House of the Day

Park Slope Brownstone With Mantels, Pier Mirror, Central Air Asks $4.795 Million

Complete with its own stoop-guarding griffins, this Park Slope brownstone has an exterior enlivened with ornamentation and an interior rich with woodwork.

by Susan De Vries

04/19/2021 4 minute 0

Complete with its own stoop-guarding griffins, this Park Slope brownstone has an exterior enlivened with ornamentation and an interior rich with woodwork, including a pier mirror, mantels, built-ins and pocket doors. Just a short stroll from Prospect Park at 529 3rd Street, the 1890s townhouse was renovated after it last sold in 2002 so there are some modern amenities like central air mixed in with the original details.

Located within the Park Slope Historic District, the house is one of a row where the architect mixed a bit of Queen Anne with Neo-Grec. The architect remained unidentified in the designation report, but builder Edward (aka E. H. ) Mowbray was identified as behind the construction of the row immediately to the west. Records show that Mowbray filed for construction of that row in March of 1891, acting as architect and builder. More digging showed that in October of the same year he filed for another row of three story and basement brownstone dwellings on the block, likely including this house. Again, Mowbray acted as owner, architect and builder for the houses.

The listing mentions that a portrait of a daughter — it doesn’t provide a name — of Edwin Clark and Grace Litchfield hangs in the house as purportedly the first owner of the property. More likely that portrait, if it is of a former owner, is of Phoebe (Phebe) Lazelere Spence. Builder Mowbray sold No. 529 in 1895 to John L. Spence, a real estate broker and husband of Phoebe. The house stayed in the Spence family until at least the early 1950s.

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While a two-family, the house is currently used as a single family with a kitchen at the rear of the parlor floor and a guest suite (sans kitchen) on the garden floor. The parlor floor is filled with all the detail mentioned, including an ornate mantel with lion head ornamented shelves and an original tile surround.

The U-shaped kitchen at the rear is small compared to the grand scale of the parlor and dining rooms but it has wood cabinets with bin pulls on the lowers and two windows with the original moldings intact.

Above is a full-floor suite with a bedroom at the front and a sitting room at the rear. Each has its original marble sink and built-ins tucked into an arched niche, with pocket doors dividing the passthrough.

There are three more bedrooms on the top floor, along with room for a home office.

The garden level still has its original wainscoting and built-ins along with another mantel. The guest suite is at the rear with access out to a mudroom and the paved patio ringed with planting beds.

Interior renovation work was completed in 2003 but, according to the listing, there have been more recent projects including the new roof in 2020 and LPC-approved work this year on the bluestone sidewalk.

Before the renovation, the house sold for $1.5 million in 2002. Now listed with Maria Ryan and Libby Ryan of Compass it is priced at $4.795 million. What do you think?

[Listing: 529 3rd Street | Broker: Compass] GMAP