House of the Day: 1290 Pacific Street
Wanna live in a house designed by the same architect that designed the Museum of Natural History (or a wing of it, anyway? This spectacular 2-family brick sits on a double-wide lot at 1290 Pacific Street and is absolutely dripping in details. (In addition to the museum, the architect JC Cady also desgined the Union…
Wanna live in a house designed by the same architect that designed the Museum of Natural History (or a wing of it, anyway? This spectacular 2-family brick sits on a double-wide lot at 1290 Pacific Street and is absolutely dripping in details. (In addition to the museum, the architect JC Cady also desgined the Union Methodist Church around the corner on Dean and New York Avenue.) In addition to almost 5,000 square feet of interior space, there’s also a long driveway that leads to the rear of the house. The major drawback of the house is that it is wedged between some larger apartment buildings and is a little too close to a rather noisy corner of Nostrand Avenue. Interestingly, this house was bought by a couple of British artists back in 2003 for $610,000. While renting part of the house out to some other artists, the owners renovated the house and did a lot of work on the front garden area as well. It’s tough to know what to make of the asking price of $1,450,000. On the one hand, its a one-of-a-kind house with an impeccable architectural pedigree; on the other, unfortunately many of the people who have that kind of dough to spend aren’t ready to rock Crown Heights yet, historic district or not. We hear that the owners briefly tried to go the FSBO route before handing off the Brooklyn Properties. This’ll be an interesting one to watch for sure.
1290 Pacific Street [Brooklyn Properties] GMAP P*Shark
Back to say that the interior is also very Craftsman/Mission with all of the plain quarter-sawn oak. Definitely post Victorian and Edwardian in style, even with the stained glass, which was a common feature up until the 1930’s. Early Frank Lloyd Wright is certainly relevant, as he is a part of the whole Craftsman/Mission movement in American architecture, and then he moved into his own unique signature style.
I wonder what the original kitchen looked like. I commend the owners for respecting the architecture and the details, and putting the modern conveniences around them, and not replacing them, especially in the 2 upper floor kitchens.
An architecturally beautiful house in a very unfortunate location. Very unfortunate.
This house is a majestic example of a classic four-square with Craftsman details. The porch certainly doesn’t look original. A porch stretching across the front facade would be more in keeping with the style. It would be interesting to see if the original plans are at the DOB.
This is an important house, and probably the real reason this part of Pacific Street was included in the landmarking of Crown Heights North. J.C.Cady Co. were also responsible for the design of the old Metropolitan Opera House, which used to stand on W.39th Street. (Addio, Maestro Pavarotti, BTW)
Houses like this are anomolies to standard pricing. It is a huge freestanding house on a double lot, has great architectural provenance, lots of period detail, and has a garage, to boot. All enclosed in a period wrought iron fence. It needs the right person to come along and buy it, and sooner or later someone will.
I live on this block, and have not found the need for a bullet proof vest. Granted, the corner of Nostrand is rough, but certainly not impassable. Crossing Atlantic is aided by those things called stoplights. One needs to follow those lights and not jaywalk, as traffic is zooming by, but certainly having only 2 short blocks to the A/C train, as well as to local banking, food shopping, etc is worth the trip across Atlantic. It is only dangerous if you are careless, just like most streets.
I hope the owners get at least a million for it, they deserve to have their efforts pay off for them, but I really don’t think they will get asking price. That is not so much a reflection on the neighborhood, or the block so much as the voice of reality. I hope they have an open house too! We’ve exchanged pleasantries over the years, but I would love to see inside in person.
I’ve walked by this home many times. The brickwork needs cleaning, but should make this charming place even more handsome once done. It’s a honey, and another example of the great mini-mansions that are all around Crown Heights.
Fabulous staircase, the rest of the interior is alright, but nothing that makes me jump and clap. The exterior is positively homely.
Thanks, Brownstoner, for featuring this house. 50 years ago, as I youngster, my brother, friends, and I would play in the driveway behind the gate. A little old lady lived there at the time, watching from the window. (When I saw the photo, I expected that she’d still be there!) She must have been a kind-hearted person, because she never chased us away or closed the gate. Maybe we were keeping her company in some way. (We never saw anybody go in or out, nor do I remember her ever coming outside.) Several years ago, I drove by the block and was sorry to see how broken down it had become. Maybe it’s on its way back. Let’s hope so. The building and its interior speak of a life and time that I thought were gone for good. I’ve never been touched by a piece in Bronstoner in quite the same way.
Nostalgic on Park Avenue
The kitchen is huge, you could have thirty of your closest friends helping you prepare dinner in there.
I would kill for it.
Who gives a shit about the underside of the sink?
The kitchen is crap. Nice view of the underbelly of sink.
The porch is pure Federal-revivial. It looks like it came off a house in Salem, Mass. The rest of the house is “modern” in the circa 1900 sense. I agree with the poster who sees a Wright influence here. Romaneque usually conotes a style with arched openings and brick corbbling, neither of which are present here.
I think it is a severe eclectic design. I think the porch is later but not much.
It is a peach of a house.
Who could not love it?