Feast Your Eyes on This Over-the-Top Colonial Revival Mansion in Prospect Park South

If you’ve ever wandered around Prospect Park South, you’ve probably noticed this mansion at 1305 Albemarle Road. Arguably the most prominent house in the area, we have described it as “Colonial Revival on steroids.” The white-columned behemoth has been in the news lately because it was listed in July for $2.9988 million and went into contract just days later. Very little is known about the original owner or architect. Here’s what we had to say about it:

City records tell us that Mr. G. Gale moved to this house from a row house on Bainbridge Avenue in Stuyvesant Heights. He, or his family members, must have spent at least a couple of moments dancing around in this behemoth of a house, reveling in the sheer amount of space, exclaiming, “It’s mine, it’s mine!” I’m also sure his servants were not as thrilled. However, this house represents the kind of home that Dean Alvord, the developer and father of Prospect Park South had in mind; large, impressive and unusual.

The architect, H.B. Moore, is a total mystery. This is the only building of his on record. We don’t even know what his first name was. It would have been very interesting to know if the features on this house were his idea or in collaboration with Mr. Gale: “I want COLUMNS, big columns, like the White House. And porches, give me a bunch of porches and balconies.” Whatever the arrangement was, the result was a Colonial Revival mansion that remains one of the most noticed and photographed houses in Prospect Park South. There are at least two other Colonial Revivals in the district with large columned porticos, but this one is the biggest, and most out of scale. It’s so big, it has eyebrow windows on the sides. I’d love to see that room, as well as the rest of the interior.

Related Stories

• Building of the Day: 1305 Albemarle Road
• Prospect Park South Mansion Asking $2.988 Million Speeds to Contract
• Colonial Revival Architecture: Quintessential American Homes Inspired by Our Patriotic Past

Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.