Tin ceilings, pier mirror, a wood-burning fireplace. The patina of wide plank floors, the luminous sunshine that floods in from oversized windows and stunning skylights. Classic Brooklyn charms reach their apex in this remarkable brownstone condominium, which offers wishlist fulfillment at every turn.
After all, why live in a 20’ wide townhome when this rare 25’ footer is so generous, so perfectly proportioned? Why settle for a decorative mantle when you could cozy up to a wood-burning fire? Why take popcorn tile when original tin ceilings have been so delightfully preserved? Why the gloom of brick wall views, when you could gaze over gardens and through treetops to the Empire State building? And why crowd onto a juliet balcony when the roof rights of this remarkable brownstone are all yours? Ready to support a dream roof deck, the roof offers an ideal space for picnics, movement, and quiet contemplation of a vista that flows from the Statue of Liberty, to the Wiliamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, to the skyscrapers of Manhattan.
The views from within are no less lovely, with large windows in every room of the nearly 1200 square foot home. The spacious sweep of the north-facing living and dining room is anchored by the original wood-burning fireplace, cased in a deep green marble and crowned with its ornate mirror and mantle. The eat-in kitchen features a walk-in pantry, a butcher-block breakfast bar, and ample cabinetry, with a suite of stainless steel appliances and dishwasher. The astonishing primary bedroom is roomy enough for a king bed set, sitting area, home office, and more besides, with two deep step-in closets. And the full-sized second bedroom has its own surprising plot twist: a skylit walk-in closet whose nearly-20 vertical feet can be maximized with shelving or soundproofed to create the perfect home recording studio. The wide gallery-style hallway that connects the living and sleeping wings houses a deep linen closet and a stack washer and dryer. And the large bathroom rarely requires the use of its stylish globe lighting, since it’s lit daylong by the vaulting tin-stamped skylight.
An intimate self-managed condominium, 214 Park Place is charming and impeccably kept, with a landscaped front garden and storage available for all residents in the basement (along with a landing closet and additional stairwell storage built into the access for the roof). Building systems have been recently upgraded and are regularly maintained.
And as rarely as you’ll wish to leave, if there was ever a neighborhood to match the charms of your home, it’s Prospect Heights – just two blocks from the 2 /3 at Grand Army Plaza with its Greenmarket at the feet of the Brooklyn Public Library, your lush stretch of street (once named in the top fifty blocks in the city) spans from Carlton, where the Q is on the corner, to Vanderbilt, where open streets offer outdoor seating for some of the best restaurants in Brooklyn — from Faun to Alta Calidad to Lalou to Olmsted. Pop around the corner to Hungry Ghost or Mille-feuille for a morning coffee, pick up a new read at Unnameable Books, and bring both back to enjoy on the bench in the communal front garden. It couldn’t be a dreamier life than at 214 Park Place.
