Carroll Gardens

Grand Carroll Gardens Brownstone Asking $13.995 Million Could Be Razed for Apartments

Despite some impressive original details, parking and leafy environs, this circa 1870s property on 1st Place could be demolished thanks to its giant lot.

carroll gardens brownstone interior of 76 1st place brooklyn

by Susan De Vries

09/28/2022 3 minute 0

This massive circa 1870s Carrol Gardens brownstone certainly catches the eye with some impressive original interior details, five apartments, parking and one of the deep front gardens that are a hallmark of the neighborhood. It also boasts an equally eye-popping asking price of $13.995 million. Since it sits on a 52.5-foot-wide lot outside of the petite Carroll Gardens Historic District, 76 1st Place will likely attract those eyeing the development potential.

Historic maps show the 25-foot-wide Italianate brownstone already in place in 1880, and newspaper accounts and city directories show it was the home of Peter and Josephine Kissam in the 1870s. Kissam and one of his brothers bought houses across the street from each other and, according to the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, “spent a lot of money fitting up the insides of their homes” on a block that was “one of the most aristocratic in Brooklyn.”

Some of that money may have gone towards the plasterwork, pier mirror, mantels and other grand details that have survived in the parlor level apartment. The other units show arched openings likely dating to the building’s conversion to a five-family in 1933, noted in a certificate of occupancy. A garage was constructed in the 1920s and can be seen in the historic tax photo.

Riana L. Bodine and Santo Rosabianca of Corcoran have the listing, which suggests a number of options for the property, including adding an elevator to the brownstone and putting up condos or rentals next door. A new residential building would be a first on the block since at least World War I, and a change for Carroll Gardens, where modern apartment buildings are still scarce.

The brownstone hasn’t been on the market since the 1960s, and the asking price is $13.995 million. What do you think?

[Listing: 76 1st Place | Broker: Corcoran] GMAP