Sharply updated in the latest fashion in its kitchen and bathrooms, this sprawling early 20th century shingled house with a peaked ogee roof and wraparound porch has wonderful preserved details inside and out. It also has its own driveway and a two-car garage in back.

The ogee theme continues on the exterior, where window surrounds on the three-story octagonal tower beside the porch are accented with incised ogee shapes. In the gable over the porch, peaked window molding echoes the peak of the gable.

The sprawling house at 765 East 17th Street has two parlors (including a “media room”), a dining room, huge kitchen, seven bedrooms, and 3.5 bathrooms, one on each floor. Interior details include impressive parquet, two remarkable mantels, and an elaborate dining room.

Within the octagonal front room, here set up as a media room, the parquet is bordered with woven inlaid wood patterns and three windows punch through three sides. The living and dining room beyond the vestibule are also faceted in plan, with three sided bays in each.

The living room, which is open to the stair, has, facing the entrance, a distinctive black painted mantel with scrolled neo-Classical columns, original tile, metal surround with seashell motif, and the original gas insert. The room, which its original occupants might have called a “hall” or “stair hall,” also has a distinctive striated parquet border and deep crown molding running around the room at picture rail height.

Past wood pocket doors, the dining room has all of the extravagant exposed wood details of an Edwardian suburban dwelling, as well as a mantel topped with a cabinet enclosed with ornate carved doors. The ceiling is coffered, and the walls are adorned with bracketed plate rails, wainscoting and a stained glass window.

The spacious kitchen, in the rear, has a wood floor, white Shaker-style cabinets on two or three walls, dark stone counters, and stainless steel appliances. There is plenty of room for a large table in the middle.

The second and third floors have four bedrooms and three bedrooms, respectively. The renovated bathrooms, one on each floor, both have subway tile walls with black bullnosed borders and black hexagonal floor tiles. One has a curved designer bathtub and a gray Shaker-style vanity, the other a glass-enclosed shower and a pedestal sink.

The neo-Colonial-meets-Arts and Crafts staircase has a stained glass window. The house has mini split air conditioning, many closets and a “bonus room” on the top floor for additional storage. Laundry and another bathroom are in the cellar.

The house is in the Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park Historic District and originally belonged to the Fiske Terrace development. Developed by the T. B. Ackerson Company, it was designed by architect A. White Pierce. A great 1906 ad for the development describes the Ackerson Houses as “artistic, commodious, economical,” containing “all improvements and a few other things not found in congested city,” capturing the desire to escape late-19th century tenements and townhouses that dominated much of 20th century planning. It advertised “daylight on four sides; sunshine, clean air, quietness and privacy.” The designation report calls it Arts and Crafts with Colonial Revival elements.


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The updates were installed since the house last sold in 2015 for $1.28 million. Marketed by agents Anna Levenshus and Sarah Chamberlin of Compass, the house is now priced at $1.875 million. Will it get ask?

[Listing: 765 East 17th Street | Broker: Compass] GMAP

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

765 east 17th street

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