Bed Stuy

Bed Stuy Brownstone With Pier Mirror, Seven Mantels, Deco Kitchen Asks $2.4 Million

It looks like some renovation work on this 1890s brownstone didn’t get finished, but there are some fine details to admire inside, as expected from a house by Magnus Dahlander.

middle parlor with mantel and fretwork screen

by Susan De Vries

01/30/2023 0

It looks like some renovation work on this 1890s brownstone didn’t get finished, but there are some fine details to admire inside, as expected from a house by Magnus Dahlander. The architect designed a number of houses in the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District, including this 20-foot-wide angled-bay row house at 238 Decatur Street.

It is one of a stretch of 25 Romanesque and Renaissance Revival-style houses the architect designed on the block for builder Eli Bishop between 1894 and 1897. In 1896 Bishop advertised the Decatur Street row as “high grade artistic” houses with “every novelty” and the option of an extension for dining.

Built as a single-family dwelling without the dining room extension, No. 238 was converted to a five-family dwelling in the 1950s according to a certificate of occupancy. In 2002 plans were filed for converting the house to a three-family and while the new certificate of occupancy was issued in 2004 there is still some work to the wet rooms for a new buyer to finalize.

The house is set up as duplex with two floor-through units above. Based on the listing photos, it appears the duplex is move-in ready and filled with original detail, including a stair with built-in bench, mantels, stained glass, a pier mirror, picture rails, wainscoting, built-ins, and wood floors. An arched screen with stained glass, similar to those seen in other Dahlander houses in the row, divides the front and middle parlors.

The duplex’s kitchen and full bath, both on the garden level, are Deco-era alterations that were left in place during the renovation work. The spacious kitchen has white cabinets, laminate counters with metal trim, and modern appliances. It is lacking a dishwasher, according to the floor plans.

Adjoining the kitchen is the full bath with turquoise green original tub and sink along with jade green wall tile with black border tile and accessories.

Both of the upstairs units have unfinished work. In the second floor unit is a bathroom awaiting a sink and on the top floor the kitchen is sans cabinets or appliances. According to the listing, both apartments have been “modernized down to the studs” with new plumbing, electric, and mini-split units.

Perri DeFino and Chrisette Mignott of Compass have the listing, and the property is priced at $2.4 million. Worth the ask?

[Listing: 238 Decatur Street | Broker: Compass] GMAP