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.Â
This week, we found grandeur in a hopeless place (Streeteasy).
75 Bank Street
Photo: Compass
A distinguished little studio at Abingdon Court, an Art Deco co-op on the corner of Bank and Bleecker. For a studio, it has a smart layout: A nicely sized foyer creates space for storage and a good amount of separation from the rest of the apartment, and the kitchen (a totally serviceable galley with a good amount of storage) is completely walled off from the living area — no waking up to look at your oven. The living room/bedroom is all lovely arches and warm wooden millwork, including what looks like an inlaid wood medallion on the floor. You decide if you’re willing to live the Murphy-bed life, but there’s room enough for a flexible setup. One caution: The windows are eastern facing, but it’s unclear from the listing what you’re actually looking at (it could be a wall). The bathroom, like the kitchen, is quite separate from the main living space: A pair of closets creates a nook. The bathroom itself lacks a tub, but the details in there are rounded and sleek. I don’t even mind the blue tile. Monthlies are $1,399, and get you a doorman, a bike room, elevator, laundry, and a super. The building also comes with a private courtyard, and there’s a lovely pocket park with a playground across the street.
205 West 57th Street
Photo: Christie’s International Real Estate Group, LLC
We’re back at the Osborne this week (if you’ll recall this recent lovely find), this time in a one-bedroom co-op with stunning vaulted brick ceilings. It’s also on the top floor. The living room is small, but call it cozy — there’s lots of warmth from the brick overhead. You can take comfort in the fact that the bedroom is bigger, with a wood-burning fireplace, double exposures, and a large double closet. The vaulted brick ceilings are in there, too. The kitchen is a nook of the living room, but the cabinetry is tasteful, and they snuck in a dishwasher. The bathroom feels classically elegant — beveled subway tile, black and white on the floor, and a step-through shower that’s a nice size. (The listing kindly suggests that you can combine this unit with the one available next door to create a two-bed, two-bath: “Easy combo.”) Monthlies are $2,850, and get you a doorman, bike room, elevator, laundry, super, package room, extra storage (including cold storage), and a gym. You’re two blocks off Central Park and you live at the Osborne. The end.
24 Fifth Avenue
Photo: Douglas Elliman
A one-bedroom in an Emery Roth–designed co-op on lower Fifth Avenue with beamed ceilings and south-facing views (it’s another converted hotel, like the Abingdon, above). The living room is compact, but there’s enough space for what you need. (Also a great use of a mirror in there.) The kitchen is the foyer, which is not ideal, but it’s sleek with custom cabinets and Caesarstone counters. The bedroom is king size, with more south-facing views and wooden shutters on the windows. No closets in there, but there’s a walk-in off the kitchen-foyer, so you’re not without storage options. The bathroom is plain but a nice size, with a step-through shower. It also has doors to the bedroom and the foyer, Carrie Bradshaw style. The apartment has newly refinished hardwood floors — and while they’re a little dark, they add some drama to an otherwise very sunny space. Monthlies are $2,788, and get you a concierge, doorman, elevator, laundry, super, and gym. You’re close to Washington Square, Union Square, Soho, the West Village — you can’t beat it.
110 East 57th Street
Photo: Compass
A bit of a wild card, but here we have a studio at the Dorchester, a white-glove co-op that winks at Billionaires’ Row. Another smartly designed studio: Enter through the foyer, and the bathroom and kitchen are off to either side. Go left, and you’ll find a nook kitchen that we can’t see much of and the listing doesn’t care to mention, but it’s there (and probably needs some updating). Go right to get to the bathroom — simple if a little sterile, but there’s a tub and room for storage under the sink. The real reason we’re here is the living room, which has southeastern views and great parquet floors. The walls are walnut, with lovely and fiddly details in the molding. I’d keep it — please keep it! The mirrors on both ends of the room create the illusion of more space. Monthlies are a very friendly $928 (the Dorchester is a mortgage-free co-op) and buy you a concierge, a doorman, an elevator, a super, a bike room, a package room, parking, storage, and a gym. You’re right off Park Avenue and blocks from Central Park. If money were no object, I’d buy this place as a Manhattan pied-à -terre (allowed, per the listing), write a novel, and start smoking cigs.
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