Greenport Village Oldies Under 400K

THERE ARE LOTS OF LITTLE TREASURES tucked into the quiet back streets of Greenport, a bayside town with great vintage character on Long Island’s North Fork.

Here are two that just hit the market within the past week. The broker who called my attention to them is John Yunitis, 631/252-8451.

Exhibit A, above, is a mid-19th century 3BR with eyebrow windows, original clapboard siding, wide plank floors, wood-burning stove, and an old outbuilding, below, in the backyard. Asking price: $399,000.

For more interior pictures showing the original staircases and other details, go here.

Exhibit B, below, is described as an 1880s saltbox, but it looks about the same size, era, and construction as the other — said to be 1840s, which seems about right (and not a saltbox). Also 3BR, it’s apparently in very spiffy shape, as you can see from the many interior photos that accompany the realtor’s listing. Ask is 362K.

Walk and See

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT SHOCKED ME when I moved to the country was how much driving one has to do to get anywhere. The other day a friend and I combined yard-saling with a fitness walk, and in the process I noticed several fine old houses on Springs Fireplace Road — four in a row — that I sort of knew were there, but that had more or less escaped my notice as I whizzed by at 50mph.

One’s a mid-19th century farmhouse, above and top. I love the fresh coat of white paint over everything – the clapboards on the lower level and the shingles above, the arched window in the attic, and the restrained gingerbread on the porch.

Then there’s a very plain and unprepossessing cedar-shingled house, above, with an offset front door that looks exceedingly  informal — perhaps it’s not the original front door.  The duck decoys, below, made me smile, as did the purpose-built box to hide the electric meter (I need one of those).

Right next door is another cedar-shingled farmhouse of the late 19th century, below. with blue trim on the fence tying in to the front entry and window lintels. This house deserves better in the way of an entry portico, I think.

A little ways down from that one is a house, below, with painted shingles, dormer windows, a picket fence, and a plaque reading 1839.

There’s a marvelous barn, below, behind it.

Walking. It’s an eye-opener.

Undiscovered Milan: Oldies, Acreage from 519K

COMING TO YOU TONIGHT FROM MILAN, not to be confused with the Italian fashion capital. This Milan is pronounced MY-lan, and it’s in northern Dutchess County, N.Y. In the 19th century, there was a crossroads around here called Milanville, with a post office. Now Milan doesn’t have even that. A few miles northeast of Rhinebeck, completely lacking in useful amenities of its own like stores and gas stations, Milan shares a ZIP code and a school district with Red Hook.

What Milan does have are old farmhouses, Catskill views from many spots, long country roads, a few remaining sheep farms and apple orchards, and unspoiled rural character, which is good enough for me.

Today I checked out a few recent for-sale listings here in Milan. Instead of capping my search at 500K or 600K, as I normally do for blogging purposes (doesn’t it say ‘Affordable Real Estate’ in the header?), I threw caution to the winds and didn’t set an upper limit. As a result, I saw three very appealing historic houses with lots of acreage, all on secluded sites off Academy Hill Road (exit at Rt. 199 off the Taconic State Parkway, just under 2 hours from NYC). Click the links on the descriptions below for the realtors’ listings, with full details.

• An eyebrow Colonial on 5 acres with pond view for 519K

• A clapboard center hall Colonial on 26.6 acres, immaculately renovated, for 879K

• A vintage farmhouse on a huge pond, top, on 53 acres for $1.25million

Upstate Update: Athens Federal 279K

Athens, N.Y., is one of the most atmospheric Hudson River towns, quite unspoiled. Two hours north of NYC in Greene County, it’s quiet, hilly, and river-oriented, with a close-up view of one of the Hudson’s few lighthouses.

The town (which was recently written up in the New York Times as a second-home hotspot) has some 270 buildings on the State and National Historic Registers.

This one –a professionally restored 3BR, 2 bath Federal clapboard house, built around 1810 — is on the market for 279K. It’s not shovel-ready; it is READY.

The house has brick and wide-board floors, exposed beams, five fireplaces, and a private, shaded garden.  At the same time, it’s wired for cable and high-speed internet.

The house’s rear extension was added later, giving it a saltbox shape.  The portico at the front door is one of many in the town added onto earlier houses in the 1830s, when Greek Revival became the thing.

This is an FSBO (for sale by owner) property.  Go here for lots more pictures and info, or contact info@athensarchitecturalworkshop.com.

A bit more history:

The exact history of the house is unknown but the most likely first owner and builder appears to be Theophilus Dimmick (1763-1813  who moved from Falmouth Mass. to Catskill, New York in 1794 and married Abigail Hicks  (b-Catkill, NY). Over the years, the house had many owners including the Zion Lutheran Church which used it as a parish house in the middle part of the twentieth century. (Many older residents in Athens have fond memories of  attending meetings and pancake breakfasts here). The lower floor, with its separate entrance was also used as a fish market on Fridays.   The house is a fine example of  the type of  vernacular Federal houses that were built in many Hudson Valley  villages in the early part of the 19th century.