Photo: QueensPost
Oct. 2, 2012 By Bill Parry
The real estate market south of Queens Blvd. is starting to undergo a resurgence after being quiet since the economic downturn
Caryl Schiff, s real estate agent with Cooper Real Estate (47-16 44th St.) said that it used to be so slow that “we hardly left the office.” However, she added, “it’s starting to pick up lately.”
Celtic Park appears to be the first residential area on the south side of Queens Blvd that is showing signs of a real estate come back. Several co-ops units within Celtic Park, the nine acre complex between 48th Ave. and 50th Ave., from 44th St. to 42nd St., have sold in the past six months. And while prices have not really moved, there is growing interest among buyers.
Celtic Park, which has a rich history, is a massive complex that has 756 units and is home to more than 2,000 people. Of those units, 539 are owned by co-op shareholders, while the remaining 217 are rented by the sponsor BRG Celtic LLC.
In the past six months, Schiff said a one bedroom unit closed for $160,000, while another one bedroom closed for $172,000. She said the unit that fetched the higher price had a skyline view.
The most recent shareholder newsletter also stated that a 1 bedroom sold for $175,000, while a two bedroom sold for $225,000.
It’s rare for three bedroom coops to sell. There are only 18 of them in the complex. The last one sold two years ago for $300,000.
While coop prices are reasonable, co-op owners do get hit with high maintenance fees. A one-bedroom coop owner pays about $700 per month, while an owner of a two-bedroom pays about $850.
Miriam Fardey-Nafa, the property manager, said the maintenance fees cover a wide range of items from heat & electricity…and the 22 employees, which include a Super and his assistant, handymen, porters and the security staff.” All employees are members of Local 32BJ Service Employees Union.
The rentals are handled exclusively by First State Realty, which is located at 48-08 44th Street. Josh Glickman, an agent with First State, said “one bedroom apartments are in the $1500-$1600 range, while two bedroom units are about $2,000 a month.”
Celtic Park went co-op in May of 1986, and it’s been steadily improving since. “Back in the 50’s it was considered to be the projects,” said Rosalind Iverson of Cooper Real Estate, “not so anymore; not at those prices.”
A colorful history
The construction of Celtic Park began in 1933 on land that was owned by The Irish-American Athletic Club (IAAC), a training institute that sent many to the Olympic Games beginning in 1898.
After World War One, club membership fell. The club converted the venue into a greyhound racing track—that later became the scene of drunken rioting. The track became such a problem that the members sold it during the housing shortage in the ’20s. It was razed and Celtic Park was later built.
Ian McGowan, who led the campaign to rename 43rd Street to Winged Fist Way in honor of the IAAC club emblem, moved to Celtic Park eight years ago, “When I left Park Slope… I looked at 20 different neighborhoods. The name and the history drew me here.”
However, McGowan isn’t pleased about everything. “I just wish people were more involved,” he said. “There’s a lack of community here. No community room, no senior center. Other co-ops have book clubs and barbeques. People here lead insular lives,” he added.
Charles Herzog, the president of the shareholders board, responded to McGowan’s complaints. “I’d be all for it but the lawyers say that we’d be liable and the insurance costs are prohibitive. I’m not speaking for the board but I love the idea of a senior center, a community room and even a weight room but it’s too prohibitive [expensive].”
But many longtime residents are comfortable at Celtic Park. Bobby Scott has retired from The Daily News and can often be found sitting on the benches along Winged Fist Way socializing with neighbors and dog walkers.
In the dead of winter he’s the kind that keeps jumper cables nearby ready to help a stranded motorist. “I grew up in this neighborhood,” he said. “As soon as I got separated I moved back here from Bayside. I love how centrally located it is and how maintained it is.”
The complex is financially strong, which is a big draw, one leading agent said. It’s also a haven for pet lovers. It’s one of the last co-ops in the area that still allows pets.
Fardey-Nafa, the property manager, said there are no ongoing issues in the day to day operation of the complex, “I don’t even hear ghost stories in the five years I’ve been here.”
There is one puzzling aspect to Celtic Park: it is a house divided by zip code. “The zip code line runs right through the small courtyard,” Fardey-Nafa said. “Half the building is in Woodside and the other half is in Sunnyside. It confused the hell out of me when I first got here.”
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51 Comments
I do love the way you have presented this difficulty
plus it really does offer us a lot of fodder for thought.
However, coming from everything that I have seen, I simply just wish
as the remarks stack on that men and women remain on point and not start on a tirade involving some other news du jour.
Yet, thank you for this outstanding piece and even though I can not go
along with this in totality, I respect the viewpoint.
Lost my apt my parents lived in since 1947 I lived their almost my whole life my son born and raised their they threw me out like the trash.Sticking me with no rights as rent controlled or anything once they handed me a stipulation told me if I didn’t sign I’d be out next day I asked for trial never got and the ceiling fell in my head for which I still suffer PTSD and bbavk and neck injuries. They were served violations many and only began repairs three months after I was injured. When I left they were still in building court thus meaning no rent due if repairs remained undone. My lawyer never even brought that or my injuries up. No justice for me. I have page with pucs stop the evictio n of barbara Hayes and I know of others there as long as me they either have gotten out or are in process. I say no more. Children are not even allowed to play in the court that is why we were safe our parents knew were we were now its all for yuppies hipsters and those who have taken over our funeral homes and made mosques. And I not predufice but personally I lost my home because they simply wanted it they now renovated and get 2700 a month pretty big profit for them. Yet they only fixed it up when they got me out.
I was evicted from the celtic park apartment, 43-10 48th Avenue Apt 5D. I lived in that apartment for over 20 years since 1993. My father was on the lease, my went back to Japan in 2008 to live there and ever since then I was by myself in that apartment and my father continued to pay the rent. My father was having financial difficulties and the rent was became so expensive and my stopped paying the rent, then eventually I was evicted. The marshal came and asked me to leave, I was in the shower and then all of sudden somebody enter the room and opened the bathroom door and I was scared, this marshal was very mean and I was completely rushed out.
Most of these comments are old, but I can’t believe the prissiness and the hate being spewed. Celtic is not perfect (the ridiculous costly garden renovation, over-reserved board), but the area is extremely safe and a fairly close community. Celtic Park apartments aren’t huge, but comfortable for working folks and professionals. I’ve lived in three boroughs and Sunnyside is hands down the safest I’ve lived. Racist trolls and whiners, get a grip.
And, for the record, I have been renting here almost 15 years. Hell, we probably say good morning to each other. NOT ALL renters are “awful” as you describe. To say so is ignorant and rude. I know an owner or two that are less than stellar!! So, let’s be more open minded.
@PS… do you happen to live on the 2nd floor? There are renters on the 2nd flr in a particular building that are absolute heathens.
for celtic park resident. Leave your complaint or recommendation in the office “Attn the Board of Directors”
And every yr vote your proxies if you are’nt coming to the meeting, holding on to them has NO value what so ever. Every little pressure on the sponsor will prompt him to find a new target. As it stands he see no resistence in the Celtic’s so it does not bother him.
Ivan, now is a great time to buy a one bedroom apt before interest rates rise.
The Celtics is a great pet friendly community (not many of those about anymore)
If you aren’t attending the annual shareholder’s meeting then leaving the space on the proxy form blank and submitting it to the management office is better than not doing anything. (As a previous poster noted, if we don’t get a quorum all of the huge amount of money spent to rent the room at the church, etc. gets wasted. ” The co-op has to spend money on an auditorium for the meeting, lawyers, accountants and a company hired to count the votes so when not enough people show up, it’s a waste of money.”)
However, if you can get a neighbor or relative or friend to be your proxy and attend the meeting, that is much better. The reason is that if you only fill out the proxy and don’t appoint someone you know, your shares only get voted for incumbent board members! Plus, a few of these board members are not residents – they are representatives of the company that rents out the > 200 apartments. So, you will be voting for the “sponsor” board members who don’t even live here, and don’t represent your interests.
I’ve lived here since the mid-nineties and am very pleased, overall. I paid a great price and it was an excellent investment. I’m not crazy about all of the dog waste on the sidewalks; I can understand why many buildings do not allow dogs.
i am looking to buy a one bedroom in celtic park
is it a good idea and if i wait it out will the area
improve.
The sponsored co-op units in Celtic Park are rented to horrific people. I too have to deal with horrible / un-kempt neighbors. They have no respect for the building.
I recently purchased a co-op in Celtic Park and regret it entirely.
The management is useless and the board of directors are a joke !
The management is crap. The renters don’t have to follow any rules. Doesn’t matter how many times you complain to the management. They simply don’t do anything! I’ve lived at Celtic Park for almost 10 years. Would not recommend people buying the property at this coop.
Any suggestions for a celtic owner Dealing with some of the worst neighbors (renters) in the world. Possibly a solution that doesnt involve going to the horribly inefficient management of this co-op. Im sure their removal from celtic park would increase property value two fold.
Speaking of lawyers and insurance companies, residents of Celtic Park are prohibited from having floor mats outside of their apartment doors. With all of the dog waste on the sidewalks (curb your dog is just a suggestion)- especially on 46th, I like to wipe my shoes before going inside. But these mats can lead to lawsuits. What a bother.
How do you know you are REALLY Mike Novak!!!?? I could be Mike Novak if I wanted. Tonight I want to be “will never eat 99 cent pizza again” being other people is damn good fun. Tomorrow I might go for something sitcommy – 70’s Brady Bunch like:
“Ouch My Nose!” or “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!” – guess you gotta know the show
OM,
Didn’t you get the memo? Mike Novak dictates in what manner you are allowed to practice your right to free speech. And he is quite literally taking names. Joe McCarthy would be proud.
Sorry, OM, as much as I wanted to be @ that ceremony, I had to WORK. The school year just started and I didn’t feel it was right to take a day off so early in the year. It bothered me all day that I couldn’t be there, but there were lessons to teach on Mesopotamia and The Enlightenment and students to prep for those Regents exams!
I’ll be there for the groundbreaking though. Maybe we can ‘break bread’, or dog biscuits, then?
Helen Marshall didn’t have her hand forced in any way, she could have taken those TAXPAYER funds and allocated them elsewhere. SUDS has been in contact/worked with her office for YEARS, so we played a vital role as well. Before you spout off anymore, please do get all your facts straight. We’ve worked with the Community Board #2, Qns Parks Dept/Partnership in Parks on this project since summer of 2004. They are also to thank for working with Ms. Marshall. Lots of people involved here OM. Even JVB’s predecessor, Eric Gioia who recognized the important contributions SUDS was making as far back as 2004.
Politicians have been spending our tax dollars on projects for a few hundred years now, and it will always be that way. Some of the projects benefit neighnorhoods in a great way (as this one will), others, well, the same can’t be said. As you seem to feel so strongly on this issue, maybe you can lead a movement to stop such expenditures. Or, is it a battle of semantics for you? Maybe you can ban these words from the political vernacular?
Lastly, in all the articles I have read on the Lodati renovation (links are on our webpage-NY Daily News, Qns Chronicle, NYC Parks Newsletter, NY1, DNAinfo), in only *1* (sunnyside post) does JVB even mention the dog run. He is often quoted regarding his ideas for the whole park and what it will do for all the residents of the ‘hood.
Yes indeed, OUR taxpayer $, and it is going toward a wonderful project in our area. I will be sure to write it that way from now on, and when I am there for the groundbreaking, I’ll be sure to say it that way with a subtle nod of the head and wink for you OM.
Cheers buddy!
Rick
“Oppressed” if you feel so strongly why not post with your real name?
As long as you hide behind a pseudonym, your voice will be impotent and hollow. Why are you afraid to speak your mind with your real name?
How can ANYONE see that refurbishing a city park in your neighborhood is a bad thing? The city pisses away BILLIONS each year on utter bullshit and yet, you and your ilk want to villify JVB for making the neighborhood better.
Why?
“I’d be all for it but the lawyers say that we’d be liable and the insurance costs are prohibitive.”
How sad is it that lawyers and insurance companies have so much power over our lives these days.
I apologize for all my racist comments. I’m just trying to troll people because I have no life. I will be a good boy from now on
Its sad but true; the white collared people do increase the rent. Also, the kids on trust funds increase the rent.
PBR is absolute piss.
Ich bin, that was a really funny line!
“Be careful, I think there’s a hipster with a can of PBR hiding under your bed waiting to jump out at you in an ironic kind of way.”
RD,
Ms. Marshall would not have allocated public monies to Lodati Park if Mr. Van Bramer had not importuned her for the money. Didn’t you hear Mr. Van Bramer say as much at the faux ground breaking ceremony? If you attended the ceremony, as did I, you would have heard Mr. Van Bramer say loudly and clearly that the Dog Park is his accomplishment and that he deserves full credit for same. It would have been nice if Mr. Van Bramer acknowledged that taxpayer monies are being used for the work instead of acting like the dollars are coming from his pocket. I’m sure the Councilmember will be most proud when the Dog Park is christened as the Van Bramer Dog Park.
The fact that public monies are allocated to an elected official to be used on public purposes within his or her bailiwick does not change the character of the funds: the money is and remains taxpayer money. Thinking which says that such funds are “Mr Marshall’s money” or “Councilmember Van Bramer’s money” is at the root of what causes government officials to misuse taxpayer monies.
Nice
Grew up in this area and Celtic Park was never called the “projects”
Yes, confusing with the dividing lines for Woodside/Sunnyside .
Even for long time residents ……
We grew up hearing stories of all the Irish events held there and how the
ladies would really dress up, like they still do in Ireland for the races ……..
Dad would say You could see the lovely dresses and big hats coming up Queens Blvd from Rawson St the last stop on the no 7 at that time_
They came from all over the city to Celtic Park …………
@RD
I can only go by what you wrote and take it at face value and believe that’s what you meant.
And let’s face it, politicians have long been in the habit of playing Santa Claus with the citizens’ money, a great way to buy votes – and unfortunately a lot of naive people fail to see that they’re bribing us with our own money. Let’s not be naive. It needs to be pointed out from time to time.
It’s easy to be generous with other people’s money is the take home message.
Gee, I didn’t realize I had to explain that most obvious of concepts.
She gets $ from the city, from our taxes, to spend w/i Queens each year and can spend it on any # of projects that she wishes. She chose to fix up Lodati with a portion of it from her 2011 funds. So, as the $ is in her ‘hands’, she provided the moolah. Clear now? Just like any project anywhere in the country. I believe the check was written to the Parks Dept….
We can’t all agree on how politician funds, our taxes, are spent. For instance, I would consider renaming the Triboro and 59 Street Bridges a huge waste of tax $.
Maybe you can contact her office and see if she can provide some of her 2013 funds to solve our subway issues?
RD
Rick Duro said… “She did provide half the moolah.”
Did she really? She wrote you a check from her personal bank acct?
No, the taxpayers provided the moolah she is taking credit for.
OM, come on! Lest you forget the Queens Beep Helen Marshall. She does indeed deserve some credit! She did provide half the moolah. Give her some props.
The park will now feel welcome to all Sunnysiders. I know many people who refused to use the park due to activities of some park users and the condition it was left in. I believe that the new design will lead to a much better overall experience for Sunnysiders.
Regarding all the gentrification comments, it’s been going on for well over 5 years now, it’s not new. It eventually happens in all the neighborhoods of the city. I’ve seen it in Morningside Heights in the mid 90’s, the LES and now here. Frankly, I’m suprised it didn’t happen here sooner with our close proximity to Manhattan.
RD
@Sunny Neighbor
People who can’t show up can give their proxy votes to someone who does go and an election can at least be held. Sorry, but there are no good excuses. True, the property is fairly well maintained but there are still many issues that can’t be addressed or new board members voted in. The co-op has to spend money on an auditorium for the meeting, lawyers, accountants and a company hired to count the votes so when not enough people show up, it’s a waste of money.
As with politics in general, when the people in power realize the people they work for aren’t engaged or even paying attention, then they’re more likely to do things they shouldn’t.
Really 7TrainDelays?
The real puzzling aspect is why they can rarely get a quorum at the annual shareholders’ meeting and co-op board election.
I live medium sized building where we’ve had over 15% come out and volunteer for manual labor projects and we haven’t had a quorum in the past eight years. In a building with 756, is it at all realistic to think that over 300 people would show up to the annual meeting? It seems unrealistic, especially for such a large building that is (relatively) well maintained.
How sound proofed are the floors/walls in Celtic Gardens? I’ve just learned of a co-op not on the top floor and i’m a light sleeper. It’s on 43rd street and looks like a small one-bedroom. Thanks.
Nothing wrong with 99 cent pizza. When you just want a basic slice or two and maybe are trying to save money, it’s perfectly fine.
RD,
So the Van Bramer accomplishment means that millions will be spent on refurbishing the volley ball courts to attract all those urinating, alcoholic, garbage spewing volleyballers back to 43rd and Skillman (and likely more), along with packs of dogs. Brilliant!
@will never eat 99 cent pizza again
Great story!
those prices sound really low, probably because the sq footage is ridiculously low compared to your typical pre-war unit. 2 brms/2 bath in my building, 1200 sq ft are going for 400K. 1 bedrooms always go for 100K less than the 2bdrm.
funny, i looked at a “3 bedroom” there 10 years ago only to find out the 3rd bedroom was really the dining room. Plus the rooms were small.
Bought a 2 bedroom 2 bath instead at a great building close by, much bigger. I didn’t like the Celtic Park, too cramped.
Where did you buy? 🙂
The real puzzling aspect of Celtic Park isn’t the division between Sunnyside/Woodside, it’s the shareholder apathy and why they can rarely get a quorum at the annual shareholders’ meeting and co-op board election.
You’d think that owning a NYC apartment would be a big investment for most people and they’d want to keep a close eye on it and the people who manage the place and make important decisions on their behalf.
Hey Ruben,
Be careful, I think there’s a hipster with a can of PBR hiding under your bed waiting to jump out at you in an ironic kind of way.
Hipsters and Yuppies…only YOU have the power to change a neighborhood for the better. Flood the rentals and raise the rent control and move out in 6 months to another neighborhood. Spread word of mouth of how your neighborhood is “happening” so merchants drive up prices. Soon you’ll drive out the locals (I mean poor people) and you’ll have all the great apartments all for yourselves and…most importantly..for your children!
Sadly, the trees in the first and last shot of that video have since been cut down.
But seriously, there are some beautiful houses on the southside on 50th avenue. Unfortunately, the pockets of drug addicts ruin everything.
One big issue not addressed is the lack of school options on the south side., District 24. I would strongly advise parents of young kids or school age kids to consider this when buying on the south side.
Hound Heaven! It’s always been that on the North side! OM will be an honorary member:)
Go South side, go!
Sadly, I’ve been hearing lots of complaints from people on the South side about the displaced volleyballers urinating everywhere, drinking booze and leaving lots of gargage on that side-o-blvd. That sounds familiar. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
I’ve always liked Celtic Park. Really interesting about the zip code running right thru the courtyard.
RD
South Side? you mean the crime ridden Latino filled side?
Our apartment in Celtic Park is for sale:
http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/reo/3276159778.html
Nice propaganda for brokers! LOL!
I believe the complex began construction in 1930.
This is great news for area property owners. And when the Hound Heaven opens on 43rd and Skillman the resurgence will certainly spread to the north side of the Boulevard.
lol, I met a woman at April Glass who told me her and her sister have lived next door in the same complex for like 50 years… except one lives in Sunnyside and the other in Woodside! lol When I try to explain to people from out of town why I say I live in Sunnyside although my address is Woodside I’m always met with confused looks.
Glad to hear there’s a resurgence on the Southside. I think management does a good job taking care of this building and surrounding areas too.