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PHOENIX FALL REAL ESTA TE/HOMEManhattan Chic Tempered By BrooklynCraftsmanship In Smith Street Condo PlanSelma Abramowtiz outside her condo complex on Smith and Wyckoff Streets (Phoenix/Garrity Photo)BY TRACY GARRITYSelma Abramowitz picks her way between paint cans and workmen at the house on Wyckoff Street like she knows each curve in the hallway, every slope of the floorboards. She%u2019s been walking the floor of these buildings some 13 months now, checking to make sure the walls are smooth and checking to make sure the floors are level. Checking, most of all, to make sure her dream house %u2014 a condominium complex aptly tagged Wyckoff House, that she is developing with her husband Jerry %u2014 is moving swiftly to its finish.Abramowitz has learned much during the past years since the project broke ground. As a member and former chair of the Community Board Six, she was no stranger to construction processes, but the hands-on approach has shed new light on the daily litany of problems faced by developers, not the least of which is timing.%u201cI%u2019ve always understood the problems developers have,%u201d she says. %u201cBut time is a problem. We%u2019re only a few weeks behind schedule on this, but it could have been much longer.%u201dThe complex, which includes 42 units priced between $140,000 and $325,000 for one bedrooms to town houses, replicates Abramowitz%u2019s view of city living, tempered by the architectural artistry of Castro, Blanco, Piscioneri and Feder.%u201cIt%u2019s a very personal point of view,%u201d says Abramowitz. %u201cIt%u2019s the way we believe people in the city should live. It%u2019s the way I%u2019d design my own house.%u201d And, she adds, the units are fairly priced for the neighborhood and the amenities the building offers. %u201cWe tried to design a building that offered people a unique living space in Brooklyn,%u201d she says simply. %u201cI%u2019m proud of what we have accomplished.%u201dAccomplished includes nine different layouts, merged by the concept of light and space. %u201cLiving space,%u201d is what Abramowitz calls it. The architects and Abramowitz, herself an interior designer by trade, chose high ceilings, and large, numerous windows to underline that point. Living rooms watch the Manhattan skyline or the bustle of Smith Street; with as many as eight windows in one room. %u201cEach one of the apartments is a little different,%u201d says Abramowitz. %u201cThere were things in the building that we had to work with, so some of the windows are larger than others, and some of the rooms are different dimensions.%u201dVACANT FOR SEVEN YEARSThe building is the former Kurtz Furniture Company Warehouse that had been vacant for seven years. The Abramowitz' had noticed the for sale signs on several occasions as they parked their car on Pacific Street, and just over a year ago, they inquired about the property. Smith Street was changing for the better. Brooklyn real estate was hot. And it was an idea they had toyed with on several occasions. %u201cSo we bought both buildings,%u201d says Selma. And the two jumped into the developing business.The two buildings at the comer of Smith Street were built as separate warehouses. One is four stories; the other six. But the two have been joined to create the complex of 42 units, split by two long hallways and eventually centered on one of the original brass elevator cages from the building. The outside of the building has been spruced up, but remains virtually unchanged, except for some repair work.%u201cThis building is not in a landmarked district,%u201d says Abramowitz. %u201cBut we decided to have the cornices done as they were when this building was constructed.%u201d It is one way that the project has been designed to enhance the Smith St. neighborhood, and has served to encourage neighboringbuildings on Wyckoff Street to begin repairs.As a community activist, Abramowitz knows well the strenghth one stable building can bring to a block. %u201cThat house across the street was vacant when we started work on this building,%u201d she says, pointing to a brick facade on Wyckoff St. %u201cNow they are working on it. Others will probably start too. That%u2019s the way these projects work. There were some people who were surprised that we were doing this on Smith Street. But the area here is changing, and I think this project will help with that.%u201dSHE%u2019S DEVELOPER AND AGENT Although the condos have only been on the market since May, the Abramowitz%u2019 have only advertised the spaces in Brooklyn print media and business has been brisk %u2014 especially with the simply curious. Actingin the dual role as developer and agent, Abramowitz has spent the last several weekends guiding people through the apartments talking up both Smith Street and the condo offering. %u201cWe%u2019ve been getting a lot of people from the neighborhood who just want to see what we%u2019re doing. We%u2019ve been taking a lot of people around. And there have been very positive comments.%u201d Abramowitz says that several developers advised her against showing the apartments herself. %u201cThey said I would feel badly about the negative comments, because this is my project. But there haven%u2019t been any really bad reactions, and I%u2019m really proud of this plan. I really believe we have created good, affordable housing in this neighborhod. I really like showing people around.%u201d The only complaint, she says, has to do with the bedrooms.It was a design decision to create airy, living spaces, most with kitchens that open up to the living rooms, but the sacrifice has been smaller bedrooms. Abramowitz says she prefers the smaller bedrooms, calling them functional. %u201cThey all fit a king-size bed,%u201d she says. %u201cNow you won%u2019t fit an entire French provincial bedroom set into one of them, but they aren%u2019t as small as many people think.SAMPLER OF ARRANGEMENTSThe condo complex doesn%u2019t have a model apartment, so Abramowitz includes the dimensions %u2014 just what fits where %u2014 on her guided tours. If that%u2019s not enough, she has created a sampler of possible room arrangements using stickers attached to the floor plans in the condo office at 88 Wyckoff Street. Room arrangements include spaceIt's a very personal point o fview. It's the way we believepeople in the City shouldlive. I'm proud o f it.for studios, grand pianos, and lots of couches.%u201cAnd see, every bedroom fits a King-size bed in them. They just look smaller because they are unfurnished.%u201d They also appear smaller because the other spaces are so large. %u201cI%u2019m very proud of the condos,%u201d she says again. %u201cI think the size of the bedroom is the only complain. Everyone else seems to like them,%u201d she says. Several closings, in fact, are in the works for the end of September, when the project is scheduled to be ready for occupancy.%u201c I know it looks like we%u2019re not going to be done by the end of the month, but most of the work is finished here,\Abramowitz, again picking her way through construction debris. %u201c I%u2019d suspect that we%u2019d get a lot of people from Brooklyn interested in the apartments,%u201d she adds. %u201cBecause we know the area.%u201d A map is included in the information packet %u2014 %u201cfor those Manhattanites who can%u2019t always find their way to Brooklyn,%u201d quips Abramowitz.A POSITIVE EXPERIENCEOn the whoie, Abramowitz says the experience has been a positive one. %u201cI really can%u2019t think of any terrible problems that we%u2019ve run into,\gone very smoothly. I%u2019m really happy with the way it turned out.%u201dIn addition to wood-burning fireplaces, kitchens that front on the living room with a bar, and individually controlled heating and air-conditioning monitors, the apartments also have hookups for washers and dryers, walk-in closets, and huge mirrors in the bathrooms. The building features a fitness center with sauna and steam room, a T.V. security system, and a key operated elevator system that requires a key to make the elevator stop at a particular floor. All tenants have roof rights, and a piece of the Manhattan skyline.Abramowitz says the view ;s important both for its aesthetic beauty, but also that it reassures potential buyers that Manhattan is just a stone%u2019s throw' away. The view has already come in handy on two occasions when the Abramowitz%u2019 hosted parties in their buildings %u201cWe came up here for the fourth of July and had a terrific view of the fireworks,%u201d she says of her dreamhouse.The view comes with the territory as a perk. The 42 condominiums, however, are the product of a lot of sweat and hard work. %u201cYes. it%u2019s been worth it.%u201d savs Abramowitz.. %u201cI%u2019m really pleased with what we have done. I think it%u2019s good for the neighborhood and for us.%u201dFor information on Wyckoff House, call 596-7575.t here were some people who were surprised that we weredoing this on Smith Street. But the area is changing and lthink the project will help that.September 11, 1986, THE PHOENIX, Page 23