This site is closed to new comments and posts.

Notice: This site uses cookies to function.
If you are not comfortable with cookies then please don't browse this website.

Don't waste a beautiful brownstone! — Brooklynian

Don't waste a beautiful brownstone!

faycat
faycat
edited November -1 in Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy

Subject: Don't waste a beautiful brownstone!

My boyfriend and I have been searching for an apartment in Ft. Greene and I just have to take a second to rant. I can't even tell you how many brownstone apartments I've seen that are in tragic disrepair. It actually makes me so angry, these landlords who own gorgeous historic brownstones in a beautiful neighborhood who don't take care of the building at all. It should be a crime. Instead of rushing to get a new tenant into an apartment literally hours after the last one moves out, why don't they just take a month or two and do some renovation? I don't just mean replacing appliances and a coat of paint, I mean I saw brownstones where the stairs were crumbling, the doors were rotting, the smell of mold was overwhelming. Those brownstones will just fall down one day. I saw a garden level apt a couple of weeks ago with a drop ceiling. A drop ceiling in a garden level. A 30-year old drop ceiling that was not remotely the color it originally was. So gross. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I just love brownstones and it pisses me off to see people who are lucky enough to own one but who don't appreciate their beauty at all.

Comments

  • carlton banks
    carlton banks
    i love brownstones and agree in principal but realize these are landlords. they don't live in the apartments they rent. not all, but most landlords focus on maximizing monthly cash flow which means charging as much as possible while investing as little as possible in the building. unless it will materially increase the amount of rent they can charge, a month or two of renovation is a cash drain. the mortgage payments don't stop during renovation. brownstones are old andexpensive to renovate.

    the limited supply of brownstone apartments make a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood like ft. greene a landlords dream. while you may be looking for an apt which maintains its historical beauty there are 100 others that just want to live in this neighborhood...
  • boygabriel
    boygabriel
    I agree, it's so sad. It just makes me want to win the lottery and buy my own brownstone and make it beautiful.

    I would love to be able to do my own home improvement.
  • faycat
    faycat
    Doing a proper renovation on a brownstone is my dream. It's so crazy that back when these beautiful homes were first built, they weren't these unattainably expensive pipe dreams, but real homes for real average people. A friend of mine grew up in a gorgeous brownstone in Brooklyn Heights back in the day when two public school teachers could afford an entire brownstone. I think now it's owned by millionaires. Can you imagine a world where two NYC public school teachers make enough money to own an entire brownstone in Brooklyn Heights?
  • daver
    daver
    Carlton Banks wrote: not all, but most landlords focus on maximizing monthly cash flow which means charging as much as possible while investing as little as possible in the building. unless it will materially increase the amount of rent they can charge, a month or two of renovation is a cash drain.
    Exactly! The question is, will tearing that drop ceiling out of the apartment allow them to charge more? How much more? Enough to recoup the cost of 1) letting the place sit vacant while the renovation is completed, and 2) the actual cost of the renovation. And what about those stairs? Can they raise everyone's rent $50 a month to pay for a couple grand in repairs? Fat chance!

    I hear you though, I hate seeing them breaking down too.
  • faycat
    faycat
    I think if current tenants are moving out and the landlord does improvements, they can absolutely charge a lot more rent to the next tenant. Believe me, in the case of that drop ceiling basement, if the landlord had torn that out, replaced the back door and updated kitchen appliances, I would have paid at least a couple hundred more per month. It would not have taken a ridiculous amount of money to make this place infinitely more liveable.
  • rose
    rose
    I lived in a brownstone on Berkeley Place owned by a local architect -- who actually lives in the building -- and it was amazing to me how poorly he maintained his building. Everything was jury-rigged and patched together in the cheapest, quickest way with no regard to appearances. The kitchen was disgusting, with ancient appliances and falling-apart cabinets. And there was a major roach infestation when we moved in. And the rent was relatively low -- which was good for us because it was all we could afford. But it was so strange to me that an architect would let his place get into that condition.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In

Categories