Before I get into its merits, realize the agent himself says this property needs to be completely gutted or even torn down. But I hope to make the case that the latter isn’t necessary. The shape of this house has me thinking it’s older than most of Bushwick’s attached houses and may even have been detached when built. The front seems to have been added some time after it was built, and then converted into a storefront. The housing stock in the area is good and though the homes immediately surrounding are new, they are well-designed. With some great foresight, a buyer could eventually make this some kind of cute mock “country store” diner (like El Almacén in Williamsburg), serving the locals — and it’s very close to the Wilson L stop.
151 Cooper Street | $299,000
2962sqft | 25ft-wide | 1-family/1 commercial unit | frame
Wilson L/Chauncey JZ
mopar February 18th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
That would be some great foresight. I wish someone would do that.
andrei February 18th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
awesome place, much potential, wish i had a down-payment/job to get this place, keep on posting ‘house of the week’
ricmac01 February 18th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Maybe if you’re willing to wait a decade or two….
sweetser February 19th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
why wait a decade or two? this seems like a steal for a mixed-use building, even if it needs a lot of work.
FormerRidgewoodite February 19th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
It’s amazing that this building somehow survived. It is older than all the original buildings that were around it, and most of the ones that were around it were brick tenemant type houses. They all burned to the ground in the 70s and 80′s, and everything was torn down around this building, and it wound up being by itself again in what seemed like open fields in the 90′s.
In 2003 or so, they built all new homes around it once again, and it’s once again in a neighborhood. As mentioned, they aren’t bad looking homes either, the builder put some effort into designing them to look “older”, and even have some nice concrete features over the doors and windows like older buildings have, so an effort was made to make them match the neighborhood and fit in.
ricmac01 February 19th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I would be happy (but amazed) if THAT area could support a “country store” diner within the next 10 years. However, if I had the money or someone else was financing the project it would sure be fun to try and I’d give it my all. It’s probably great foresight such as this that leads neighborhoods into positive change.
Leave it to me and we’d probably all still be drinking water from the faucet rather than from bottles (actually, I do drink the city water).
Jeremy Sapienza February 19th, 2009 at 5:43 pm
There were a few condo conversions in the immediate area a couple years ago. Sold out stuff. Besides that, which I just note as an indicator, there are plenty of people down that way that would patronize a cool place.
Peter Puleo February 21st, 2009 at 2:29 am
Many of these wood frame homes were built detatched. Bushwick was only fully developed largely along Broadway/Bushwick Ave before 1900. The homes location on Cooper St makes me believe that this was probably built as a roadside general store/tavern or a real estate office to sell lots and begin development. Cooper Ave was an access road between Kings and Queens county. Another business that may have resided might be a monument shop for cemeteries. At one time this was a big business in what was called the cemetery belt and indeed this section once carried the name Evergreen.
Lets only hope that structure survives and something decent and aesthetically pleasing inhabits this 19th century survivor.
John Dereszewski February 21st, 2009 at 11:27 am
Pete, if this house really is as old as you think, it could actually have been situated on the old Bushwick Road. What we now know as Bushwick Avenue was only laid out in its current form in the late 19th century. Initially, Bushwick Ave. was a twisting cow path that developed from the original Bushwick Village at Metropolitan Ave. into the “new lots” as the farms were established in the 17th and 18th centuries.
While it generally kept to its current course until it reached what is now Menahan St. – although Bushwick Place at Montrose Ave. marks an earlier diversion – the Bushwick Road took a left at Menahan and then turned right on Evergreen. When it reached what we now know as Madison St., it turned left again until Central Ave. The twisting road then generally followed Central until it reached the cemetery district, where it turned right and eventually linked with Kings Highway. (An old, late 19th century, article from the Brooklyn Eagle traces the route rather neatly.)
If this is the case, our little house on Cooper St. may have been initially situated near the intersection of two principal routes in this part of town. Then again, it may not be that ancient after all.
In any event, I hope someone who appreciates the old place buys and preserves it.
FormerRidgewoodite February 23rd, 2009 at 10:32 am
It surely predates all the buildings that were around it. I have seen photos of this intersection, and there was this building, and around it were brick three story tenemant style buildings. Those of course were all victims of the 70′s and 80′s, but somehow this ostructure survived that. Now of course the newer buildings are around it, the second time new buildings were built around it.
John Dereszewski February 23rd, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Pete Pulio, are you the same “Brooklyn Pete” who trod the comments pages on this site last year? If yes, I hope all is well and I hope to be talking to you on this site very soon.