A Leaky Parapet. A Historic Building. A Solution.
The Historic Properties Fund (HPF) was recently featured in Habitat Magazine, a news publication geared towards cooperatives and condominiums in New York City, due to their support in a successful project completion at the historic 4404 6th Avenue in Sunset Park, Brooklyn.
The building is one of more than 30 cooperative apartment buildings around Sunset Park that Finnish immigrants built or converted to co-ops in the early 1900s. Architects Eisenla and Carlson designed and built it in 1914, and it became a co-op in 1922. These buildings were among the first co-ops in the United States and served as a model for the cooperative housing movement that followed. The neighborhood was known as Finntown well into the 1980s. The building is now part of the Sunset Park North Historic District, designated by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission in 2019.
The HPF loan allowed the 16-unit co-op to make necessary repairs to the 112-year-old building’s parapet, addressing leaks that were heavily impacting residents.
Co-op Board Member Andrea Knox shared that, “It totally feels like the historic nature of the building is there — just rebuilt. I don’t think we would have been able to do the project without the loan.”
Could Your Building Benefit from an HPF Loan?
If you live in a historic district and are considering a loan for exterior work on your building, check out our website.
The low-interest loan program has helped more than 280 buildings since beginning in 1982. An HPF loan also comes with expert guidance from our staff on building conditions and from architects and companies with experience restoring historic buildings.