Property Description

STRIVERS ROW Yellow Brick and limestone townhouse restored original historic detail with and renovated for contemporary life.269 West 138th Street was built in 1892 by developer David H. King and designed by architects Bruce Price and J.B. Lord in Colonial Revival Style. 5,250 sq ft with ceilings up to 10'8".. The woodwork has been immaculately restored as were the oak floors along with moldings and plaster detail. Five floors consisting of a two-floor apartment and a three floor owners triplex. The house can easily be brought back to single family. There is a 2 car garage that was originally the carriage house. Two terraces, one off the parlor floor and a second off the primary bedroom.

The Parlor floor consists of the living room, dining room, kitchen, powder room and terrace. The living room and dining room have wood burning fireplaces, the tile work and wood mantels beautifully restored. A powder room has brass fixtures and European tiles. The third floor houses the master bedroom, en-suite bath and a large walk-in closet plus a wood burning fireplace and a small terrace.. A second bedroom and bath are at the front of the house The fourth floor has two large bedrooms, each with its own full bath plus a laundry room. The original skylight, carefully restored allows light to flow in. The lower level and ground level make up the apartment which has a spacious eat-in kitchen, a living room with a Fireplace and the laundry room. The kitchen has a banquet, six burner stove, refrigerator and wine cooler. The lower level houses two dens used for sleeping, a full bath plus two utility rooms where the mechanics are found .The house has four zone heating and air-conditioning with a temperature control in every room. All four wood burning fireplaces, are restored and relined,. Appliances are all Viking with the exception of the washers and dryers which are GE and Electrolux in the apartment. The counters are Quartz. Bathrooms boast heated floors, There house has a sound system for music and TV with speakers in every room.

Property History

Built 1892 as part of the King Model Houses on 138th and 139th Sts between 7th and 8th Avenues for the "well to do."There were many stipulations in the contracts of sale including restricting sales to whites only. This lasted until a serious economic downturn beginning in 1904. By 1919 King was persuaded to "sell their houses to negroes." This was the beginnings of Harlem as it is known today.Many prominent blacks purchased; lawyers, doctors, theater people and musicians like Hubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Flourney Miller from Shuffle Along, Langston Hughes the author. and many who were the foundation for the Harlem Renaissance. It was at this time that the blocks were given the name Striver's Row because those purchasing were people "striving" for success.

Additional Notes

These four blocks were in 1967 and became part of the St Nicholas Historic District.