House of the Day

Curvaceous, Well-Preserved Fort Greene Italianate With Seven Marble Mantels Asks $3.695 Million

This brownstone in the Fort Greene Historic District has big proportions and well preserved details such as carved marble mantels.

by Stephen Zacks

04/22/2019 4 minute 0

This brownstone in the Fort Greene Historic District has big proportions and well preserved details. The exact condition is unclear, but 259 Clermont Avenue is already set up as a triplex over a garden floor rental and doesn’t appear to need much.

Built around 1867 or 1868, the four-story two-family is 21 feet wide with tall ceilings and nearly floor-to-ceiling windows on the parlor floor. Its many well-preserved details include handsome carved marble mantels, pocket doors with etched glass, plaster crown molding, and the original curved staircase with (presumably) mahogany railing and newel post.

The dark stained trim in the entry and hall makes the most of the property’s elaborate Italianate arched details, such as its arched double doors. The parlor-level floors look to be refinished without stain, the light wood and white walls accentuating the contrast of the dramatic doorway trim. Modern light fixtures and the light floors give the space a loft-like feel.

The marble mantels with cast iron summer covers and keystones — there are seven mantels altogether in the house — also show off the Italianate curves. In the kitchen in the rear of the parlor floor, a swooping alcove over the countertop puts a last exclamation mark on the public spaces of the triplex.

The open kitchen has an island and a door to a terrace with step to the garden. The kitchen hasn’t been updated with new appliances, but otherwise most everything appears to be in place.

Upstairs are five bedrooms spread over two floors, with more of the light-colored floors, marble mantels and another arched plaster niche. Each floor has a full bathroom and abundant closets, according to the floor plan. A circa 1900 bathroom retains its porcelain hex tiles and clawfoot tub.

Save this listing on Brownstoner Real Estate to get price, availability and open house updates as they happen >>

Located in a very central area of Fort Greene a few blocks from the park, 259 Clermont Avenue belongs to a pair of brownstone Italianate buildings. The designation report notes that they’re nearly identical to the nine townhouses at Nos. 237-253 built at the same time. They all have heavy bracketed and arched door and window hoods and arched wooden cornices accented with dentils and foliate carvings.

The listing, from Douglas (Doug) Bowen, Zia O’Hara, and Simon Anderson of Douglas Elliman, claims the house measures 3,830 square feet. It’s asking $3.695 million, or about $965 per square foot.

Does that sound about right for the location and historic details?

[Listing: 259 Clermont Avenue | Broker: Elliman] GMAP