Open House Report: 215 West 98th Street #4F

215 West 98th Street #4F Coop, 2 beds 1.5 baths + maid's room and bath + nursery/office Asks $1,495,000 Maint. $2231 Traffic: Moderate Listed by Heddings Property http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/662396-coop-215-west-98th-street-upper-west-side-new-york The Gramont is a handsome, early Beaux Arts effort by the Blum Brothers that suffered over the years from a marginal location. The building was even... [more]

215 West 98th Street #4F Coop, 2 beds 1.5 baths + maid's room and bath + nursery/office Asks $1,495,000 Maint. $2231 Traffic: Moderate Listed by Heddings Property http://streeteasy.com/nyc/sale/662396-coop-215-west-98th-street-upper-west-side-new-york The Gramont is a handsome, early Beaux Arts effort by the Blum Brothers that suffered over the years from a marginal location. The building was even the site of a brutal murder in 1982. Although that event was atypical, the East-of-Broadway taint has remained on this address since its conversion to coop a quarter century ago. As a result, buyers have found an attractive combination of space and detail here. The primary lines even offer a fair allocation of space to storage and bathrooms - an unexpected bonus in a 1910 building. 215 has very few small apartments; those that do exist are carve-ups or lobby units. Among the original layouts, even the secondary lines are classic sixes, so the building offers a wide range of price points for multi-bedroom apartments. Although the "F" line occupies a place toward the low end of the scale, it's a more gracious space than you generally see with an asking price under $1.5MM. The original "F" floor plan (see http://img.streeteasy.com/nyc/image/77/3022077.png for a mostly-intact example) is a fairly typical pre-WWI six, with a single hall bathroom shared by the family and separate, en-suite facilities for the maid. The dining room and living room face each other across an entry gallery that is ample without wasting too much space. In #4F, the dining room and foyer, with their beautiful wood trim, are genuinely elegant, despite built-ins and a pass-through that undercut the DR's grandeur. The living room is on the small side, but overall the entertaining space is a pleasant surprise. The kitchen is quite well-equipped, despite some necessary compromises like a rather small refrigerator. And while the pass-through, with a breakfast bar that seats four, won't please period purists, its utility is undeniable and without it, the kitchen would be rather isolated and quite dark. #4F takes rather clever advantage of the line's quirks. For example, the long hallway leading to the main bathroom happens to be windowed. In #4F, this space has been combined with adjacent closets to create a small nursery/office that is currently part of the master suite but could easily be made accessible from the hallway. This change left two problems: one is the lost closets, which have been replaced by new storage along the short side of the master bedroom; the other, stickier issue is that the second bedroom lost its bathroom access. This problem has been mitigated to some extent by the addition of a half bath, with laundry, in what I think was originally a pantry. For bathing, though, the occupants of the second bedroom still have to invade either the master or the maid's room, which is of good size and likely to be used as a bedroom. Overall condition is good. The main bathroom has been very nicely redone, and boasts a separate shower and tub. The maid's bath and powder room, while less lavish, are quite serviceable. Most of the original wood trim in the public spaces has been retained, and is very attractive. Some millwork in the living room appears to have replace with new moldings that have been painted. Most of the original strip flooring remains, but is probably near the end of its useful life. Climate control is basic, with window AC units and ceiling fans to combat summer, and radiators pumping out predictably excessive steam heat in the winter. The main problem with #4F is unrelated to the original floor plan, the subsequent tweaks or the current condition. Over the past four years, several very skillful brokers have failed to sell this apartment for one simple reason: the brick walls that surround it. #4F isn't a complete cave; all of the principal rooms get some natural light, and there's even the odd glimpse of sky in the bedroom wing. The views, however, are unremittingly grim. #4F has never been crazily priced. What the owners have managed, since early 2008, is to keep the price just high enough so that C6 buyers on the upper UWS have always had slightly better options, most notably at buildings like 755, 760 and 771 WEA that sit reassuringly west of Broadway. At $1.495MM, the price remains tantalizingly close to being right, but the history here suggests that the sellers haven't shown the flexibility needed to get a deal done. [less]