Condo/Co-op of the Day Brooklyn Heights

Heights French Flat With Two Bedrooms, Mantel, Wallpaper Asks $1.29 Million

High ceilings, a grand fireplace, and a new kitchen are among the perks of this two-bedroom co-op in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District.

living room with arched doorway, recessed lighting

Photo via Compass

by Cate Corcoran

01/14/2026 0

In an early apartment building in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, this two-bedroom walkup combines 19th century details with more modern updates, including a chic green kitchen with terra-cotta tile floor. It’s on the second floor of 39 Remsen Street, a four-story, 15-unit brick and brownstone building.

Built as a high-end apartment house in 1878, it was designed by architect George L. Morse in the then-new Neo-Grec style and known as The Alden. Numerous articles at the time praised its design with “ample air and light,” a dumbwaiter for groceries, a steam elevator for trunks, wine storage, interior courtyard, and two apartments of eight rooms each per floor. Designed for “rich families,” the units were finished in hardwoods, with “Eastlake” dining rooms, and elaborately carved wood mantels with stone surrounds and tile hearths.

The apartments have since been broken up into smaller units, including this one, which comprises five rooms. The foyer has been papered in William Morris’ Fruit wallpaper. The living room has two tall windows over paneling and a ceiling perhaps as high as 11 feet, according to the listing.

An arched opening leads to the hall and a dining area. In the kitchen is pistachio colored cabinetry to the ceiling, marble counters, and a dishwasher. A washer and dryer are tucked into a closet.

Likely the apartment’s former dining room, the main bedroom is large, with a grand mantel and a corner built-in and closet. The second bedroom is more compact at just over 8 by 8 feet.

Clad in subway tile and marble, the bathroom has a step-in shower in lieu of a tub. There are five closets total, as well as basement storage.

Maintenance is $2,560 a month. The unit last sold in 2023 for $1.04 million, before the kitchen renovation, and the buyer pays an unspecified flip tax, the listing says. An open house is set for Sunday, January 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Listed by Deborah Zolan of Compass, the apartment is asking $1.295 million. What do you think?

[Listing: 39 Remsen Street #2C | Broker: Compass] GMAP