Crown Heights

Crown Heights Villa With Woodwork, Parking Asks $3.995 Million

The capacious 1890s manse includes triple parlors, intricate stained glass windows, and a grand vestibule with original mosaic tile.

crown heights - brick standalone with iron fence around the yard

by Susan De Vries

05/08/2024 0

A striking house in the Crown Heights North Historic District stands apart from its neighbors and boasts parking along with some fine period details. Located at 1290 Pacific Street, the standalone brick house is wide at 30 feet, with deep eaves and an eye-catching portico with Ionic columns.

It was designed by J. C. Cady & Co. with a dash of Renaissance Revival style, and plans for the house were filed in 1890 for owners W. S. and Ida Ray. The house appears largely unchanged since its circa 1940 tax photo (which also shows a fun laundry truck). Its closely textured brickwork includes splayed lintels, and the roof is hipped.

By 1902 the house was being advertised, along with its neighbor at No. 1284, as “The Bristol,” the “most aristocratic boarding place in Brooklyn.” Accommodations in the two detached dwellings included hotel service with an “experienced chef” preparing the cuisine.

The townhouse is currently set up as a two-family according to the listing, although the floor plan shows three kitchens, one per floor. It was a House of the Day back in 2007, but has been in the same hands since it last sold in 2003 for $610,000.

The interior images are almost all virtually staged, but plenty of historic details are in evidence, including pocket doors, mantels, wood floors, stained glass, and wainscoting. The wood-filled vestibule makes for a grand entrance with glowing woodwork and a tiled floor.

On the main level are triple parlors, a kitchen in the rear, and a powder room. It is hard to tell the condition of the kitchen in the virtually staged image, but it has a terra-cotta tile floor, white cabinets, and access to the driveway and garage.

Upstairs are three bedrooms, a full bath, and a kitchen with access to what is labelled on the floor plan as a “possible terrace.” Upstairs the layout is similar, but sans terrace and with 1.5 baths. The half bath, apparently fashioned out of a pass-through, retains its marble sink while a toilet has replaced the closet.

Outside, the rear yard is paved for access to the garage, but a bit of green space runs along the side. The large front yard is enclosed with an iron fence. The listing photos show the planting beds mostly filled with mulch, but a gardener could get creative here.

Listed by Alexander Maroni and Doug Rand of Douglas Elliman, the property is priced at $3.995 million. Worth the ask?

[Listing: 1290 Pacific Street | Broker: Douglas Elliman] GMAP