Real Estate

Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture Puts William Tubby-Designed Manse Up for Sale for $30 Million

For almost 75 years this detail-filled neo-Jacobean manse with Prospect Park views has been home to the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, but this week the organization put the impressive property on the market for $30 million.

interior of 53 prospect park west brooklyn

by Susan De Vries

05/27/2021 0

For almost 75 years, this detail-filled neo-Jacobean manse with Prospect Park views has been home to the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, but this week the organization put the impressive property on the market for $30 million.

Originally commissioned by wealthy manufacturer William H. Childs and wife Nellie S. Childs in 1900, the once single-family home at 53 Prospect Park West was designed by noted architect William Tubby and sited on a large lot that wraps around to 2nd Street. Tubby adorned the red brick facade with its most striking feature, a stepped gable lined in limestone. In 1907, Tubby returned to add an extension, containing a sun room with a billiard room below, to the already large house.

park slope william childs house prospect park west — Clockwise from left: The house in 1902. Image via Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The library in 1902. The dining room in 1902. Images via Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Despite its use as a center for educational programs and frequent event rental spot since the Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture announced they purchased the property in 1948, an amazing amount of original detail survives in the roughly 5,724-square-foot interior. There are coffered and beamed ceilings, wainscoting, mantels and Tiffany Studio stained-glass windows.

While it certainly would make a grand home to live in or headquarters for another organization, it also seems likely that it might be snapped up by a developer with an eye for turning it into condos and perhaps expanding into part of the 9,000-square-feet-plus garden. The property sits within the Park Slope Historic District, so any alterations would be under the review of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

If the property does sell for the ask of $30 million, it would set a record for the borough. The house is listed with Judith Lief and Talia Magen of Corcoran.