This one-bedroom co-op for sale in an mid-19th century brick townhouse in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District is petite yet charming, with a wood-burning fireplace and nicely updated kitchen and bathroom.

Original details include simple and elegant mid-19th century moldings and high ceilings. The living room has a wood-burning fireplace with a stately wood mantel that may be a later addition but is in keeping with the building’s original Greek Revival style.

It also has an unusual feature known as a wood rug. Thinner than regular parquet, it’s made of thin hardwood strips glued to a muslin backing and was installed on top of existing subfloors in the late 19th century when the vogue for varnished floors eclipsed wall to wall carpeting.

A jewel box of a kitchen is located in an arched niche and is open to the living room. It has white Shaker-style cabinets, a stainless steel gas stove, a black stone counter, and an island topped by butcher block. Neither a refrigerator nor dishwasher are visible or indicated on the floor plan.

The wood rug continues into the bedroom, which is not terribly big at 11 by 8 feet, according to the floor plan. Part of the square footage is consumed by a curtained-off area that serves as a closet.

Off the entry is the clean-lined bathroom, which appears to be in good condition, with a bathtub and shower lined in white subway tile, a large double-doored white Shaker-style medicine cabinet, simple white wall-hung sink, and small gray square tiles on the floor. There’s also a closet in the entrance hallway.


Save this listing on Brownstoner Real Estate to get price, availability and open house updates as they happen >>


Presumably a walkup, apartment No. 5 at 44 Remsen Street seems to be located on the third or fourth floor in the front half of the five-story, 10-unit building. It was originally constructed around 1844 in the Greek Revival style but later alterations added a mansard roof that matches much of the block and removed the stoop, according to the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The facade is red brick with simple bands of stone and lintels slightly projecting from the surface, and the mansard roof is topped by a cast-iron parapet. It’s located close to the Brooklyn Promenade, and overlooks a stretch of fabulous backyard gardens, which can also be viewed from the street on the other side of the block, along Grace Court. (There was, incidentally, a preservation battle before the 1965 historic district designation that saved the gardens from the planned construction of an apartment building.)

Maintenance is relatively high at $840 a month, probably reflecting the high property taxes in Brooklyn Heights. Listed by Steve Halprin of Douglas Elliman, the apartment is asking $549,000. Is it an attractive deal, all things considered?

[Listing: 44 Remsen Street | Broker: Elliman] GMAP

44 remsen street

44 remsen street

44 remsen street

44 remsen street

44 remsen street

44 remsen street

Related Stories

Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.

Brooklyn in Your Inbox

* indicates required
 
Subscribe

What's Your Take? Leave a Comment