Brooklyn Heights

Few things sound better than living above an 1843 Brooklyn Heights brownstone with the Promenade literally steps away, and that’s what this 1,300-square-foot apartment at 28 Remsen Street has to offer. And more than that, the $1.275 million co-op offers multiple skylights that are more like sunroofs because they actually open to let in the breeze.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

April 7, 2015

Brooklyn’s Most Expensive Condo Relists for $32M, Is So Large Owners Can’t Find Each Other

Imagine this: You and your spouse have both been home for three hours, but neither one of you knows the other is there because your home is that big. It's a "problem" most New Yorkers can't fathom, but for one Brooklyn couple it's encouraged them to relist their 11,000-square-foot triplex for $32 million, making it the borough's most expensive condo listing ever. Stuart and Claire Leaf originally listed their home in May, but then took it off the market in February after getting cold feet about moving. As the Wall Street Journal reports, "The apartment is a combination of no less than nine units spanning the 10th, 11th and 12th floors of the waterfront condo One Brooklyn Bridge Park." It includes six bedrooms, two deeded parking spaces, a 3,500-bottle wine room, a gym with a rock-climbing wall, a screening room, and a 75-foot-long terrace.
Take a look around the mega-home here

Distinctive Homes

April 3, 2015

Mad for Modern: NYC Homes That Are Cooler Than Don Draper’s Park Avenue Pad

By Michelle Cohen

We admit it: We’re a bit obsessed with mid-20th century modern design–its architecturally and socially advanced concepts so often result in a perfect mix of aesthetic appeal and livability. Sometimes met with suspicion and derision in its earlier days, modernist architecture has endured the test of time and is having an enormous resurgence in popularity and appreciation. How else could you explain fans' obsession with the award-winning and pitch-perfect mid-mod sets on Matthew Weiner’s “Mad Men.” It’s often said that the best ideas in home design are the ones that make the home a great place to live; the origins of modernist design had that idea at their heart. We've rounded up a few of the city’s mid-century architectural treasures and a handful of homes that embody modernist style.
More on the 'Mad Men'sets and NYC's Mid-Century Modern gems this way

March 27, 2015

$2.2M Brooklyn Heights Loft with Gothic-Style Stained Glass Windows Is Simply Heavenly

No matter what your spiritual beliefs, we think it’s safe to argue that throughout history churches have represented some of the most beautiful architecture in the world, and the historic Presbyterian Church at 99 Clinton Street in Brooklyn Heights is no exception. Within its rich, mid-nineteenth-century stone exterior you will find this thoughtfully converted two-bedroom duplex loft, blessed with double-height ceilings, original wide-plank hardwood floors, exposed beams, and a series of stunning stained glass windows that will make living here feel like your own little piece of heaven.
Check out the gorgeous windows

Distinctive Homes

The High and Low: Two Cozy Brooklyn Heights Duplexes Battle It Out

115 Willow Street, $2.35 million (L); 108 Pierrepont Street, $575,000 (R)

March 19, 2015

The High and Low: Two Cozy Brooklyn Heights Duplexes Battle It Out

By Michelle Cohen

This freshly-listed, charming bi-level bolt-hole in prime Brooklyn Heights at 108 Pierrepont Street may be petite, but it's tucked into the same elegant neighborhood as the house-like duplex at 115 Willow Street, also new to the market, that's going for $2.35 million. Also in a beautiful, well-kept historic prewar building, with the same access to the Promenade, park and neighborhood highlights, the former rings in at a far-lower $575,000.
Compare and contrast these Brooklyn Heights duplexes with very different prices

Distinctive Homes

March 18, 2015

You’ll Instantly Warm Up to This $6.2M Brooklyn Heights Brownstone

It doesn’t take much to convince someone to head out to Brooklyn Heights, but this townhouse at 28 Garden Place (h/t Curbed) decided to pull out all the stops anyway. This $6.2 million, 3,360-square-foot brownstone features high ceilings, east and west exposures, original details and enough wood-burning fireplaces to make you forget all about this brutal winter we’ve endured.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

March 6, 2015

Original Details and Stylish Charm Collide in This $439K Brooklyn Heights Pad

This adorable one-bedroom apartment is in a brownstone at 153 Joralemon Street, right in the heart of what is arguably Brooklyn’s most prestigious neighborhood. The Brooklyn Heights pad showcases original prewar details in such a way that is just so Brooklyn, and it can be all yours for just $439,000.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

February 18, 2015

Historic Home Labeled the ‘Height of the Heights’ Can Be Yours for $7.9M

Calling all historic preservationists, townhouse connoisseurs, and brownstone lovers. If you’re looking to nerd out on original detail and old polite-society New York, we may have found just the home for you. The broker of this bauble cleverly describes it as the “height of the Heights” because of its location in a quiet cul-de-sac at the highest elevation in Brooklyn Heights. The five-story home has only had a few owners, so it’s well-preserved, and it boasts a restored brownstone façade on a 125-foot lot.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

February 17, 2015

$2.7M Countrified Brooklyn Heights Pad Offers the Best of Both Worlds

If you like your city with a side of country, you’ll love this Brooklyn Heights duplex penthouse on Remsen Street, asking $2.675 million. This place is the definition of the best of both worlds: a city pad with a bucolic vibe, original details with modern technology, plus it’s spacious and has a private planted deck while still being close to transportation and neighborhood hot spots. Yes, this penthouse definitely earns the title of most well-rounded.
More pics inside

Distinctive Homes

February 4, 2015

Brooklyn’s Most Expensive Listing Ever: A $40 Million Mansion with a Mayoral Past

There's no shortage of beauty inside, out, or around this stunning Brooklyn Heights mansion which has just hit the market for a record $40 million—the most expensive residential property ever listed in the borough. While that amount may make our mere mortal hearts skip a beat, the price tag is certainly warranted when you consider the following: It encompasses 17,500 square feet, there are 15 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, and more than 9,000 square feet of garden and outdoor space, and it boasts enough original details to make even the biggest history buff's head spin. As the listing so aptly states, "Much like a long awaited centennial celebration, a residential sale of this magnitude comes around very seldom, and when it does, quite often history is made."
Tour the spectacular $40M home here

January 29, 2015

Historic $1.4M Brooklyn Heights Charmer Solves Dilemma of Classic 1960s TV Series

As soon as we saw the country charm inside this city dwelling we couldn't help be reminded of the classic TV series Green Acres. Even if you're too young to remember the clash of wills between attorney-turned-farmer Oliver Wendell Douglas (played by Eddie Albert) and his metropolis-loving and glamorous wife Lisa (played by Eva Gabor), it doesn't mean you can't appreciate the exquisite juxtaposition of rustic beauty and urban convenience found in this historic wood frame home at 80 Poplar Street in Brooklyn Heights.
See more of this country-meets-city home

January 22, 2015

Enjoy the Ultimate Brooklyn Loft Experience in This $2.3M Ensemble Architects-Designed Duplex

On a gorgeous, tree-lined street in Brooklyn Heights lies this fully-renovated apartment at the top of the landmarked former YMCA building at 62 Joralemon Street. As we wrote about in September, the loft-style duplex was given new life by Elizabeth Roberts of Ensemble Architects, who used a combination of salvaged and new materials to create the ultimate Brooklyn pad. And it can now be yours for $2.295 million.
Let's take a look

Distinctive Homes

January 13, 2015

Bring Your Books to This Bright Brooklyn Heights Pad

You know you’re in a coveted neighborhood when the brokerbabble doesn’t even have to describe the home. This sunny two-bedroom apartment at 150 Joralemon Street has only two words to say to make you grab your realtor and come running: Brooklyn Heights. Yep, for $545,000 you can live in one of Brooklyn’s most prestigious neighborhoods, with quiet, tree-lined streets and the East River practically at your doorstep. And the apartment is not too shabby, either.
Let’s take a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

January 6, 2015

Dean/Wolf Architects’ Amazing Brooklyn Townhouse Has an Operable Tetris-Like Facade

Fusing indoor and outdoor space is a rare occurrence in places like New York City, where outside real estate rarely constitutes anything more than a 2 foot x 5 foot fire escape. So when the residents of this Brooklyn Heights townhouse moved into their new pad, they knew that their spacious backyard would have to be the star of their home. As such, the Brooklynites called upon Dean / Wolf Architects to take on the task of breathing new life into their townhouse, and by the looks of things, they couldn't have chosen better. Instead of simply employing floor-to-ceiling windows to make the connection, the savvy architects designed an operable, puzzle-like rear facade that allows the home's inhabitants to seamlessly join the indoors and the out with just a few turns of the wrist.
More on the aptly named 'Operable Boundary Townhouse/Garden' here

December 9, 2014

Lena Dunham Buys $4.8M Brooklyn Heights Condo

By Annie Doge

According to the Daily Mail, Girls creator Lena Dunham has scooped up a $4.8 million condo at 30 Henry Street in Brooklyn Heights, the former offices of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle–now known as The Heights. Despite the recent controversy over her memoir, 28-year-old Dunham is really moving up in the world. Not only did she reportedly get a $3.7 million book advance, but her first home in the neighborhood at 145 Hicks Street cost her only $500,000. She purchased her newest residence under a trust and still owns her one-bedroom pad. Dunham shares her new home with boyfriend and Fun frontman Jack Antonoff, who has been spotted on moving duty while Dunham is on her book tour. The four-bedroom corner apartment is completely elegant and modern, a sure sign that the "girl" is growing up.
More on Lena's big move

December 8, 2014

Ben Hansen’s Gorgeous State Street Townhouse Brings a Bit of California Modern to Brooklyn

Architect Ben Hansen’s State Street townhouse is a contemporary masterpiece located in one of Brooklyn’s most charming neighborhoods. Originally a dated townhome with a dysfunctional floor plan, Hansen used this project as a chance to reinterpret the classic brownstone typology as a modern home suited for a young couple and their three small children. Hansen gutted the interior and joined the parlor floor rooms to create a space that both allows the home's inhabitants to move easily between spaces and enjoy their verdant surroundings from within.
Take the tour here

November 24, 2014

Renovation of Brooklyn Heights Gothic Revival Townhouse Will Make You Want to Say Hallelujah!

By Rebecca Paul

People are constantly moving back and forth from New York City to different cities on the West Coast like Los Angeles and San Francisco; with everything these great cities have to offer, who can blame them? This was the case for one family who moved back to New York after a five-year stint in San Francisco. Their plan of action was simple: Buy a townhouse in Brooklyn Heights, do moderate remodeling, and be chillaxing at home in a year's time, max. However, as many of these stories go, that wasn't the case, and in the end it took them three years to find the right property for purchase and another three years to complete the remodel. With 1100 Architect at the helm, what they lost in time was made up in style and elegance. This five-story Brooklyn Heights Gothic Revival will make you want to say "Hallelujah! That's some good design!"
Have a tour inside here

Study Says Brooklyn Bridge Park Towers Will Have Insignificant Environmental Impact

Rendering of the Brooklyn Bridge Park waterfront via Brooklyn Bridge Park

November 21, 2014

Study Says Brooklyn Bridge Park Towers Will Have Insignificant Environmental Impact

Critics of the two new residential towers planned for Pier 6 in Brooklyn Bridge Park have made complaints that the structures' environmental impact needed further analysis, but a new study, completed by environmental engineering firm AKRF and set to be released today by the city-controlled Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation asserts that the towers' environmental impact will be insignificant. In a statement, Brooklyn Bridge Park said: “After evaluating the potential impacts on 19 distinct environmental categories—including schools, flood resiliency, traffic and open space—and incorporating any relevant updated changes to the project, the environmental regulations and background conditions, the technical memorandum concludes that the Pier 6 uplands project would not have any additional significant impacts.”
More on the planned towers here

November 19, 2014

Daily Link Fix: What It’s Like to Tweet as the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree; A Writer’s Farewell to Brooklyn Heights

Did you know the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has its own Twitter? Comedian Matt Haze talks about being the voice behind the account. [WSJ] Pop Candy author Whitney Matheson is moving out of her Brooklyn Heights apartment. But before she goes, she’s saying goodbye with a list of 33 things she’ll miss about the ‘hood. […]

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October 31, 2014

This Brooklyn Heights Pad Brings a Touch of the Countryside to the City

There are a million reasons to move to Brooklyn Heights: it’s one of the most coveted locations in Brooklyn; its quiet tree-lined streets are enhanced by scenic landscapes and beautiful architecture; and most importantly, it was the setting for the Cosby Show--although it turns out the façade of the Huxtable’s brownstone was actually a residence in Greenwich Village. The horror! Well, now there’s another reason to head over to Brooklyn Heights, and it’s this beautiful co-op at 76 State Street, asking $995,000. This two-bedroom apartment makes its mark by managing to seamlessly bring a little country living to the upscale urban backdrop. What more could you ask for?
We'll show you here

Distinctive Homes

October 16, 2014

The Hardest Part About Living in this Perfect Brooklyn Heights Loft is Spelling the Name of Your Street

S-C-H-E-R-M-E-R-H-O-R-N. A village in the Dutch province of North Holland. The name of one of President Andrew Jackson’s Indian Commissioners responsible for removing the Cherokee and Chickasaw Indians beyond the Mississippi River (later known as the Trail of Tears). And the street where you will find this impeccable corner loft in Brooklyn Heights.
See why this Brooklyn Heights corner loft is letter perfect

Distinctive Homes

September 22, 2014

Oscar-Winning Director Errol Morris Buys a Poetic Brooklyn Heights Home for $1.9M

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris, and his poet wife Julia Sheehan have just closed on a charming three-bedroom at 22 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights for $1.9 million. According to city records, the couple will be following in the footsteps of another celebrated creative, having purchased the home from the estate of late Russian poet, 1987 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate Joseph Brodsky.
Inside the book-filled home here

September 17, 2014

ANNOUNCED: Hudson Companies Will Buy Brooklyn Heights Library for $52M, Add Luxury Rental Complex

Just yesterday, the Brooklyn Heights branch of the Brooklyn Public Library announced that they will sell their building to the Hudson Companies for $52 million, along with the promise of 114 affordable housing units to be built at a different location in the neighborhood. The developer, who won the bid over 14 others, will convert the city-owned building at 280 Cadman Plaza West into a 20-story luxury rental complex with a new 21,000-square-foot library on the ground floor.
More details here

September 16, 2014

A Brooklyn Heights Loft in an Old YMCA Building Makes Room for Books, Art and Entertaining

By Michelle Cohen

The owners of this Brooklyn Heights loft on the top two floors of a converted YMCA building wanted to remodel their space to accommodate both of their individual, extensive book and art collections; they also needed a home that would be great for dinner parties and entertaining. Rather than settling on boring built-ins, they turned to Ensemble Architecture to create a solution that would put their most treasured items on show.
Tour the renovated space here

September 16, 2014

$1.5M Brooklyn Heights Triplex in Landmarked Eagle Warehouse Gets a Modern Update