This co-op apartment is one of only 13 units at 47-49 King Street, a trio of brick walk-ups (two are landmarked Federal-style townhouses, and one is a wider building across the courtyard in the back). They’re not easy to buy into: There hasn’t been a unit on the market in three years, and, before that, roughly one unit would go up for sale each year. This courtyard-facing apartment is a particularly rare find. It has only changed hands once since the buildings were turned into a co-op in the 1970s, and the current owner — who has had the place for 20 years — is only leaving now to “retire to the beach.”
Though it’s just steps from (the generally busy) Varick Street, this spot feels very private. You can enter the unit through a front door right on King Street, but the (more scenic) main entrance is through an iron gate between the two street-facing townhouses that leads to the stone-paved courtyard garden, which has walls covered in vines, seating areas, and a shared BBQ grill. You then head up a few steps to a private balcony with a door to the apartment. “It really is an oasis, a lovely place to come home to,” says the current owner.
Inside, the large living room has an original brick fireplace with a mantel and antique casings. In the open kitchen, the current owner put in slate countertops from the English Lake District, as well as black cabinets with white framed-glass panels — a color scheme that is repeated in the living room’s built-in cabinets running under the windows.
The apartment is technically a triplex, and the floorplan is somewhat unusual: A short set of steps by the kitchen takes you up half a level to a bedroom — currently used as an office with a Murphy bed — and a half-bathroom. Meanwhile, stairs by the entrance lead to a lower level, which houses the primary bedroom with its own fireplace, 15-foot-long custom closets, a circa-1800s antique mirror headboard, an office nook, and a full, renovated bathroom (with more antique mirrors). The owner also carved out a very small third bedroom, which has a real window (and a door that exits right under the balcony), plus two shuttered openings that connect to the main bedroom.
Although this is all kind of a stretch for a true three-bedroom, the size and price point are hard to come by for the area; currently, there is only one two-bedroom listing in Hudson Square under $2 million and you certainly won’t find another three-bedroom at this price. Since the co-op is self-managed with a part-time super, the maintenance is also relatively low (similarly priced units in the neighborhood have fees easily surpassing $3,000 a month).
