1) The trend of Heal Estate?the conversion of churches and synagogues into residential and commercial developments?has claimed two dozen houses of worship in Manhattan and Brooklyn since the '80s, according to this report. The latest is the Sanctuary in Fort Greene (above), which, it turns out, is not a hoax. Here's the enlightened website. [Posting/C.J. Hughes]
2) In this real estate market of ours, where glorified storage lockers sell for $800,000, one of the few places to find a deal is on the top floor of a walk-up: "While the average price last year for a first-floor unit in a walk-up was $680,940, the average price for one on the fifth floor was only $515,723, a discount of around 24 percent." If there's no outdoor space, the price is even lower. Start working those calf muscles! ['Worth the Climb'/Vivian S. Toy]
3) It wasn't long ago when the residents of Ridgewood entered into a love/hate relationship with the incoming waves of hipster gentrification. Now that the process is complete, here comes the next wave of pilgrims: well-to-do yuppie parents. [Habitats/Stephen P. Williams]
4) The Spence School bought the 29-foot-wide mansion at 17 East 90th Street for a price in the "high 20s," outbidding a private buyer in the process. The mansion backs onto the building housing Spence's middle and upper school, so the buildings will be connected. Surprisingly, Gossip Girl wasn't the first to report this. [Big Deal/Josh Barbanel]
5) An auction for a duplex condo at 593 President Street in Park Slope resulted in few bids, but an important lesson in auctioneering. Am I right? Am I right? [Urban Studies/Gregory Beyer]
6) An Upper West Side couple wants to upgrade to a two-bedroom in their neighborhood, but when push comes to shove, they just can't quite do it. Move west of Broadway, that is. So like a sniper waiting in the bushes to pick one off, they held out for an apartment in their current building, the Park Royal. And they bagged one. [The Hunt/Joyce Cohen]
7) There's a proposal on the table to extend the landmarking of West Broadway to the west side of the street (only the east side is protected right now, for some reason). Even though it has lacked landmark protection, some gems still stand. [Streetscapes/Christopher Gray]
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