Part of a striking row, a picturesque and rarely available English Arts and Crafts-style house by noted 19th century Brooklyn architect William Tubby is little altered since he designed it. Full of charm and quirky nooks, the house includes the original stair and carved wood mantels, no two exactly alike.

Plans were filed in 1892 for 10 brick and stone houses with three stories over a basement at 384 to 396 Lafayette Avenue, with one of the 10 wrapping around to Classon Avenue. As Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen described it, Tubby took elements of the English Arts and Crafts and translated them to Brooklyn row houses “designed to look twice their width by a clever use of rooflines and mirror imaging.”

Only 14 feet wide, 396 Lafayette Avenue makes the most of its narrow lot with a center stair knitting together rooms that run the full width of the property. The two-family house is set up as double duplexes, and could work as a family share or a single-family. Or, like its twin next door, it could be reconfigured with a triplex over a garden-level rental.

While most of the original details and floor plan are intact, and it looks to be in move-in condition, a new owner might want to strip woodwork, smooth plaster, restore wood floors, and update wet rooms to make the most of the dwelling.

The parlor level duplex has picture rails, moldings, and some period mantels, including one in the dining room with built-in display cases with leaded glass doors.

Off the dining room in a small rear extension is the kitchen, with wood cabinets, white appliances, and a door leading to the rear yard. There isn’t a full view of the kitchen in the upper duplex, which also serves as the laundry room, but the glimpse provided shows it might also be in need of a style tweak.

Bedrooms for the lower duplex are on the garden level and the only full bath in the unit is accessible via the rear bedroom. The rear yard has paved pathways around a central planting bed.

Near the Bed Stuy and Clinton Hill border and within walking distance of Pratt Institute, the row has a connection to Pratt founder Charles Pratt. While the wealthy Pratt was in the oil business, he also dabbled in housing with his Morris Building Company. The firm built a number of speculative houses, including this row.

The property at No. 396 hasn’t changed hands since the 1980s. Julie Kirkland of WorldWide Homes Inc. has the listing, and the ask is $2.5 million. What do you think?

[Listing: 396 Lafayette Avenue | Broker: WorldWide Homes, Inc.] GMAP

stair hall with original stair, pocket doors
bedroom with a mantel with a mirror and original tile surround
dinging room with wood mantel with leaded glass display cabinets
kitchen with wood cabinets, white appliances
living room with wood floor
bedroom with exposed brick wall, en suite bath
bathroom with white fixtures, beige tile
upstairs landing with view into a bedroom
living room with mantel with display shelves, mirror
living room with mantel, window seat
bedroom with moldings, wall to wall carpet and view into kitchen
bedroom with wall to wall carpet, mantel with mirror
bedroom with mantel with mirror, wall to wall carpet
bedroom with two windows, picture rail
top floor bedroom set up as an office
bathroom with marble tile and a shower
paved rear yard with a center rectangle of soil for planting
arched front entrance
floorplan showing two duplexes both with kitchens in the rear extension

[Photos via WorldWide Homes, Inc.]

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