3215 Avenue H

Norma Apartments

Upon entering the lobby of Norma Apartments, a handsome midcentury brick-clad cooperative, one is pleasantly surprised to see a line-up of Romanesque marble sculptures framed by decorative loggia portals. The renovated lobby design features modern-style furnishings and finishes, including Barcelona-style benches, golden atomic-style chandeliers and stripped wallpaper that matches the same shade of navy painted in the sculpture nooks. The recent renovation replaced the elevators, which also entailed revamping available units with new flooring, custom kitchens with the latest appliances, and contemporary light fixtures. Besides maintaining the co-op well, the board has a good-standing reputation: “They are very receptive and responsive, and, overall, easy to work with,” says Jan Rosenberg, a broker at Douglas Elliman, who has specialized in Flatbush real estate for over two decades. According to Rosenberg, the building is “great” for entry-level buyers, not just because of the price point but because the board only requires a 10% downpayment, which is less than the standard 20% cooperatives in the neighborhood require. “The minimum downpayment is an asset if the buyers have the income [but not the savings] to support the purchase,” says Rosenberg. With 190 residences across 11 stories, Norma Apartments comprises studios to three-bedrooms. While many of the midcentury-designed units have been gut-renovated, most feature the original 20th-century floor plans, including elements like windowed galley-style kitchens, formal dining rooms, gratuitously spacious living rooms, salon-like foyers and ample storage closets. Even the original parquet flooring, pink subway tiling or linoleum countertops will turn up every so often. Studios range from 440 to 600 square feet, featuring full-sized kitchens; the last sale closed at $200,000 in May 2022. One- and two-bedrooms are more common, spanning 600 to 1,350 square feet; the most recent one-bedroom sale fetched $425,000 in August 2024, while a two-bedroom netted $625,000 in February 2024. Three three-bedroom units in the building feature the same floorplan with a massive 30-foot-long living room, a private balcony and a formal dining room; the latest sale in February 2023 collected $650,000. Norma Apartments is a full-service building with a round-the-clock door attendant, porters, service staff and a live-in superintendent. Just off the lobby, there’s a charming, landscaped courtyard with cozy benches. On the lower level, residents can access community laundry facilities, a bike room and rentable personal storage. Meanwhile, because the condominium is a sister building to Philip Howard’s well-known cooperative, 1655 Flatbush, residents can use the building’s amenities, which include an outdoor pool and hot tub, a parking garage with rentable spaces (currently waitlisted), a humongous children’s playground and landscaped courtyard with a massive sculpture fountain — just across the street. Rosenberg also says there’s a third-party parking vendor nearby with “very reasonable prices. Norma Apartments are on the cusp between Flatbush and Little Haiti, on a quiet side street just off Flatbush Avenue. It’s quiet enough to hear air blow through the trees lining the sidewalks. However, residents can still hear occasional sirens rushing to the emergency rooms at the many hospitals nearby: Mount Sinai Brooklyn, Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital and NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County. Luckily, the residences are situated by a shopping complex in front of Brooklyn College, which includes businesses for every kind of convenience one might need: Bank of America, Home Goods, Flatbush Optical, Blink Fitness and CityMD Urgent Care. Shipping is easy thanks to the UPS and FedEx stores, also within the strip mall. Additionally, along Nostrand Avenue, Little Caribbean and Little Haiti districts feature endless eclectic eateries serving rasta pasta and other regional fare. Meanwhile, fast food chains are plentiful and hard to name off in list-like fashion, including McDonald’s, Dunkin,’ Auntie Annie’s, Popeyes, Chipotle and so many more. For groceries, residents can shop at ALDI, Target Grocery and Fine Fare. Residents can conveniently walk around the corner to Flatbush Avenue-Brooklyn College station to access the 2 and 5 trains. Meanwhile, via car, Kings Highway and Flatbush Avenue are nearby thoroughfares in west and east, and north and south directions, respectively.