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What's happening at 323 Prospect Place? — Brooklynian

What's happening at 323 Prospect Place?

laura b
edited November -1 in Prospect Heights

Subject: What's happening at 323 Prospect Place?

Anybody know what's happening at 323 Prospect Place (aka the diagonal house)? Passed by yesterday and saw it's now surrounded by plywood fencing. I think the building was sold recently--please for the love of god tell me it's not going to become a tear-down. It's a cool building, and irresponsible developers have already wrought enough damage on this block!

image

Interesting history on this house:
http://builtenvironmentblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/321-prospect-place.html

Comments

  • I doubt that it's getting razed. Just completely gutted, I reckon.
  • i hope its not a tear down. lovely looking house, inside when i saw it during summer looks more like a gut job.
  • It was on the market for a long time...

    When I passed by a few days back, they had the windows open and they were throwing stuff in to a garbage bin below. Looked like they were stripping it to the studs.

    I'm guessing that the buyer is renovating... that or the seller has had trouble moving it in it's state and he's renovating...
  • Subject: Re: What's happening at 323 Prospect Place?

    Laura B wrote: irresponsible developers have already wrought enough damage on this block!l
    Come on, don't you think that stillborn Fedders-style condo skeletons with the raw cinderblock look, mosquito ponds, burnt-out shells, vinyl cladding and Crack Pros all lend something to the aesthetics and atmosphere of the block?
  • NYC DOB website description:

    http://tinyurl.com/26p3j6
    Job Description:
    THIS APPLICATION IS FILED TO PROPOSE A VERTICAL EXTESION AND TO CONVERT EXISTING THREE FAMILY INTO A TWO FAMILY AND OBTAIN A NEW CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY. PLUMBING WORK FILED UNDER ALTERATION APPLICATION#

    Job Description:
    THIS APPLICATION IS FILED FOR INTERIOR DEMOLITION, TO REMOVE AND REPLACE BATHROOMS AND KITCHENS ON 1ST, 2ND, AND 3RD FLOORS AND REPLACE AND RELOCATE KITCHENS ON FIRST AND SECOND FLOOR AND TO DO GENERAL PARTITION WORK. NO CHANGE TO USE, EGRESS, OR OCCUPANCY FILED UNDER THIS APPLICATION.
  • Hmm...the rumor among the block-dwellers was that it was indeed a tear-down. Hope y'all are right though.
  • Subject: Sad about this

    I'm really sad to hear the owner of this building sold. I used to see him every morning when I lived on Washington avenue---he'd give me the black power fist every morning...no joke...I bet he moved down south....
  • my understanding is that the owner had a (non-fatal) stroke, and his family stepped in, sold the place, etc.

    i think it's landmarked, so not a tear down. however, i understand it was not in terrific shape (esp, oil problems in the basement), hence the slow sale and price reductions.

    all my info is rumor -- from well-placed sources, but not my own research -- so caveat lector.
  • If you're still wondering, my wife and i bought 323 Prospect Place and we are doing a gut renovation.
    I also loved the interesting angle and history associated with the building and wouldn't think of tearing it down. The structure was surprisingly sound considering its pre 1906. Unfortunately the inside was a mess of misplaced walls and in need of a complete overhaul. Hopefully it turns out ok!
  • Congrats pravrama! Welcome to the block. Your new house has my favorite topiary (maybe the only topiary) on this stretch on Prospect Place and a really nice mulberry tree.

    Godspeed with your renovation.
  • this place would of been my first choice. love how the house is lay out plus parking. but when i saw it they were asking for too much. my family brought a investment place in north slope instead.
  • It was originally listed by Kensington Reality for something like >2million- ouch! When Prudential listed it, it didn't stay on the market long, maybe a month and there was lots of interest; the price reduction must have been appropriate.

    Really is a cool house.
  • What is the history of this building? You mentioned that it is interesting, please share if you want. Thanks.
  • Here's a cool piece a friend of mine wrote about it:

    http://www.lostmag.com/issue14/prospect.php
  • if you're still wondering, my wife and i bought 323 Prospect Place and we are doing a gut renovation.
    Good luck pravrama with your gut reno. May your home project give Prospect btw. Underhill and Washington a much-needed kick in the pants.
    It now has the superb Underhill Playground, the new market on the corner, and as far as I can tell, very friendly residents along the south side of the street. Now can someone please buy, renovate, or bulldoze the glut of abandoned bldgs. on the north side of the site! They're a blight, man.
  • Now can someone please buy, renovate, or bulldoze the glut of abandoned bldgs. on the north side of the site! They're a blight, man.
    TRULY, they are. Does anyone have any info on the cinder block skeleton between 352-358? Seems like it was slated to be sold or auctioned in the fall a few months after the DOB shutdown construction. Lots of people viewed/photographed it. Shortly after, the construction trailer, some supplies and construction signs were removed and there it stands...
  • I must have missed that... why did the DOB shut down construction. I thought it odd that the protective wood walls were taken down. Hard to believe that if construction is shut down, it just open to the public to deal with. Someone could go climbing in there and do who knows what. That's why the abdoned building down the way was totally closed up. Totally sad. AND on top of that, most of Washington and Prospect are empty storefronts. I was really hoping that Washington would turn into what Vanderbilt is... a bit of good stuff. Guess it will take a bit more time.

    (PS sorry for misspellings... I'm a baaaad speller).
  • Not sure of the DOB details but they posted about 10 pages of violations for that building site last spring. The work ceased after that and speculation has been rampant. Some competing theories are:

    -the foundation was not laid properly and the whole thing needs to be torn down
    -it is larger than the approved footprint and needs to be torn down
    -it is leaning (and needs to be torn down)

    Sadly, I have not yet heard an explanation that ends with....and construction should begin in the spring.
  • Prospect Place is arguably the nicest block in PH from Flatbush to Underhill...and is also quite nice btw. Washington and Classen.

    WTF is up with this block? It's unfathomable to me that this parcel of land has yet to be turned into condo(s) a la 475 Sterling Place. I've mentioned this before—when guests are in I walk them west on Park Place to avoid this mess...
  • Welcome to the nehbahood pravrama! I live right around the corner on Underhill.

    I agree with what you said about the gut reno, internally, there wasn't much to save.

    I'll probably meet you this summer when I'm out "driving" my stoop.
  • Subject: why this house is on a diagonal

    For anyone who was wondering, the theory about why this house (and a few other immediate neighbors) lie on a diagonal to the regular street grid is kinda interesting. Most of the neighborhood history buffs I've spoken to agree that it's because before the street grid that currently exists (and that dates to about the 1840s or a little earlier), the old Flatbush Turnpike came up through the nabe at a completely angle. During the early 19th century, this road -- which dates to Indian times -- took a sharp left somewhere near the current intersection of Flatbush and St Marks and then meandered eastward. If you look at old ward maps of the area (http://www.wardmaps.com/viewmap.php?map_id=906), you can quite clearly see that the original farm lots appear to be laid out according to this old route. Once Flatbush was redirected and the new new street grid was superimposed, some of these old lots continued to exist but now they appear as diagonal to the new grid. Clearly this house doesn't date to the 1840s or before. But whoever built it may have simply acquired one of these anachronistic lots. Most of the new lots, of course, were owned by the kinds of fairly small-scale speculative house builders who would build 4-6-10 or more houses in one fell swoop and are responsible for most of the rowhouse construction in 19th century Brownstone Brooklyn.
  • pravrama wrote: If you're still wondering, my wife and i bought 323 Prospect Place and we are doing a gut renovation.
    I also loved the interesting angle and history associated with the building and wouldn't think of tearing it down. The structure was surprisingly sound considering its pre 1906. Unfortunately the inside was a mess of misplaced walls and in need of a complete overhaul. Hopefully it turns out ok!
    can i please move in when you're finished. it's my dreamhouse. i am a really good tenant! pretty please!
  • i call second dibs.
  • thanks all for the good wishes. Its nice to see neighbors that take so much interest in the development of the neighborhood. See you around this summer!
    Oh and we will be renting the ground floor + basement 2br/2.5bath apt if someone is interested :)[/img]
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