Greenpoint pre-war walk-up with dishwasher wants $780,000

The largely intact 19th-century railroad apartment has windows on three levels, vintage style and low maintenance.

Photo via Brown Harris Stevens

by Cate Corcoran

In an 1870s Greenpoint barracks building turned co-op not far from McGoldrick Park, this top-floor unit has historic charm, modern updates, and low maintenance. The four-story, eight-story wood-frame walk-up at 100 Newel Street features a well preserved exterior with curved and incised Italianate/Neo Grec style window surrounds, a matching awning over the front door, bay windows and a cornice with brackets.

Greenpoint is home to a surprising number of early apartment buildings, some of which may date back to the 1860s. The best known is The Astral, developed by Charles Pratt as progressive working-class housing in the 1880s.

This was probably built sometime between 1874 and 1886. A land transaction from 1874 indicates that it was for a plot of land and does not mention a building. The apartment complex is located at the time of a map from 1886.

This unit is a largely intact railway consisting of four rooms. With windows on three exposures and high ceilings, it appears airy in the advertising photos. There are wooden floors and original moldings throughout.

The front room has a ceiling medallion and an incised slate mantelpiece which would originally have had a painted marble finish. At the rear there is a large renovated kitchen with tin ceiling, white minimalist cupboards, built-in pantry, industrial metal hanging lamps and a dishwasher.

The brick of the chimney breast has been exposed and planks have been placed in the hearth. The fireplace would probably have contained a cast iron stove for cooking and heating, and the mantelpiece with brackets is probably original.

Inconveniently, the kitchen floor is not on the same level as the rest of the apartment, but a step is needed, perhaps to accommodate the pipes for the bathroom.

The latter – with mid-20th century black-and-white wall tiles, a “Venetian” mirrored medicine cabinet and newer floor tiles and vanity – is a somewhat recent addition, an old i-card reveals. Perhaps built with a toilet and a pump in the backyard, but in 1902 the building had a toilet in each hallway shared by two apartments per floor and running water going to the sinks and basins in the kitchens.

In the center of the unit there are two bedrooms, one of which has built-in shelves for books or other items and a niche for a desk.

The floor plan shows only one closet, but according to the advertisement, the apartment includes a private storage room in the building. The self-managed cooperative also offers a shared laundry room, bicycle storage and a garden.

Maintenance costs a relatively small $600 per month. The apartment is listed by Christian Emanuel of Brown Harris Stevens asking $780,000. Worth it?

[Listing: 100 Newel Street #4L | Broker: Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP