Embracing Urban Living Amidst a Pandemic

While many New Yorkers sought refuge from the city at the onset of the pandemic, Hallie Morrison and Seth Frader-Thompson took a bold step in the opposite direction: they chose to invest in urban living by purchasing a charming townhouse in Brooklyn.

“A colleague remarked, ‘What, are you out of your mind? No one is buying real estate right now,’” recalled Mr. Frader-Thompson, 44, the CEO of EnergyHub, a company dedicated to smart-grid solutions. “I responded, ‘That’s exactly why we’re making this purchase.’”

Hallie Morrison and Seth Frader-Thompson are seen enjoying their home together.

At that time, the couple was residing in a cozy two-bedroom co-op apartment in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, sharing the space with Mr. Frader-Thompson’s son from a previous marriage, Sam, who is now 14. They had long been in search of more room to accommodate their growing family, but their efforts were often thwarted by a blend of limited inventory, high common charges, and fierce bidding wars over townhouses.

“We cherished our neighborhood and were eager to explore our options,” said Ms. Morrison, 39, a talented landscape architect at Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects.

The townhouse they purchased had previously been divided into four separate apartments. Ms. Morrison took on the challenge of transforming the space, removing several walls to create a more open layout and converting it into a welcoming family home, complete with a rental apartment on the garden level.

“It was a labor of love,” Ms. Morrison added, reflecting on the renovation process. “We wanted a space that felt open and inviting, not just for us but also for our community.”