from the city noise and hubbub,” Perez said.