House of the Day

Stately Bed Stuy Brownstone With Ornate Woodwork, Tile, Stained Glass Asks $2.36 Million

Built in 1888, it got the works from noted architect Isaac Reynolds, including mahogany woodwork, Minton-style tile and elaborate mantels.

by Stephen Zacks

12/11/2019 3 minute 0

It’s not too often houses like this one come along. Replete with magnificent historic details, this 1886 Neo-Grec brownstone in Bed Stuy at 195 Hancock Street was designed by well-known architect Isaac Delamater Reynolds. The listing (and additional photos the agents shared) shows sumptuous and well-preserved finishes such ornate plasterwork, woodwork, tile, built-ins and six mantels.

The entry has a colorful encaustic tile floor, a tall pier mirror with built-in bench and coat hooks, impressive wainscoting, and a grand staircase with a substantial newel post.

The front parlor is also elaborate, with gilded plasterwork, two more towering pier mirrors, parquet, shutters, and elaborate woodwork, which an early ad for the row specifies is mahogany.

Pocket doors and a fretwork screen lead to the rear parlor, which has all the bells and whistles of the era, including built-in display cabinets and an elaborately carved wood mantel and gas fireplace with Minton-style tile.

Photo details also give close-ups of tile, carved woodwork, fancy plaster details, a colorful stained glass window and original brass hardware.

There is a catch. The layout shows a triplex under a top-floor rental, with a kitchen in a rear garden extension and another on the top floor, but a 1966 certificate of occupancy indicates the home had two floor-through apartments on the garden and parlor levels and six class B furnished rooms on the two upper floors. The listing notes that the property comes with a certificate of non-harassment, which is required to legally convert the home back to a two-family. (The layout of the SRO units does not appear to have been changed.)

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The floor plan shows intact passthroughs on the third floor, and the house has 3.5 bathrooms.

195 Hancock Street is in the Bedford Historic District and is one of a row of eight, according to the designation report.

Agents Morgan Munsey and Perri Defino of Compass noted more photos and a longer description are coming to the listing. In same family since at least 1974, the house is asking $2.36 million. What do you think of it?

[Listing: 195 Hancock Street | Broker: Compass] GMAP