Flatlands

Flatlands Semi-Detached Brick Tudor With Mantel, Rumpus Room, Garage Asks $719K

A new owner could boost the charm of this 1930s semi-detached brick house with a few updates while retaining some fun vintage details like a rumpus room with built-in bar.

by Susan De Vries

12/12/2022 5 minute 0

A new owner could boost the charm of this 1930s semi-detached brick house with a few updates while retaining some fun vintage details like a rumpus room with built-in bar. The 18-foot-wide home also has an original mantel, a generously sized kitchen and a detached garage.

Dating to 1931, the single-family at 1420 East 46th Street in Flatlands is one of a number of tapestry brick houses built in Flatlands by the Cameo Construction Company. Architect Isaac Kallich designed rows of dwellings for the firm on East 45th and East 49th Street, and a certificate of occupancy identifies him as the architect behind this East 46th Street row. Trained in the Ukraine, Russia, and at New York University, Kallich pops up frequently in the early 20th century as the architect behind single-family homes and apartment houses in Brooklyn. Here, as elsewhere, he gave the house some touches of the Tudor Revival style that was popular at the time. The historic tax photo shows that there have been some updates, like the brick railing around the front yard and the roof of the entrance bay, but many of the original exterior details survive.

The simple period details continue on the interior where the original layout seems intact with living, dining and kitchen with breakfast nook on the first floor and three bedrooms and a full bath above. There isn’t a floor plan and the listing is short on description, but if it is like the other houses in the row it likely has a powder room off the kitchen and a full bath in the basement along with the vintage rumpus room.

From the photos it appears that while some rooms might needs some TLC, the house is largely move-in-ready. It hasn’t been on the market since the 1980s so likely some upgrades are needed, which could snowball to other projects.

Wood floors stretch through the living room and dining room, and the living room has what may be a signature mantel for Kallich houses. One with identical Classical-inspired details appears in other Flatlands houses he designed. Whimsical Storybook-style leaded glass windows flank either side of the mantel. An arched opening leads to the dining room and and the original stair, whose landing also provides secondary access to the kitchen.

That kitchen got an update with a tile floor, wood cabinets and brown tile backsplash. While there is a dishwasher, wall ovens and a cooktop, the refrigerator wasn’t incorporated and it stands alone in the breakfast nook.

All three bedrooms have parquet floors and share a full bath that has some of its original Deco style intact. There are green tile walls with black trim and accessories, but the tile in the tub surround and on the floor has been updated. It looks like the separate shower still exists. The powder room downstairs has the same green tile and an original sink, while the remaining full bathroom with shower got an update with brown tile and white fixtures.

For the person with the right kitschy collection, the rumpus room in the basement has a built-in bar with mirror and display shelves, a corner cabinet and a decorative brick mantel with shelving above. There’s also a beamed ceiling and metal awnings over the windows. If the owners followed the decorating advice run by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1935 there might be a red patterned tile floor underneath the current carpeting.

A small porch off the kitchen leads to the concrete paved rear yard, where there is access to the basement. The cement-block garage is reached via a shared driveway.

Listed with Masood Syed of Hidaya Real Estate, the property is priced at $719,000. What do you think?

[Listing: 1420 East 46th Street | Broker: Hidaya Real Estate] GMAP