When the members of Fleetwing Fire Company in Lambertville realized in 2006 that their new ladder truck was too big to fit inside their Main Street firehouse, they sold the building.
And the woman who bought it converted it into a residence above a retail store. Now the circa-1864 building is listed for sale for $995,000.
The top two stories of the building are a two-bedroom, one full- and one half-bathroom residence. The ground level can be rented out and is now being shared by an antique and record shop.
The current owner bought the building and completely renovated it. She put in all new plumbing, wiring and electric.
But she kept the old charm. Between the kitchen and living room there is fretwork that’s original. It has the original hardwood floors and soaring, “probably 25-foot high ceilings,” said Cynthia Shoemaker-Zerrer of Callaway Henderson Sotheby’s International Realty, the listing agent.
There is a gourmet kitchen with a six burner stove and a griddle and the residence has “tons of natural light,” she said.
The second floor of the building has the main living areas and the primary bedroom, which has a walk-in closet and full bathroom.
The second bedroom is on the third floor. Up a few more steps is a rooftop deck with 360-degree views that is reinforced so that it could hold a hot tub.
“You can see over into New Hope,” Shoemaker-Zerrer said, adding “That’s rare to have a deck that high up in town. I don’t know of any others that are like that.”
The building is located within walking distance to most places in Lambertville and it’s two blocks from the Delaware River where you can walk over the bridge into New Hope, Pennsylvania.
“The location is really amazing,” she said. “People love that, within minutes, they can walk to everything. That’s what makes Lambertville so desirable. And we’ve got New Hope on the other side ... which reminds me of Key West.”
Lambertville was named one of the 15 prettiest towns in America by Forbes magazine. It’s downtown, which is known as the antiques capital of New Jersey, is regularly recognized as one of the best in New Jersey. It was also named the fifth quirkiest town in America by Travel + Leisure magazine and one of 12 unexpectedly perfect cities to get married in by DatingAdvice.com.
The residence is currently being used as an Airbnb that rents for up to $400 per night.
“This is a big wedding destination,” said Shoemaker-Zerrer said. “People come for the weekend ... It’s cheaper than a hotel and they have a whole house.”
The median sales price of a home in Lambertville was $475,000 as of April, according to the most recent data available from New Jersey Realtors.
Are you an agent, buyer or seller who is active in this changing market? Do you have tips about New Jersey’s real estate market? Unusual listings? Let us know.
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Allison Pries may be reached at apries@njadvancemedia.com.
