Kushner's Opulent 1844 Brooklyn Heights Townhouse on Monroe Place Could Set Record

Brooklyn Heights is well known for its precious historic mansions — and now one of them might be poised to set a new record for the priciest townhouse in the borough.

The former Brooklyn Law School dorm now owned by Trump son-in-law and developer Jared Kushner, 27 Monroe Place, entered contract Tuesday. If it sells for its most recent ask, $16 million, it will eclipse 177 Pacific Street’s current record of $15.5 million.

The 25-foot-wide, five-story brick building, said to be built in 1844, was turned into apartments in 1919 by architect James Sarsfield Kennedy, who modernized many of Brooklyn Heights’ brownstones. Best known in Brooklyn for designing Bay Ridge’s Gingerbread House, Kennedy removed the stoop, resized the parlor door into a window, and created a ground floor entrance.

Eventually, the law school bought the building and used it as a dorm for decades. Kushner bought it from Brooklyn Law School along with five other properties in 2014 for $36,500,000 with the stated intention of turning it back into the single-family home it once was.

The 7,000-square-foot house was listed in July for $18 million by Leslie Marshall and James Cornell of Corcoran; the price was dropped to $16 million in November. The mansion, indicative of its price tag, is not short on luxury.

It has five bedrooms, all suites, with an elevator to all floors, central air, radiant floor heat, and a smart home system. The entire third floor is a master bedroom suite — not to mention that the home has spectacular views of the Manhattan skyline from its city-facing terraces and roof. There’s even not one, but two sets of washer/dryers in the laundry area.

Features of the home include a Sub-Zero fridge, Wolf appliances, marble countertops, custom cabinetry, and multiple patio areas. Want space for a wine cellar? This home’s got that too.

Since 2013, Kushner has acquired a sizable number of prominent properties in Brooklyn, many formerly owned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, such as the group’s former headquarters, the parking lot at 85 Jay Street, and the Austin Nichols House in Williamsburg.

The townhouse at 27 Monroe is not the only Brooklyn property on the market with an asking price over $15.5 million, but it’s the first one of its type — a renovated Heights mansion — to go into contract. A similar home at 146 Willow Street is also asking $16 million. If one prefers apartment living, No. 1131 at 360 Furman Street in Brooklyn Bridge Park is available for $23.888 million.

Note a penthouse apartment in Dumbo’s iconic clocktower building at 1 Main Street, last asking $18 million, entered contract in June, but has yet to close. But if it does, it could also set a record.

Related Stories

• J. S. Kennedy and the “Modernization” of Brooklyn Heights
• Here’s What Trump’s Son-in-Law Jared Kushner Owns in Brooklyn
• Kushner to Turn Three Brooklyn Heights Dorms Back Into Single Family Townhouses

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