#kensington

#kensington

On the site of Launceston Place restaurant, at one time Michelin-starred and a favourite of Princess Diana, Sartoria has much to live up to. I popped into the launch event, a lively party with free-flowing fizz and an enthusiastic mixture of local residents and fans of Evolv, Sartoria's parent company, and was impressed by the well-thought-out concept, which I suspect is intended to appeal to a sophisticated, international neighbourhood rather than to visitors.

For under a million dollars, one can find all sorts of housing configurations: park- and subway-adjacent studios, one-bedrooms hidden in carriage houses or former shoe factories, and even the occasional true two-bedroom. We're combing the market for particularly spacious, nicely renovated, or otherwise worth-a-look apartments at various six-digit price points. This week, we've got three-beds in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens and Kensington, plus a convertible two-bed in Lenox Hill that's a quick walk to Central Park.

A recent renovation upgraded the electric while retaining 1930s features like arched openings, herringbone floors, and vintage tile. In a 1930s elevator building in Kensington, this co-op unit has a spacious layout with three bedrooms, appears move-in ready, and comes in under the million-dollar mark. On the third floor of 415 Ocean Parkway, the recently renovated unit has updated electrical and retains features like arched doorways, wood floors, and Deco bathroom tile.

This Kensington one-bedroom has some graceful details of the period such as a built-in niche with shelves alongside recent updates, including a renovated kitchen. It's on the fourth floor of 40 Tehama Street, a six-story, 75-unit brick elevator building. The apartment complex opened in 1939, according to the certificate of occupancy. The red-brick Streamline Moderne building detailed with vertical and horizontal lines of bricks was designed by busy architect firm Kavy & Kavovitt. Appointments at the time included Electrolux fridges, according to a contemporary ad.

"The process has been painful and really long, and residents are suffering through living in a building site. The promise of a 21st-century model estate is highly unlikely."

Residents reported seeing smoke rising from two manholes on Dahill Road, which led to an emergency evacuation as firefighters conducted checks in the area.