Crown Heights

Romanesque Revival Crown Heights Row House With Mantels, Passthrough Asks $2.9 Million

The few photos available show enough details to make this early 20th century row house an intriguing possibility.

by Susan De Vries

06/29/2023 3 minute 0

The few photos available show enough details to make this early 20th century row house an intriguing possibility. At 693 St. Johns Place, the 18.67-foot-wide house has mantels, wainscoting, and a passthrough with original built-ins and sink. Most of the photos in the listing are virtually staged, so the exact condition of some of those details isn’t clear.

Painted a soft yellow, the stone facade with its arched windows and garland adorned cornice is similar in style to others along the row. Developer Otto Singer was building on this block in 1904 and a Brooklyn Daily Eagle report on construction in the Bedford Section shows a similar Romanesque Revival style house further down the block. By the fall of 1904 records show that Singer sold No. 693 to William W. Southworth, the first owner of the property. The house sits outside of any locally designated historic district, but is within the National Register eligible Bedford (Crow) Hill Historic District.

A legal single-family, the petite house with a low stoop is set up with two units according to the floor plan, one per floor. An I-card from 1946 shows a similar arrangement; it is noted as a single-family dwelling with two units. On the first floor, the kitchen and living room are at the rear with a bedroom in the former front parlor and a bathroom added to the space.

Upstairs, a small kitchen is at the rear, off one of the two large bedrooms joined by the passthrough. There is a full bath and the expected small bonus space off the street-facing bedroom.

There aren’t any photos of the kitchens. The listing describes one as having tile floors, stainless steel appliances, and a dishwasher. One of the three full baths is shown. Recently updated, it has a claw foot tub and an oversized hex tile floor.

Laundry is in the below-grade basement along with recreation space, a full bath, and utilities. The virtually staged photos show a tile floor in the basement and according to the listing there is radiant floor heat.

The house last sold in 2007 for $754,700. Listed with Anthony Morris and Lisa James of Corcoran, it is priced at $2.9 million. Does that sound about right, considering size and condition?

[Listing: 693 St. Johns Place | Broker: Corcoran] GMAP