Condo/Co-op of the Day Clinton Hill

Clinton Hill Victorian Apartment With Mantels, Roof Rights Asks $1.6 Million

In an 1890s elevator building, the co-op unifies original details such as picture rails and stained glass with neutral finishes.

clinton hill - living room with wood mantel, wood floor

Photo via Brown Harris Stevens

by Susan De Vries

05/06/2026 0

On the top floor of an 1890s apartment building, this Clinton Hill unit has original style with high ceilings, mantels, wood floors, and pocket doors. The renovated unit also has the potential for a bit of private outdoor space on the roof. The elevator building is at 126 Greene Avenue, also known as 385 Clinton Avenue, in the Clinton Hill Historic District.

Plans for an apartment complex with two four-story buildings were filed in 1897 by owners Kluber & Ryan. The construction required the demolition of the wood frame house on the site and the plans were viewed by some in the neighborhood with alarm. According to an article in the Times Union that year, a delegation of Clinton Avenue residents swept into City Hall to try to put a stop the construction of the apartment houses on their scenic avenue, but the construction permit had already been issued.

Architect Frank Holmberg’s design for the corner lot reads as one building. The brown brick exterior is ornamented with bands of stone and quoining and topped with a bracketed cornice. There are entrances on both avenues, each framed by columns. By late 1898, 385 Clinton Avenue was being advertised as the “handsomest apartment house” in Brooklyn with elevators and other modern amenities.

Original filings indicate each building was designed to accommodate nine families. The complex now has 16 apartments. An i-card from 1903 shows that the layout for this five-room unit hews closely to the original plan. Rooms, including a living room and two bedrooms, radiate off a central hall.

The use of some of the rooms has shifted: The primary bedroom was originally the dining room, and the “study” off the parlor was the second bedroom. A closet has been carved out of the study, and the kitchen has expanded into a pantry.

Finishes are neutral throughout with white walls and trim. Black and white tile provides a graphic touch in the updated kitchen and bathroom.

In the living room the wood mantel has an original tile surround, and a small stained glass window adds period charm. Pocket doors open into the study and one of the two bedrooms, so there is the opportunity for a flexible layout if a new owner prefers to have a dining room.

The kitchen boasts windows on two exposures, white cabinets, and black countertops. There is space for a petite table.

The primary bedroom has a columned stone mantel, and both bedrooms have picture rails and two windows, but neither has a closet. The only closet in the apartment is a walk-in in the central hallway. However, the unit does come with a deeded storage space.

The apartment also includes access to the roof and, according to the listing, there are approved plans for a private roof deck.

Amenities include a part-time super, shared garden, and laundry. Maintenance for this unit is $1,542 a month.

The co-op last sold in 2018 for $1.325 million. Mary Priebe of Brown Harris Stevens has the current listing, and the apartment is priced at $1.6 million. Worth the ask?

[Listing: 126 Greene Avenue #4W | Broker: Brown Harris Stevens] GMAP