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What about THESE old houses?

By The Brooklyn Paper
The Brooklyn Paper

It’s nice that “This Old House” is doing much-needed repairs to a townhouse on Sterling Place in Prospect Heights, but what about THESE old houses? Brooklyn Paper staffers Sarah Portlock, Ben Muessig and Mike McLaughlin found several properties in more need of a sprucing up:

The Brooklyn Paper / Liza Eckert
187 Seventh Ave. at Second Street, Park Slope
A five-story building at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Second Street sits shrouded in scaffolding, waiting renovations and bothering passersby. The Nash family lists the house for sale every few years, but has not gotten a taker. Now, the family says it wants to fix it up, but no plans have been filed with the city. The building caused a stir last spring when a piece of glass fell and sliced through a woman’s convertible car top.

The Brooklyn Paper / Liza Eckert
497 Third St. near Seventh Avenue, Park Slope
Residents call this dilapidated brownstone a “total blight” on the neighborhood. Abandoned for nearly 50 years, work crews come by every so often giving the appearance of impending renovations, but nothing ever happens, neighbors say. In the meantime, it sits behind a 10-foot, graffiti-covered fence.

The Brooklyn Paper / Mike McLaughlin
215 Gates Ave. between Classon and Franklin avenues, Clinton Hill
The glory days are long gone from this abandoned 1899 stalwart, which has become the bane of the block for surrounding homeowners, and a crash pad for squatters. The Department of Buildings, after numerous complaints for unguarded windows and vagrants, flagged the four-story manse for “unsafe conditions” in July. Freeloaders beware!

The Brooklyn Paper / Allison Bosworth
59 Orient Ave. between Metro-poli-tan Avenue and Olive Street, Williamsburg
The Williamsburg house that starred in the Michel Gondry’s 2004 film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” is an eternal nightmare for neighbors. The once-regal mansion became a haven for squatters, druggies and prostitutes, though after prodding from The Brooklyn Paper, the owners put up stronger fencing and boarded up the windows and doors. But vagrants once again found their way into the house last week, neighbors said.

©2008 Community Newspaper Group

←Williamsburg: This is McCain country!
→Downtown: Albee damned! City wants to cut traffic in unused plaza

Reader Feedback

jarred dickerson from paek slope says:
It would be nice if they made these properties even remotely affordable for the average joe .Maybe someone would actualy buy them and fix them up !
Nov. 13, 2008, 8:15 am
BrooklynBrit from Park Slope says:
How can prime real estate be empty for 50 years and go through the last five years still empty??? Who owns this stuff? Why can't it be put up for auction???
Nov. 13, 2008, 11:10 pm
sikes from transvaal/amsterdam/europe says:
With all the housing shortage in NYC, why does no one take a crowbar and just moves in? Unused property is per definition no ones possesion. I dont see why anyone would object tro this (legal or illagel, who cares?). Housing is a right after all, and the stinking fruit of the outdated concept op 'property above all' is smelled allover wall street today.

HOMES NOT JAILS!
Nov. 14, 2008, 7:59 am
BKbutterfly from Bed Stuy says:
Can't the city sieze the property and put it on auction?
Nov. 15, 2008, 4:17 pm

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