Real Estate

One-Bedroom in Grand Brooklyn Heights Manse With Mantels, Wood Floors Asks $2,500 a Month

Offering up some architectural cachet, this one-bedroom rental is in an 1890s manse with a hard-to-miss stately presence on the already interesting Joralemon Street.

by Susan De Vries

04/22/2021 4 minute 0

Offering up some architectural cachet, this one-bedroom rental is in an 1890s manse with a hard-to-miss stately presence on the already interesting Joralemon Street. In addition to some intriguing history, the apartment has two decorative mantels, wood floors and a spacious bedroom.

Built in 1890 for Daniel and Caroline Chauncey, 129 Joralemon Street is the work of architect Charles Pierrepont Henry (aka C.P.H.) Gilbert. When notice of its construction appeared in the Real Estate Record and Guide, the design was described as having an exterior and interior “Colonial in style” and Gilbert did indeed include garland flourishes, a balustrade and a Palladian window amidst the ornamentation of the eclectic facade. Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen put the house, with its griffins, oriel windows and riot of detail, into the architectural melting pot that was the popular Queen Anne style of the time.

The Chauncey family held some glittering receptions in the house before turning it over to the National League for Women’s Service for the duration of World War I. By the 1940s, the house was already divided into 14 units and two furnished rooms, according to a certificate of occupancy and I-card. A rental at that time might cost you $115 a month for a three-room “modern apartment.”

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In somewhat more recent history, the exterior served as a stand-in for a post office in the 2008 “A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa,” which includes a cameo by then-mayor Michael Bloomberg.

This second-floor unit is decidedly more modest than the ornate exterior but it does have a living room with a stained glass fanlight, a decorative mantel and built-in shelving. The wood floors with an inlaid border extend through the apartment and down a narrow hallway to the bedroom. It appears generously sized and has four windows and another decorative mantel. While there is no floor plan, photos seem to show two closets in the bedroom and one in the living room.

There is a separate windowed kitchen with white cabinets and appliances and a runner currently covering a black and white tile floor.

In the bathroom, there is a vintage tub, with a rather small-looking shower head, and brown tile on the floors and walls.

Listed with Maryam Daghmoumi of Douglas Elliman it is priced at $2,500 a month. Worth the ask?

[Listing: 129 Joralemon Street, #2D | Broker: Douglas Elliman] GMAP