As seen in this listing photo, this Jackson Heights two-bedroom is stuffed with the prewar details we’ve come to expect in the neighborhood’s garden-apartment complexes.
Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photo: Compass
For under a million dollars, one can find all sorts of housing configurations: park- and subway-adjacent studios, one-bedrooms hidden in carriage houses or former shoe factories, and even the occasional true two-bedroom. We’re combing the market for particularly spacious, nicely renovated, or otherwise worth-a-look apartments at various six-digit price points.
This week, a stunning prewar two-bedroom in — where else? — Jackson Heights. Also, a time capsule on the Upper West Side.
34-27 79th Street, Apt. 42
As seen in this listing photo, this Jackson Heights two-bedroom has perfect parquet floors with maple and walnut inlay.
Photo: Compass
A Jackson Heights gem. This prewar two-bed, two-bath is in Elm Court, a stately complex of eight co-ops centered around a shared private garden in the neighborhood’s historic district. The buildings are all in the neo-Georgian style — it’s like living in a lovely little boarding school. There’s direct elevator access to this generously sized apartment, and the living room has a wood-burning fireplace with the original mantel and perfect parquet floors with maple and walnut inlay. Plus, there are leafy views of the block from the living room, and garden views elsewhere in the apartment. Also, cherry cabinetry in a dated but charming galley kitchen. There’s also a chandelier in the larger bathroom, because why not. (The tiling choices are just excellent in both bathrooms.) The monthlies are $1,200 (plus a $500 quarterly assessment), and get you shared laundry and a storage unit. The only downside is that it’s a 15-minute walk to the 74th Avenue subway station.
640 West End Avenue, Apt. 12C
As seen in this listing photo, this Upper West side two-bedroom condo’s living area is the apartment showpiece, particularly the original wood paneling.
Photo: Brown Harris Stevens
A top-floor corner unit in a two-bed prewar condo. The living room is clearly the showpiece here, between the moody original wood paneling and the oversize east- and north-facing windows. (Are you a ceiling medallion kind of person? You will be here.) But this is a sponsor-unit time capsule, so we advise calling up your contractor — the kitchen is grim. The bathroom, depending on who here you’re asking, is either “depressing” or “classic.” The monthlies, at $1,784, get you a part-time doorman and a live-in super, plus a bike room. It’s a one-block walk to Riverside Drive, and ten minutes or less to the 96th Street subway station and Trader Joe’s. Also, we’re not sure how the ivy on the façade bodes for general building health, but it’s charming as all get-out.
348 West 38th Street, Apt. 9E
As seen in this listing photo, this Hell’s Kitchen apartment is minimal on storage space, but at least the oversize windows are nice.
Photo: Compass
This Hell’s Kitchen prewar co-op is a loft conversion, with 12-foot beamed ceilings and oversize north and eastern windows to match. (Very “morning person” coded.) The butterscotch bathroom feels a little Boogie Nights, but maybe you dig that? The storage situation is a little funky, too: There’s a single walk-in closet, plus built-ins across the north side and cabinetry all around the kitchen. The listing offers a floor plan for a convertible two-bedroom and home office in what’s currently the sleeping alcove, which perhaps feels a little tight, but you do you. (It also claims this is in Hudson Yards, which, c’mon.) The $2,054 monthlies don’t get you much — just in-building laundry — but you are less than ten minutes from the Theater District and the High Line. It’s a vibe!
395 Riverside Drive, Apt. 7C
As seen in this listing photo, this Morningside Heights co-op is a solid prewar unit, with a spacious living area and generous bedroom to match.
Photo: Douglas Elliman
A one-bedroom co-op with direct views of the Hudson and Riverside Park. The bedroom and living area are spacious, as is the foyer, which the current owners have wisely turned into a little work-from-home nook. The kitchen comes with a Viking oven plus a movable island with a breakfast bar and a side cabinet. There are the usual prewar details — chevron hardwoods and original moldings throughout — but also modern ones, too, like an in-unit washer-dryer. It’s $1,695 for monthlies, and that gets you quite a bit: a full-time doorman and live-in super, a bike room, and shared laundry. You’re right around the corner from the Cathedral Parkway 1 train, and a block from all Broadway retail geared toward Columbia University.