While far from being a new topic, Queens uglytecture is having a moment. A new blog just popped up to document the craze, and our weekend look at some of the most aesthetically-challenged houses on the market really touched a nerve. Now one Curbed reader says he has proof of the worst Queens specimen of them all. He writes: "These are pictures from 24-52 38th Street. It's a walkup condo with 8 1-bedroom apartments. Note the gogo dancer stand in the bathroom, A/C opening in the middle of the living room, and next to the human closet is a hobbit closet." And that's only part of the story!
Our tipster's photos are above, and while we've likely seen worse?maybe even in Astoria?it's the backstory that makes this one so great:
I went to the open house about 1 year ago as part of my apartment search. It was so horrendous that when the broker wasn't looking I whipped out my camera. I had to take pictures to show my friends or they would never believe me. Honestly, the pictures don't capture the insanity. This is an 8 unit building (about 680sf each unit) and the owner must have spent a fortune on the front door, and I can't imagine what the marble bill for the entry was. As I was leaving the building I ran into him in the lobby and he insisted on showing me the lobby mural and then bringing me on a tour of the huge gym he had built in the basement where he planned to have personal trainers come in to give private lessons to the residents. He explained how he planned to set up a kind of laundry room hotline where the residents could schedule times to do laundry in the fully decked out marble laundry room with only 1 washer and 1 dryer.
Oh, also the broker told me a story about how the owner may add an elevator to the side of the building (post construction!) because he owns the lot next door and may build another condo building and then join the two with an elevator in between them! At that point I was a little scared the insanity had become contagious and I had better get out of there fast.
According to StreetEasy, where the building is described as a "breathtaking luxury art deco condominium," there haven't been any sales, but one $329,000 unit is still curiously listed as "in contract." The other listings were pulled a while back, and asking prices went from $329k up to $449k, for a $556/sqft average. This one's going to be hard to top, but we invite all Queens eyewitnesses to try!
· Building: 24-50 38th Street in Astoria [StreetEasy]
· The Fug Chronicles: The Ugliest Homes For Sale in Queens [Curbed]
· Blogger is Brave Enough to 'Embrace the Queens Aesthetic' [Curbed]
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