Real Estate

Bed Stuy Queen Anne With Fancy Trim, Wood Mantels, Modest Updates Asks $2.4 Million

This brick and brownstone townhouse has undeniable curb appeal, charming original details and practical updates.

by Stephen Zacks

02/10/2020 4 minute 0

This Bed Stuy townhouse is divided into three units yet it has undeniable curb appeal, charming original details and practical updates. Dating from the 1880s, old maps show, 440 Greene Avenue is part of a row of Queen Anne-style houses designed by well-known 19th century Brooklyn architect Amzi Hill.

The brownstone and red brick house has a black-painted gabled topper, fancy patterned brickwork and terra-cotta ornament. The brownstone lower half has Romanesque touches such as arches and rough-cut stone.

Narrow at 16.67 feet wide, the four-story house is configured as two floor-through rental apartments over a garden duplex. The duplex is the most well-preserved of the bunch, with extensive preserved woodwork, two mantels and a console mirror.

The rear parlor (used as a bedroom) is outfitted with built-in glass-fronted cabinetry, and a wood mantel is hidden behind the bed in the listing photos. The crown molding features dentils, rounded patterns and fluting that show off the woodwork. The floors here and in most of the bedrooms are parquet, with hardwood in the front parlor, which also includes a large pier mirror.

Downstairs, the dining room is also set up as a bedroom, and it too has a wood mantel hidden by a bed, as well as wainscoting and parquet. The garden-level eat in kitchen takes up the back half of the house. The cabinets are Shaker style, accompanied by stainless steel appliances and tan floor tiles.

Like the other kitchens and baths in the house, it is not extravagant, but looks to be eminently livable and not too out of style. The garden is covered in wood boards and surrounded by a wood picket fence. At the rear, a tree and temporary bamboo fence on sloping ground could probably use some attention.

The two upstairs apartments feature white-painted trim and kitchens open to the living/diving rooms, with breakfast bars and garden-variety cabinets. The bathrooms are modern and clean lined with tile in neutral colors. A whimsical Queen Anne style mantel in one of the rear bedrooms is painted white.

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A history of a neighboring house by Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen documents the design of this one.

Located in a stretch of Bed Stuy close to Clinton Hill and Pratt Institute, 440 Greene Avenue, listed by Traci Byers of Halstead, is asking $2.4 million. Is it priced right?

[Listing: 440 Greene Avenue | Broker: Halstead] GMAP