A Peek at Larchmont's Hidden Apartments

( August 15, 2002 ) We think of Larchmont as a community of single-family homes on smallish lots in neighborhoods known as “The Manor,” “Rouken Glen” and “Pine Brook.” But think again and you’ll remember the apartment buildings clustered on either side of the highway or along Palmer Avenue and the Boston Post Roads. Some of these apartments are grand with high ceilings and historic pedigrees. Others are modest or modern. All tend to remain hidden behind locked entryways. Thanks to accommodating owners and realtors, Larchmont Gazette will be going behind the locked doors to view a range of apartments that are an important, if quiet, element of the community.

August 15: A Top-Floor Co-op & Sunny Second Story Rental

From the patio of this “Larchmont Hills” condo, the views are green and leafy this time of the year. You might forget you’re a half block from the Larchmont train station. Better known as 17 North Chatsworth, this 1926 Tudor building is currently swathed in scaffolding as its stucco undergoes a facelift.

Apartment “6AB” on the top level boasts extra high ceilings, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and 2 fireplaces. Originally two separate units that were later joined, there are also two balconies.

The co-op is for sale, with an asking price of $539,000 and an estimated monthly maintenance cost of $1495, which includes utilities and deductible taxes.

Listing agent Candace Steiner of Burbank/Whittemore reported, “There have been a lot of inquiries from people looking for co-ops, condos, and town houses. A large number of baby-boomers are looking to downsize, move out of a house, or find an easy commute and walk to everything. Plus, younger buyers are looking for something more than you can get in the city. There’s very low inventory and high demand, even in August.”

Buying a co-op is not quite as intimidating as it is in New York City. There is a co-op board at 17 North Chatsworth, and prospective buyers do meet with the board. However, it’s nothing like the intrusive inquisition Manhattan boards are famous for, said Ms. Steiner. “They want a stable population with stable income flow,” she described, so they look for buyers with solid financial prospects.

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Still, if the co-op prices or procedures prove daunting, there are simpler choices in Larchmont’s rental buildings. The Keystone sits only few blocks from Larchmont Hills, but equally convenient to the train station and Village stores. The entry sits “hidden in plain sight” on Wendt Avenue and the apartments are even less conspicuous behind or above the street level stores.

The friendly superintendent family lives in the ground floor apartment around back behind a neat row of tomato plants. The super’s wife displayed a sunny one bed-room apartment up two-flights of stairs. Shiny oak floors and sparkling white walls, kitchen appliances and bathroom fixtures immediately catch your eye. The rent is $1395, including utilities, and there are no extra fees or taxes.

Like Larchmont Hills, the Keystone was built in the 1920’s. However, present owner James Caspi rebuilt it in 1977 and is always making replacements and renovations, as needed. The super noted the lobby will be updated later this year. Even in its current condition, it is clean and neat and sufficiently spacious for the ten-speeds and strollers parked by the mailboxes. The tenants tend to be young professionals, with singles, couples and a few children occupying the twenty-six apartments.

Owner Caspi is proud of both residential and commercial tenants. He called the building a “very homey community.” Clearly a Keystone chauvinist, he added, “Friends of mine swear that the coffee at Aroma (a Keystone tenant) far surpasses the quality and flavor of Starbucks across the street.”

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