House of the Day

Park Slope Brownstone With Opulent Woodwork, Mantels, Built-ins, Central Air Asks $5.6 Million

Lush with woodwork featuring striking mother of pearl inlays, this Park Slope brownstone also offers some modern amenities like updated bathrooms and central air.

parlor with mantel and stained glass in 854 president street

by Susan De Vries

01/23/2023 4 minute 0

Lush with woodwork featuring striking mother of pearl inlays, this Park Slope brownstone also offers some modern amenities like updated bathrooms and central air. At 854 President Street, it also has a location just a short stroll to the green pleasures of Prospect Park.

Within the Park Slope Historic District, the 20-foot-wide house is one of a row commenced in 1888 by architect and developer William Flanagan. The three-story houses all have L-shaped stoops, curved bays and Neo-Grec bracketed cornices.

A budget-minded makeover of the house by then “up-and-coming interior designer” Tamara Eaton was featured in Brownstoner’s Insider column in 2015. The period details in the estate-condition house were kept intact and the interior given a bit of “gloss and glamour” with white walls, wallpaper, and light fixtures.

The legal two-family is set up as a spacious single-family with parlor, dining, and kitchen on the parlor level and two floors of bedroom space above. The garden level could be used as as a one-bedroom rental or guest suite, but the living and kitchen area does have the only working wood-burning fireplace in the house.

On the parlor level, the woodwork is unpainted and glowing, including the pier mirror in the entry, the original stair, and a richly ornamented mantel with mother of pearl inlay. That original design accent is repeated on some of the door moldings as well as the imposing built-in in the adjacent dining room. That room also has another mantel with mirror and original tile work.

A kitchen is in the rear extension and it is small but convenient for entertaining and well equipped, with plenty of counter space. It has a tile floor, light wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances, including a dishwasher. The kitchen with the bolder statement is downstairs, with a bank of bright blue cabinets next to the aforementioned fireplace. A mud room, with an adjoining powder room, provides access to the rear yard.

On the second floor are front and rear bedrooms, both with mantels, joined by a passthrough that isn’t shown, but has its marble sinks and built-ins intact, according to the listing. The renovated full bath on the floor has white fixtures and bold black-and-white ‘Superstar’ wallpaper by Phyllis Morris.

Upstairs are three more bedrooms, one fairly petite, along with laundry and another full bath. The listing notes that in addition to central air, updates included electrical and plumbing.

While Prospect Park is close, the house does have a full backyard in the rear with raised planting beds, an expanse of lawn, and a patio.

The property sold for $2.733 million in 2010. Debra Bondy of Compass has the listing, and the house is priced at $5.6 million. What do you think of it?

[Listing: 854 President Street | Broker: Compass] GMAP