This ‘townhouse’ looks like any other but it’s a disguise

A BROOKLYN townhouse recently listed for $6 million is a great purchase for a family that doesn’t mind living next door to one of New York’s best kept secrets.

The six-bedroom, four-bathroom building at 60 Joralemon Street sits right next to a lesser-known NYC landmark.

5

5

5

5

Right next to 58 Joralemon St., there’s a historic brick façade, pitch-black windows and completely uninhabited, but the building isn’t completely empty.

The building at 58 Joralemon is owned by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, which operates the New York City subway system, and behind specially sealed windows is a ventilation system for the vehicles. train line below.

Based on Gothamists58 Joralemon was built as a private residence for a family in 1847 by judge Teunis Joralemon.

When the Interborough Rapid Transit Company purchased the building in 1908, the developers chose to turn it into a “shafthouse” rather than tear it down.

Although the MTA runs the ventilation system at a certain frequency and conducts regular checks, the huge collection of fans inside the 58 Joralemon is attractive. smoking from the subway tunnel in case of fire.

Initially, some of the ventilation actually escaped through the windows of the townhouse, which people in the community found disruptive.

Today, smoke, steam and vented air can be seen escaping through a special device on the roof.

MTA must get approval for modern Lexan windows, blackened because the building is in a historic district; those windows prevent steam and smoke from escaping, but also prevent people from trying to see inside.

Despite the heavy lock on the front door, the 58 Joralemon building is also an exit for subway lines 5 and 6.

Since the year 60 Joralemon is on the marketPotential buyers will have to consider whether living next to a ventilation system is worth the $6 million price tag.

But one big benefit could sweeten the pot: the family that formerly lived in the townhouse now for sale reports that they can backyard rental of 58 Joralemon from the MTA at a high discount, creating the rare type of outdoor sanctuary in the city.

5