A huge one-family house designed by a famous architect is currently rising on a prominent corner in Midwood.

Located at 3420 Bedford Avenue, at the corner of Avenue M, the 20,000-square-foot home is designed by the firm of Brooklyn-born Robert A.M. Stern, perhaps best known for his former role as dean of the Yale School of Architecture. The homeowner is Ralph Herzka, the chairman and CEO of Meridian Capital.

house

The mansion, which takes up nearly half a block, replaces eight structures (five houses and three garages) on what were formerly five separate lots. The 35-foot-high structure is two stories, with a two-car parking garage and a soaring 22.5-foot-high space that is open between the two floors, according to building permits.

A green construction fence currently wraps around the property. The mansion has topped out, and house wrap has been installed on roughly half the structure.

The rendering shows a fairly classical design, but gives no hint as to what the final materials will be. The main structure is symmetrical, with two bays and a hipped roof, formed by three similar structures connected in an H shape. To the side is a lower structure resembling a carriage house where the garages are located.

rendering
Rendering posted on the construction fence

Herzka, who began buying up properties on the block in 1994, also owns another home across the street, located at 3441 Bedford Avenue.

Although this appears to be the architect firm’s first single-family home in Brooklyn, they are no strangers to the borough. Other buildings the company has designed include the Brooklyn Law School at 250 Joralemon Street in Downtown Brooklyn, which the architectural historian and writer Francis Morrone called the best building built in Brooklyn since World War II, and the building shared by Uncommon Charter High School and Achievement First Brooklyn High School at 1480 Atlantic Avenue in Crown Heights.

construction site

Buildings by globally recognized architects are rare in Brooklyn. Enrique Norten of TEN Arquitectos, Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang, SHoP Architects and Gensler, which designed Etsy’s Dumbo headquarters, are notable exceptions.

construction site

[Photos by Craig Hubert]

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