Check Out the Retro Kitchen in This Otherwise Historic Italianate Brooklyn Brownstone

When it comes to historic Brooklyn brownstones, most of them look pretty similar: a beautiful, high-ceilinged parlor floor, moldings, fireplaces, some woodwork and backyards. Over the years, owners have obviously updated the kitchens, but usually it’s a run-of-the-mill open kitchen located in the back of the parlor floor. Not so at this brownstone in Fort Greene, at 30 South Portland Avenue. This property is pretty much the creme de la creme of Brooklyn real estate: a well-preserved, spacious brownstone on one of the prettiest blocks of one of the most in-demand neighborhoods. (That is why it’s on the market for a whopping $5.25 million.) It also comes with a surprise: a retro kitchen that looks like it’s straight out of a 1950s diner!

Before we get to the kitchen, let’s cover the basics. It’s a massive 20-foot home, with 5,500 square feet that includes a two-story extension on a 100-foot lot. It was re-configured in 2007 as a garden parlor duplex and upper triplex apartment. The parlor floor is part of the garden-level duplex, and it’s boasting high ceilings, the original moldings, pocket and parlor doors and marble mantels. There’s also a balcony on the floor leading down to the backyard.

These are some of the bedrooms from the upper-floor triplex. One bedroom, on the third floor, has a terrace. Another, the master bedroom on the fourth floor, has a cathedral ceiling with a skylight. Marble fireplaces in all the bedrooms…

Since there are two apartments, there’s gotta be two kitchens. The traditional kitchen is situated on the third floor of the upper-level triplex. It’s connected to an open living and dining room. (In case you’re wondering, that upper-floor triplex comes with four bedrooms, the terrace and a library.)

And here’s the kitchen of the lower-floor duplex! The listing calls this a “diner-style kitchen” but sadly doesn’t explain how it ended up in this old brownstone. We know it’s got character, but something about the green, black and white tiled floor and the aluminum detailing just feels a little off here. Who knows, maybe there’s a brownstone lover out there who also dreamed of having a re-creation of “Happy Days” in their house…and also has $5 million to spend. It certainly adds a unique touch to this otherwise historic, fireplace-heavy property.

[Listing: 30 South Portland Avenue by Joan Goldberg for Brown Harris Stevens]

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Photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens