70 Willow Street Hits Market
The listing’s not up yet, but the historic and storied house (Truman Capote lived there from 1955 to 1965) at 70 Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights is reportedly hitting the market today with an eye-popping asking price of $18,000,000. Here’s an excerpt from today’s Daily News article about the 18-room 1839 mansion: With 11 fireplaces,…
The listing’s not up yet, but the historic and storied house (Truman Capote lived there from 1955 to 1965) at 70 Willow Street in Brooklyn Heights is reportedly hitting the market today with an eye-popping asking price of $18,000,000. Here’s an excerpt from today’s Daily News article about the 18-room 1839 mansion:
With 11 fireplaces, parking for four cars, a mural copied from the Kennedy White House, a back porch and a garden like something out of a Southern estate, the Brooklyn Heights mansion is touted as the finest house in the borough’s finest neighborhood. “It’s like living in a country estate in the middle of New York City,” said Karen Heyman, the Sotheby’s broker selling the property. “It takes your breath away the minute you walk in.”
If the asking price were achieved, it would be 50 percent higher than the standing record for a private house in the borough. Until the listing’s up, you can see a couple of interior photos on a post we did back in 2007 when the house was on the market as a $40,000-a-month rental. GMAP
Update: The listing is now online!
I have no dog in this fight, but I think it’s crazy the owner listed the house with PDE instead of someone like Kevin Carberry. I think the owner got sold a bill of goods about PDE’s ability to draw in some rich Euro buyer.
Also, to nitpick, when Adrian Van Sinderen built the house, while the property may have extended all the way back to Columbia Heights, it was because it sat on 2 or more lots, the others of which were later sold off. The lots themselves were not oversize.
Whatever the merits of the house itself, the future of the JW building is a big drag.
In an episode of “Mad Men” the head of Sterling Cooper buys a Rothko and hangs it is his office. He asks the people at he agency what they think, and they try to analyze it and pretentiously make aesthetic judgments. Finally the old honcho shrugs and says that by next year it should be worth twice what he paid for it.
Bingo! That’s the high art collector!
“Someone just paid 106 million for a 1930’s painting by Picasso. It makes trophy real estate seem cheap by comparison doesn’t it?” By Minard – 10:31 AM
Yes, Minard I know what you mean. This reminds me of something I read once. (No one I know!) The husband comes home and says to his wife, “So you just bought a $5,000 dress in Paris? That is an outrage!” She replies, “Well, what about that dumb $15,000 pleated and rolled
upholstery you just had installed in one of your classic cars?
“Minard; Planet Earth is calling. Benson – 11:27 AM”
Benson that is funny. You and Minard are both funny today.
Given how much patronage the B&N and movie theater get, it seems that the market has indicated that a lot of people think it’s an asset.
the porn theater was not burned out. It closed after developer bought building. Kicked out tenants including Queen pizza – not just the restaurant but where other side where could buy slices to go…was great.
Court got dreary when block was vacant – but that was development problem…not a lack of demand for commercial space on Court.
gemini10 – driveway on south side of house – and parking is back there
Ringo is correct.
It’s impossible to know how any new owners of the Jehovah building next door would use the building.
It could impact negatively on 70 Willow.
FSRG;
Well maybe I’ll soften my statement a bit. As you know, I’m pretty pro-development and generally like the work that Ratner has done. However, I believe that the UA complex is a missed opportunity. Given the wealth of nearby BH and CH, and the fact that both areas DID need more upscale retail at that time (pre-Smith Street days), I was disappointed with what was realized.
I don’t see how that development served as a catalyst for the development of Court St. I think that Court St. was bound to improve in any case, given the ongoing gentrification of teh surrounding areas.