Real Estate

Grand Bed Stuy Limestone With Five Mantels, Hall Mirror, Wainscoting Asks $2.695 Million

One of a stretch of Renaissance Revival row houses built by a husband and wife team at the turn of the century, this two-family in Bed Stuy is overflowing with lush details, including an abundance of unpainted woodwork.

214 jefferson avenue brooklyn homes for sale

by Susan De Vries

01/25/2021 4 minute 0

One of a stretch of Renaissance Revival row houses built by a husband and wife team at the turn of the last century, this two-family in Bed Stuy is overflowing with lush details, including an abundance of unpainted woodwork. There are columned room dividers, mantels, a stair hall mirror, wainscoting, a window seat and more.

Sited at the end of the row in the Bedford Historic District, 214 Jefferson Avenue has a gently curved limestone facade with fluted pilasters and foliate details. The boxed brownstone stoop leads to a columned entry and original front door with carved wood details. The builders, Frederick L. and Carrie Hine, developed hundreds of houses, with Frederick usually acting as the architect. Construction on this row was nearing completion in the fall of 1910 with each offered up for $16,500. No. 214 sold the following March.

While it stayed in the same family hands for decades, like many Brooklyn row houses it became a rooming house later in the 20th century. By the time the current owners purchased the house, the interior was carved up. They were interviewed for a 1992 New York Times article about townhouse living and described an interior rich in detail but covered by layers of paint and linoleum.

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Their restoration efforts are apparent in the gleaming interior. The house is set up with a garden level one-bedroom rental and an owner’s triplex above. The wealth of unpainted woodwork is on the parlor level with the Ionic column room dividers, a fireplace with overmantel mirror in the front parlor, and built-in bookcases in the middle parlor (some missing their leaded glass fronts). The dining room has wainscoting, a coffered ceiling and another mirrored mantel.

A renovated galley kitchen with tile floor, wood cabinets and a breakfast nook is in the extension beyond.

Upstairs are two floors of bedrooms and here the details are painted but once again plentiful, with fretwork, mantels and molding. As downstairs, the wood floors with inlaid borders have been restored. One of the two full baths in the owner’s duplex is shown and it has wood wainscoting, bright blue floor tile and a claw foot tub.

The garden level rental isn’t pictured but has a living room and dining room along with bedroom, bath and kitchen and access to the rear garden.

The house has not been on the market since 1981. Morgan Munsey and Perri Defino of Compass have the listing and it is asking $2.695 million. What do you think?

[Listing: 214 Jefferson Avenue | Broker: Compass] GMAP