☞ Revive: Harlem Brownstone Blocks

We love discovering West 131st Street between Adam P. and Malcolm X but lately someone has been showing this handsome street a little less affection. As one can see from the top photo, this block has perfect rows of brownstones, and this is reflected on both sides of the street. On the north side, somewhere mid-block, a new construction has appeared with the perplexing mini-balconies, a non-contextual exterior and holes for those built-in air conditioning units that will jut out of the front. For this part of town, if developers want to attract middle-class money, they will need to note that this type of building is everywhere in New York City and folks can move to prime parts of Brooklyn or lower Manhattan for the prices that they will be asking for. On the other hand, the brownstone buyer is willing to move to a brownstone neighborhood on the fringe because those are rare these days and pay a little more money for some intact character.

Here's a thought. Build a brick structure with high ceilings and windows, add some lintels to frame the windows and a new cast iron cornice on top instead of the balconies. Air conditioners are not a big deal for buyers to place into their windows, so save your dollars since the ones sticking out the building offend the buyer with more money and a higher taste level. A basic cornice for a twenty-foot wide building is about $5,000 and worth the investment.