Where: 141 Clermont Avenue
Size: 1,324 square feet
Asking: $849,000
Listed by: Doug Bowen & Win Brown
Looking to think outside the (apartment) box? How about a pre-Civil War detached house sporting Greek Revival and Italianate architectural details? The historic house at 141 Clermont Avenue is tucked away in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, on a quiet block that feels like a nice break from the city. The money saved from buying across the river can certainly put you in the mood to splurge on the decor, and this old beauty has amazing potential — just don’t touch those original wide-plank floors. And fear not, Manhattan shoppers, we haven’t overlooked you.
Where: 36 Bedford Street
Size: 4,026 square feet
Asking: $6,375,000
Listed by: Vicky Barron & Doug Bowen
Another blank canvas townhouse retaining original details from the 1800s, but this one has the benefit of being in the Greenwich Village. In 1875 this 25-foot-wide house was carved up into separate apartments to attract bohemian tenants, and now it’s being offered vacant and ready for its next chapter. And the potential for transformation isn’t limited to the interior. Outdoor spaces galore — including a great roof deck — call out for a creative green thumb.
Where: 104 East 10th Street
Size: 2,880 square feet
Asking: $5,600,000
Listed by: Jon Phillips and Ginnie Gardiner
On the East Village’s most elegant block of history-rich townhouses lies this vacant four-story, 18.5-foot-wide home that is screaming out for a makeover to reclaim its faded glory. As the listing notes, “A history buff’s dream, the legendary Hamilton Fish had law offices here and Petrus Stuyvesant, Director-General of New Netherland for the Dutch, walked by this plot every day as he lived nearby.” Not a bad cocktail party ice-breaker, if you ask us!