Seeing 543 Franklin Street being listed for sale brought up a lot of memories for me. This was once the home, and place of business, for Sandy Hertel, who ran a fabric shop out of the circa 1852 residence. Before her passing in 2017, Sandy was an devout preservationist, and community activist. She made her mark from the mid-lower West Side to Elmwood Avenue to Allentown. Everything that she touched turned to gold, including her Porter Avenue Pied-à-Terre at 361 Porter Avenue.
As for 543 Franklin Street, I paid a visit to Sandy on numerous occasions, and was always awestruck by the pristine nature of the 5-bedroom, 5,088 SF abode that sits on a 7,401 SF lot.
While I was familiar with the house, I never got a chance to see the courtyard, which, it turns out, is also amazing. Viewing photographic images on the various online sites, I was happy to finally see what the courtyard actually looks like. I was not aware that there was a “rare stone sauna house” that is located within the confines of the courtyard. That alone is worth a tour of this historic, architectural compound.
The property is being listed at $885,000.
From the listing:…