A mid-rise apartment building with social residents in a ‘suburban’ section of historic Brooklyn
It is widely speculated that the Ditmas Park Historical District within Flatbush — sometimes called Victorian Flatbush — contains the largest collection of Victorian houses in the United States, and inevitably, one of New York City’s largest assemblage of front porches. 415 Argyle Road is not a Victorian House. In fact, it is a seven-story, red-brick, post-war co-op constructed in 1961, patterned similarly to garden apartments in places like Jackson Heights, Queens. There are quite a few of these co-op buildings scattered throughout the district. At the turn of the century, this enclave in central Brooklyn was intentionally designed as a suburban-like retreat from city living with close proximity to Manhattan. As a result, the area is almost fully residential, giving its tree-lined streets a very suburban feel. Even its commercial corridor on Cortelyou Road has a very small-town vibe with its low-rise buildings and local businesses. The building’s mid-block location on the section of Argyle Road that cuts across Cortelyou Road means residents have the best of both worlds. “It's so close to the main drag,” says Erika Sackin, a Douglas Elliman real estate agent who is a resident of the building and sells there too. “It’s a quiet, one-way street. You get the feeling of the quiet residence while being close to all the amenities.”
Local real estate agent Peter Poljan of Poljan Properties on Cortelyou Road agrees that the location is ideal. “It’s close to Cortelyou Road as well as transportation and the banks, pharmacies and all that stuff. It's got a farmers' market on the weekends, which is quite nice. And lots of great restaurants that are just a few blocks away.” Both agents note that the building is well-managed and has great staff, and that their multiple elevators are a bonus. And, Sackin praises the camaraderie of her neighbors. “We’re having a post-holiday party this week,” she said during the first week of January.
Mainly one- and two-bedroom units and original duplexes, all with gracious sizes, under $900,000
Residents of 415 Argyle Road love the building and usually stay a while. “A lot of people have moved in as a single person, then found somebody and then lived here until they had kids. Then they moved to a larger apartment — that's what happened to me,” Sackin says. The building has a mix of apartment sizes with one-bedroom units making up the majority, two-bedrooms next and a sprinkling of studios. Something Sackin believes is unique to the building is its two-bedroom, two-bath duplex units with balconies off the living area on the units’ ground floor. The duplexes are the only apartments with balconies.
Kitchens throughout the building are typically in a separate room but renovations over the years have opened up many of them to the living area. Hardwood floors are found throughout and most of the units on offer are in mint condition. “The apartments here are large,” says Poljan. “The average one-bedroom is 750 square feet, so the general size of the apartment is quite gracious.” A few units have multiple exposures and views from the building are “amazing,” as told by Sackin. “Some views overlook housing, not just the city — it’s rooftops and Victorian houses, a nice mix.”
One-bedrooms sold in 2024 ranged in size from 684 to 800 square feet and cost anywhere from $447,000 to $550,000. Two-bedroom units range from 950 square feet to over 1,300. In the winter of 2024, a two-bedroom, two-bath sold for $849,000.
A mid-century lobby, a live-in super and a grill
After walking through a very discreet entrance, residents are greeted by a lobby with curved white walls, terrazzo flooring and sections of wood paneling — a decidedly midcentury feel. The super lives in the building and porters are on staff. There is a garden that runs along the back of the building; it’s maintained by management for the most part but there are resident volunteers who plant and prune the shrubs and flowers. There is also a grill for residents to make use of freely. Subletting is allowed but there is a fee and residents must live in the building full-time for two years before that can happen. Leased parking is available but there is a waitlist, and pets and service dogs are allowed.
A close-knit community with yearly music and art series on their porches
The spirit of togetherness found at 415 Argyle Road seems to be endemic to the neighborhood. Every spring through fall since the pandemic, the sweet sounds of live instruments like the saxophone, piano, sitar and melodic vocals have streamed from the porches and lawns of homes near the Cortelyou Road subway stop, serenading Ditmas Park residents and friends. Operation Gig, which Time Out New York labeled “as grass-roots NYC culture as you can find,” is a live music series that began as a way to provide musicians with work and keep neighborhood spirits up when the world seemed to be crumbling. “It’s a charming way to spend an evening,” says Sackin, who is involved with the organization. Along with on-site donations, neighbors and businesses in the area (including Sackin’s team at Elliman) help cover costs so that musicians are always paid fairly. Then there’s Artmageddon, the annual free art and music festival featuring Brooklyn-based artists that’s become the largest of its kind in the city. The porch-and-lawn premise is the same as Operation Gig’s. “You get to interact with the neighbors and the community, and there's music and art and they don't charge a fee. Artists don't have to have a studio in the neighborhood to be a part of it,” Sackin relays.
The building is only half a block from the Cortelyou strip which has places like the Flatbush Food Co-op (a grocery store where non-members are allowed to shop), bars and cafes like Cafe Madeline and a Walgreens, which sits next to the Cortelyou Road subway station where the Q and B trains stop. At the end of the block is a small playground frequented by children in the building; it’s also where a weekly farmers market is set up. Further afield is Parade Ground, a nearly 40-acre park containing several ball courts, a dog run, several playgrounds and restrooms. Residents can walk straight down Argyle Road for 25 minutes to get to the park or they can take the B68 from Coney Island Avenue. Parade Ground sits directly across the street from Prospect Park, so residents get to be close to all that park has to offer.
Express buses, including the BM 1, 2, and 3, stop two streets down and get residents into the Financial District in less than a half hour. Drivers take 24 minutes to get into downtown via the Park Slope Expressway and I-478N.
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Current List Price
Sold Price
Area Factors
Low Crime
Crime Score®
4/ 10
Biker's Paradise
Bike Score®
90/ 100
Walker's Paradise
Walk Score®
94/ 100
Rider's Paradise
Transit Score®
98/ 100
Sources: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com, Walk Score
Sources: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com, Walk Score
WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com, Powered by CAP Index provides objective, accurate, and consistent data to help measure, compare, and mitigate crime risks. Walk Score® measures the walkability of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address.
Sound Score® measures the noise level of any address. Environmental risk data is provided by First Street Foundation® and is designed to approximate risk and not intended to include all possible scenarios.
Parks in this Area
Parade Ground
15 min walk
Baseball/Softball
Basketball
Dog Park
Kensington Dog Run
2 min drive
Dog Park
Digilio Playground
3 min drive
Trails
Pickleball
Playground
Dome Playground
4 min drive
Basketball
Picnic Area
Trails
Umma Park
4 min drive
Playground
Albemarle Playground
4 min drive
Basketball
Playground
Nostrand Playground
5 min drive
Basketball
Soccer
Trails
Seeley Park
5 min drive
Playground
Captain John McKenna IV Park
5 min drive
Schools
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