Park and New York?

We're considering an apartment at 919 Park. Currently at St. John's between Washington and Classon and didn't think we wanted to go farther East, but the apartment seems to good (big!) to be true. I used to live at Nostrand and Park for a few years, and I always felt safe enough, though my partner did not. I'm just wondering what that corner and/or building are like specifically, and the walk to the subway from New York. And moving even farther away from our favorite Washington/Vanderbilt hangouts, I'm worried we're going to become hermits or something. Thoughts?

919 Park is a wonderful building!

One of my wife's friends used to live there...i think they had a doorman, or part time guy in lobby or something??

I hope youre not paying more then like $2,100 because for that price you can find something closer to the city...

In general, new york ave is gorgeous block to walk around...

whatever you do, Good Luck!

No, way under $2100 for 2 bed, 2 bath with terrace, which blows everything I've been looking at in Prospect Heights out of the water. Must be at least 1000 SF?

Glad to hear the positive review of the building--we were very impressed when we saw it the other day!

terrace?

2 bath?

seriously?

is the apt in really nasty condition? tile floors? ground floor facing garbage? old leaky kitchen?

I know. I saw it and said: "I didn't know this existed in New York." I'm struggling to figure out what's wrong with it and thought maybe it was its specific location?

location is stellar for crown heights! it aint exactly fort greene , but hey, CH is nice too.

sounds like a good deal in a good building....

g'luck stjohnsatwash...overthinking killed the cat

on a semi separate note-there are great blogs to check out local crime etc...hit them up!

walk around and see how feel!

Now is the perfect time to walk around and check out the nabe. Housing stock in the area is top notch but the nabe is the make or break factor for most. IIRC Park was one of the more quiet blocks so you could be in luck. But I would def "hang out" in the neighborhood before signing that lease.

That particular corner is really quiet. Across the street on Park is the Hatian-French school, and while their kids are playing in front during recess, they are mostly gone by the end of the day. Across New York are several private houses and "The Mansion" which is rentals, but only a couple of units. The building diagnally across New York is primarily doctors offices and long-time residents (no kids and no hanging out) and next door on New York is the church which is active on Sundays and one or two days per week, but is all quiet otherwise.

The biggest wild cards are the apartment buildings immediately adjacent on Park, but I get the sense from my walks through that block that they are fairly tame with the exception of a couple of summer nights with B-B-Q's. Check out the block, but my view is that's its a totally different vibe from Nostrand and Park which has 24hr foot and car traffic and 18 hours of crazy on a regular basis.

As for hangouts, its a 15 minute walk to Washington, which takes some gearing up for especially during the winter months. Good news is there is a lot of nightlife on Franklin now which is a much less imposing walk, and while the number of bars are fewer, there are more restaurants coming every day.

I get the sense that a lot of folks make the subway walk without issue, although last winter there were a couple of muggings late at night/early in the am on New York. I think it was primarily due to the fact that there just isn't a lo of foot traffic during those hours. If you are planning on coming home on the subway post 1am, I'd suggest walking down Nostrand as there are more folks then cutting across one of the other streets if you feel uncomfortable with being on such a quiet street.

I live in the building and it's wonderful. BUT you should know that they are renting out units for market rate, and this is illegal. It should be rent-stabilized.

Contact me if you want to talk further: tpaperny at gmail