Condo/Co-op of the Day

Sprawling Park Slope French Flat With Dining Room, Three Bedrooms Asks $1.985 Million

This purpose-built “French flat” has been reconfigured for modern living but retains its grand sweep and original details.

interior of unit 3 953 president street brooklyn

by Cate Corcoran

11/09/2021 4 minute 0

Outside of a Woody Allen film, few have seen a circa-1900 apartment this big. A purpose-built “French flat,” it’s one of four that debuted in a Neoclassical limestone building at the turn of the 20th century.

Located on the third floor of 953 President Street in the Park Slope Historic District near Grand Army Plaza, the unit has been reconfigured for modern living but retains its grand sweep and original details.

Originally advertised as a seven- or eight-room apartment with maid’s room for rent for $58 a month only to “small, select families,” it now has a dining room, office, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, in-unit laundry, and a breathtaking number of closets.

Unpainted woodwork and parquet floors with elaborate inlaid borders extend through the flat. The entry has stained glass flanking the door, a built-in seat that flips up for storage, a mirror and coat hooks. The parlor has a bay window, mantel with columns and tile. Beyond a fretwork screen is a library or office.

Also adjacent is the dining room, bookended by pocket doors and decorated in bee-themed Aesthetic Movement wallpaper by Candace Wheeler. The updated kitchen has wood cabinets, soapstone counters, wood floor and Bertazzoni stove.

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When new, the kitchen and dining room were together in the rear of the apartment, as was typical at the time. The original dining room is now the master bedroom, but it retains its paneling and columned mantel with tile. It has two closets and a modern en suite bath with shower and laundry that includes a vented gas dryer.

Two more good-size bedrooms are down the hall, both with closets. The shared bathroom is large, with white subway wall tile, hex floor tile, pedestal sink and a tile-in Waterworks tub. Altogether there are nine closets, including two walk-ins, one of which could also work as office space, according to the floor plan.

The unit is now a co-op, and the monthly maintenance is $1,350. If you would like to see this rarity in person, it is having a by-appointment open house on Thursday, November 11 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Listed by Michael Tannen and Judith Lief of Corcoran, the apartment is asking $1.985 million. What do you think?

[Listing: 953 President Street, #3 | Broker: Corcoran] GMAP