DWELL: 225 WEST 139TH STREET TOWNHOUSE

Harlem Bespoke: Number 225 West 139th Street by 7th Avenue is currently on the market for the asking of $3.475 million.  This landmark 3-family home on Strivers Row was designed by McKim, Mead and White which makes it one of the more notable townhouses in Manhattan.  Some original details are intact within and everything appears to be in turnkey condition based on the photos.  More details and contact information can be found on the broker site: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2018

DWELL: 2011 FIFTH AVENUE

Number 2011 Fifth Avenue has a rather proper sounding address and the four-family brownstone located just north of the Mount Morris Park neighborhood is now up on the market for $2.65 million.  There are a lot of original details within and the townhouse will apparently be delivered vacant so this could be a great investment to a developer who knows what they are doing. The location is just a block away from the express trains on Lenox which is also the intersection where Whole Foods will open this summer.  More details on the broker site: LINK

DWELL: RECORD HAMILTON HEIGHTS SALE AT $3.1M

Number 461 West 143rd Street had a contract out whithin 3 weeks when the Hamilton Heights townhouse arrived on the market in Spring and now has closed for the exact asking price of $3.1 million.  This is now then the current record for West Harlem and the fact that it is located in beautiful historic district right below Sugar Hill probably made a big difference along with all of the original details inside.  The former record in The Heights was at $2.625 million by 529 West 142nd Street which was set in 2013.

Hamilton Heights is really catching up with what South Harlem homes are selling for because the restorations look more contextual and have a lot of original details which are important to the upper tier brownstone buyer.  The word is out also that many better business are opening up around the 140s because of more affordable rents and also lack of competition.  Any location in West Harlem that is around a 5 minute walk to the express train at 145th Street also benefits because those lines get one to midtown within 10 minutes or so.  More interior photos on the broker site: LINK

REVIVE: A NEW LOOK AT 200 EDGECOMBE

The last two wood frame houses on Edgecombe Avenue have been twin neighbors for over a century but that no longer appears to be the case today.  We walked by this block just south of 145th Street yesterday and noted that the facade restoration at 200 Edgecombe just went an entirely different direction.  A faux brownstone exterior has now been stuccoed on to the front of the building complete with a sculpted cornice at top.  We would have just replaced the siding, window frames and added a wood cornice like the ones found in prime parts of Brooklyn but apparently having a faux brownstone look instead of an earlier period wood home is what's popular uptown these days.  Check out our past post on what this house sold for and also a visual suggestion on how it should have been restored: LINK

☞ ARCHITECTURE: Wood Frame House Hues

An old Victorian era wood frame house presents a great opportunity in the usage of color as far as the front facade is concerned.  There are not many nicely restored example in Harlem so we checked out the Wooden House Project blog of Brooklyn for some inspiration since that New York neighborhood has many examples of elegantly restored homes.  Contrasting white trim appears to be the standard way to go to make a frame houses look a little more updated for the modern home owner.   Colors beyond the classic blues and slate grays include rich khakis or neutral mid tone pastels such as the green home in the top image.  While more matte finishes are preferred for the wood siding or shingles, one can actually go for a high gloss finish on entrance doors with rich accents such as the vibrant red shown at the lower photos.  More examples can be found at the Wooden House Project: LINK

259 West 137th Street Reduced

Number 259 West 137th Street started back on the market in 2010 for the asking price of $2.9 million and has since been decreased to $1.69 million.  The townhouse located between FDB/8th Avenue and ACP/7th Avenue was asking for quite a bit of money a couple of years back but the 18-foot-wide building had rather moderate level finishes and was even missing the cornice at the top of the building. This fully renovated, 2-family home has an estimated 5,000 square feet, 5 floors altogether and even has a garage which should be a big plus to many homebuyers.  Based on photos found on the broker's website, it may be the aesthetic of the interior that is not really selling this particular address since the contemporary finishes are already starting to look outdated: LINK