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Open House: A Sneak Peak at 1050 Broadway
By The Changeling | March 7, 2008
1050 Broadway, The View From Beneath the Tracks
A few weeks ago, Alexa 11221 and I got a sneak peak at a newly renovated rental building in the area. I live pretty close to this building and I noticed it several months ago because it is one of several buildings that made me think that Broadway is on its way up. When I took the picture below, I had no idea that I would know the eventual owner of the building. (That was my full disclosure. I know the owner of this building, I’ve known him around 9 months, and I met him before he bought this place.) So when he invited Alexa and me to see it in person, we jumped at the chance. We headed out on a cold, rainy Saturday to check the place out.
This is the building’s twin on Hart Street. I took this photo on a sunny day several months ago. The two buildings are connected at an obtuse angle.
A bit of history about this building: prior to its being turned residential, it was home to an auto glass shop for several years. The owner sent me link to the C of O and it showed that before the auto glass business, it was home to a needle manufacturer and a furniture upholsterer.
One of the best things about this building is that it is 3 short blocks south of the new Mr. Kiwi’s fruit market and Market Hotel concert/performance/artist space. It’s also only one block away from Goodbye Blue Monday where live bands play every night and although there is no laundry in the building, there is a 24 hour laundry across the street. I actually like the vibe of Broadway just south of Myrtle where this building is located. While the Broadway north of Myrtle is home to tons of junk shops, crowded sidewalks and is very “trafficky” around Woodhull Hospital, the part of Broadway south of Myrtle is much calmer.
It’s also reasonably close (10-15 minute walk) to every place that artists and wanna be artists hang out: Third Ward, Life Cafe, Northeast Kingdom, Wykoff Star, Office Ops, The Archive, Kings County and Wreck Room. It’s just 3 short blocks to the J, M and Z trains (at Myrtle Avenue) so if you’re commuting into the city, then you should be able to get into lower Manhattan pretty quickly. These apartments will be available on April 1st, so you should definitely contact the owner immediately to set up a viewing if you’re looking for a space. His contact information is at the end of the post.
First Floor Apartment - $1500 - 1 Bedroom - 1150 sq. ft.
View Facing The Apartment’s Hallway
Angled Bedroom with Private Patio Access
The windows throughout the building are huge, but I visited them on a rainy day so you don’t really get a sense of the brightness of these rooms. On sunny days, I would expect all of the rooms we saw to be flooded with lots of light.
The Little Patio Out Back
Everyone by now should know that I favor places with outdoor spaces, so needless to say I was pleased when I saw that the first floor apartment had a nice little patio out back. It’s currently connected to the patio of the building next door (I actually took the above photo from the adjoining patio space), but I think that the owner said that a divider of some sort would be placed between the two spaces.
In addition to being a fairly large unit, the person who rents this place will also get the opportunity to rent a huge 1,000 sq. ft. basement artist space. This space is being offered as a bonus room to all three units, so I guess the first person to pay for it gets to have it all to him/herself. It has stone walls, a concrete floor and 8 ft. ceilings. If you’re interested in renting this space along with the apartment, it will only cost you an extra $600 per month. Best part is that there’s no security deposit required for basement space. (Sorry, musicians, this space cannot be used for rehearsals.)
Here are the additional details:
- Intercom system, self-controlled heat and separate hot water heater
- Living Room with huge windows, wood floors and 10 ft ceilings 18′ x 15′
- Open kitchen with ceramic tiled floor, exhaust fan, all new cabinets, new appliances
- Brand new fully tiled bathroom with tub with full sized sink
- Walk-in closet accross from the bathroom
- Huge bedroom 18′x16′ with walk in closet
- Both the bedroom and living room are wired for cable TV and telephone
- First month’s rent + 1 month’s security due at signing (add an additional $600 if opting to take the basement space also)
Second Floor Apartment - $1600 - 2 Bedroom/1 Bath - 1150 sq. ft.
Kitchen
The kitchens in all of the apartments were nice. Nothing fancy, smancy, but suitable for folks who only do a moderate amount of cooking at home. The granite countertops, huge corner placed sinks and ample cabinet space were perfect. We didn’t get the chance to see the appliances, but I’m sure the new refrigerator and stove will be adequate.
A Small Bedroom
This is the smaller of the two bedrooms located towards the front of the building. This room reminded me of Elwood Blues’ apartment in the Blues Brothers, because you can see the elevated tracks through the window. This room would work well as an office space. Again, the angles in this room as well as in the other rooms throughout the building makes them visually interesting.
The Living Room
The living room was a little larger than the smaller bedroom that was adjacent to it. It was an adequate space if you don’t mind the tracks. I thought that if you lived this close to the tracks that you wouldn’t be able to concentrate with all of the noise, but while I was viewing this building and connected building on Hart Street, I never heard the train, and I’m positive that it passed by the building several times. I’m assuming that the owner made sure that soundproofing windows were installed. I wish that I’d gotten a picture of the train as it passed by this window.
- The Second Bedroom
The second bedroom in this unit is the best! It is so LARGE. It faces west and has huge windows that look out onto the backyard.
- The Second Bedroom
There was a wooden pole in this bedroom and I thought it made an interesting looking room even cooler. I loved the shape of this room and I really loved…
THE CLOSETS! Check out the miles and miles of closet space in this unit! This is definitely a woman’s room. Here you can see all of those crazy-cool angles I was talking about. Definitely the highlight of the unit.
The Details:
- Intercom system, self-controlled heat and separate hot water heater
- Living Room with huge windows, wood floors and 10 ft ceilings 18′ x 11′
- Open kitchen with ceramic tiled floor, exhaust fan, all new cabinets, new appliances
- Brand new fully tiled bathroom with tub with full sized sink and large linen closet
- Bedroom #1 is 7′ x 8′ and Bedroom #2 is 18′ x 15′
- Both the bedroom and living room are wired for cable TV and telephone
- First month’s rent + 1 month’s security due at signing (add an additional $600 if opting to take the basement space also)
Third Floor Apartment - $3200- 4 Bedroom/3 Bath Duplex with Private Roof Access - 2300 sq. ft./1150 sq. ft.
The Kitchen and the Stairs to the Second Floor of the Duplex
The duplex was by far the most impressive unit. The main living room area of this duplex was open and the window were just above the tracks. This is most certainly for all the train aficionados out there.
The Living Room With the View
The Front Bedroom With the View of the Tracks
The Another Bedroom
A Huge Closet
The Jacuzzi
Another Bedroom
Looking Southeast Down the Line
The roof access was a real bonus. You could sit out here and watch the trains go by all day. It was fun being out on the roof so close to the tracks. I was too afraid to stand near the edge, so Alexa had to take all of these outdoor photos.
Spying on Bushwick
You can spy on other artists and steal their ideas from this rooftop perch.
Here Comes the J! The View From the Roof
More Details:
- Intercom system, self-controlled heat and separate hot water heater
- Third Floor Features: Living Room with huge windows, wood floors and 10 ft ceilings 18′ x 16′ and 1 Full Bathroom
- Open kitchen with ceramic tiled floor, exhaust fan, all new cabinets, new appliances
- Fourth Floor Features: Bathroom #2 with a brand new fully tiled bathroom with tub with full sized sink
- Bedroom #2 and Bedroom #3 are 9′ x 15′
- Bedroom #4 (master bedroom) is 18; x 15′ with a huge walk-in closet and private access to full size bathroom (bathroom #3) with pedestal sink, porcelain tiled walls and floors and a jacuzzi!
- Walk-in closet accross from the bathroom
- Wired for cable TV and telephone
- Amazing Brooklyn and Manhattan views
- First month’s rent + 1 month’s security due at signing (add an additional $600 if opting to take the basement space also)
Overall, I liked these apartments, and I think that they are fairly nice and that they would be great for those who have to commute into lower Manhattan. The third floor duplex is really the best because the roof space and the size are to die for. If you’re interested in living in a cool, accessible area of the neighborhood, then you should check these apartments out.
The move-in date of April 1st is fast approaching, so for more information and/or to schedule a visit you can email George, the owner, at hartstguy@aol.com or call him at 1.347.200.6925.
March 8th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
HEY ,, im trying to send you the tax photo from 1938 ,but your email is not working . I just got it in today
March 8th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
I’m not sure why this is happening, because I can usually get photos that other people send me to the Bed-Stuy Blog email address. I’m going to send you another address to use if this happens again.
March 9th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
This place looks pretty good. But also kind of haunted. Both the “angled bedroom” and the room with the closets have tons of orbs in the pics! Spooky!
March 9th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
I don’t know how my camera captured those! I guess that’s what happens when you’re not a real photographer.
March 9th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Damn ! ah wtf i have to to there tomorrow
March 9th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
oops … go there tomorrow
March 9th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Ha! I was checking out those orbs too. Scary stuff. But cool place. Would love to be able to afford the PH.
March 10th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
wish i was a student again! my friends and i would totally wreck the PH. looks like a fun apt.
March 10th, 2008 at 2:19 pm
hey, isn’t this all technically in bushwick??
:^)
in da face!
March 10th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Nope, it’s on broadway but on the bed stuy side
March 10th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Sorry, Jimmy Legs, like electricgreek said, the building’s on our side–but all of the amenities are on the Bushwick side.
March 11th, 2008 at 5:18 pm
I see the comments but has anyone LIVED ON Broadway???? I like the “you can watch the trains all day” comment. Thta’s nice until 6:30am when the train run every 5 minutes. Also the lovey sounds of the summer you’ll never hear because you’ll never open you windows. Too Damn Noisy.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:05 am
BIGD - don’t forget the constant rumbling and vibrating whenever the train passes. my grandmother lived across the street from an elevated train and we could feel it everytime the train went by. how quaint! changeling, there’s a bridge i want to sell, can you post it on your blog?
March 12th, 2008 at 7:29 am
details, details.
i claim this building for bushwick.
March 12th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I agree with BigD that it would probably be too noisy if you wanted to open your front windows. Luckily these are floor-throughs so you have a lot of windows on the back of the building that you can keep open.
Windowbox: Sorry, I’m not interested in helping you sell your bridge. Best of luck to you on that.
Jimmy Legs: Hey! That’s not fair! We have Clinton Hill’s Manifest Destiny coming at us from the west and now Bushwick’s Manifest Destiny slowly claiming our land on the east.
March 12th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Ha ha! touche!
March 13th, 2008 at 10:17 am
Is Jimmy Legs looking for a rumble on Broadway?! Bring it on, Jimmy.
March 13th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
Are you marketing the place for he owner?
March 14th, 2008 at 5:51 am
@thesphynx: Is that some kind of riddle? I suppose each time I visit a property or a business and write about it I’m doing some form of marketing. If a news reporter tells you about the opening of a new exhibit at the local museum, that’s nothing but an ad for the museum, isn’t it? The line between news and advertising was erased a long time ago.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:43 am
hey, it’s your blog, you can market for your friend as much as you want. i think the line has gotten blurrier, but there is still a difference. One at least hopes that there’s some kind of critical assessment happening before something is recommended on the blog. Here, though, it does seem that you are simply marketing for your friend. Which is fine because it’s your blog, but that’s clearly what is happening.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
@thesphynx:
hmmmm … I wouldn’t say we are marketers for anybody in Bed-Stuy, but we do try to present a positive image of the neighborhood. In part because we live here and like it, and in part because there’s already a TON of negative portrayls–some from people who have never even been here.
I think thechangeling was correct in revealing that she knows the owner. That’s a piece of information you can use in evaluating what she’s written. We certainly don’t get paid for anything we write here, and I haven’t experienced a quid pro quo–nobody’s given me an apartment, or a free meal or anything.
Anyway, it’s a blog, not the Times, the rules aren’t all that clear.
March 14th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
lina, you’re right to expect some sort of critical assessment before something is recommended here. If I didn’t think the place was nice, then I wouldn’t have written about it on the blog. I didn’t have to tell you that I knew the owner; I could have just said that this was a place that was nice. Alexa understood my motives when I mentioned my connection to him. I thought that you should know so that you could take that into consideration when you read the post.
I only write positively about things that I support or like. If it’s something I dislike I will either tell you or I will simply choose not to write a post on it. I’ve turned down some invitations to view buildings that I knew were hovels, because I’m not going to write something that I don’t believe.
Every condo, apartment and dining establishment we’ve reviewed has been on our own dime. As Alexa said, we didn’t get any money, we paid for our own meals and we certainly didn’t get any free condos for our posts. We should be so lucky…
March 16th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I hear you changeling. I was oversimplifying. Thanks for your response!
March 17th, 2008 at 10:12 am
bedroom #1 of the second floor apartment is NOT 7′x8′. perhaps it is 7′ x 18′?