☞ DWELL: 542 West 158th Street Brownstone

The yellow bricked townhouse (the right-hand half of the yellow building in the top photo) on 158th Street between Riverside Drive and Riverside Drive West is slightly past the northern border of Harlem and in the southern reaches of Washington Heights. Nevertheless, the row of townhouses that line the southern side of the block feel more like traditional Harlem with its tree-lined sidewalks and turn-of-the-century architecture. The asking price of $995K seems reasonable for a move-in condition house in Manhattan, so what's the catch? The location is very close to the 1 train at 157th Street, but that's a local train, so commutes to midtown will be at least 30 minutes. Also, this section of 158th Street is an exit ramp for the Henry Hudson Parkway, and traffic is quite brisk for a side street. Finally, in our opinion, the views on the north side of the street are not as picturesque since they basically are the backside of some very tall pre-war buildings. Read more about this section on the fringe of the newly landmarked Audubon Park Historic District: LINK