If These Walls Could Talk: The Former Home of Two Brooklyn Mayors Goes on the Market
A large part of the appeal of New York City is the historical nature of the buildings. However, how many buildings can boast that they were once own by not one, but two mayors? Well, the 4-story townhome at 405 Clinton Avenue has those bragging rights, and it’s on the market for a new owner.
The townhouse was initially designed in 1889 by William Bunker Tubby, the architect responsible for Pratt Institute’s library. He designed it for Charles A. Schieren, one of Brooklyn’s last mayors. It’s rumored that the home was also the residence of Brooklyn’s jazz-Age mayor Jimmy Walker, many decades before its current owners purchased it in 2009. After paying $1.75 million for the landmarked building, owner Sean Wilsey and his wife Daphne Beal gutted the entire place, adding roughly 100 new windows and a patio among other things.
The finished product contains 26 rooms, including 9 bedrooms and 5.5 bathrooms, a living room with a hidden projector screen, a playroom, and a sitting room with a Juliet balcony overlooking the street. The new home also has a 1 BR/1 BA garden apartment. However, elements of the original home are still laced throughout this gorgeous renovation. For instance, the master bedroom’s en-suite has retained the extra-deep 19th century bathtub that the mayors used for a soak. The home’s original pine beams were also remilled and recycled as wood paneling and flooring.
As if the romantic history of this home isn’t enough, the best part of this historical beauty is its proximity to two of Brooklyn’s finest parks. Olmsted and Vaux’s masterpiece Prospect Park is just a few streets away, and Fort Greene Park is to the north. One thing is for sure, brokers Kyle and Karen Talbott of the Corcoran Group are going to enjoy selling this stunner.
Take a look at more photos of this beautiful home in our gallery.
