March 12, 2026

132 W. 4th Street Photo-Illustration: Curbed; Photos: Oxford Property Group, Sterling Place Residential LLC, Signature Property Realty

There was a rabid coyote wandering just north of the city this week, and I spent most of my time in Greenwich Village, where I fell in love with John Barrymore’s showplace. Next, I skipped over to Bed-Stuy, where there are duplexes at every turn. Made some other short stops in Crown Heights and Fort Greene.

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$11,900, 2-bedroom: Small chuckle at the price point, but the apartment (third floor of a historic townhouse with high ceilings and a walk-in closet) is cute enough.

$3,700, studio: Swung toward the other side of the pendulum with this cheap tiny studio with a ceramic tub. Will attempt to find a middle ground.

$9,995, 1-bedroom: If you’re going to charge an arm and a leg, you better dress to impress, which this idiosyncratic top-floor apartment — dubbed the “Alchemist Corner” by its former owner, John Barrymore — certainly does.

132 W. 4th Street Photo: Oxford Property Group

$3,300, 1-bedroom: A little sexless, but compared to Manhattan, boy does it feel good to be able to breathe and roll around in bed without risking tumbling into your kitchen or living room.

$3,500, 1-bedroom: Extra-cute garden-level apartment.

$6,000, 3-bedroom: Duplex with some nice qualities, which include a greenhouse (?) and a charming breakfast nook. I think a former colleague of mine used to live here, which I gleaned from an Instagram post about the bittersweet realities of moving to New Jersey with a kid.

642 Putnam Avenue Photo: Corcoran

$5,500, 2-bedroom: Third- and fourth-floor duplex (my favorite kind of duplex) with a lot of space, though some less-than-desirable kitchen and bathroom tiling.

234 Madison Street Photo: Compass

$5,500, 2-bedroom: Have listed before — a nice duplex apartment with access to a cellar that’s a little neutered from a design perspective. (You truly hate to see a grass carpet.)

$2,950, 1-bedroom: Pretty rough around the edges, but good, solid bones and some particularly special stained-wood design.

$3,000, 1-bedroom: Odd and somewhat ugly layout, but I like the height of the ceilings — good for tall drinks of water.

$3,050, 2-bedroom: In some ways, small and hallway-ish; in other ways, not void of potential (see crown moldings).

$3,000, 1-bedroom: Beautiful and bright floor-through (petition to remove ceiling fans, as always).

379a Greene Avenue Photo: Flateau Realty

$3,200, 1-bedroom: Corner unit with an intriguingly large, seemingly aluminum-framed window in the bedroom. Bad Formica in the kitchen and bathroom — sorry.

$3,000, 2-bedroom: Don’t let the (putrid, awful, discouraging) paint colors dissuade you. There is potential here!

1246 President Street Photo: Signature Property Realty

$10,500, 3-bedroom: Parlor-level duplex that you could do a lot with. I usually don’t take to a winding staircase, but this one piques my interest.

63 South Oxford Street Photo: Sterling Place Residential LLC