This Beautifully Preserved Park Slope Brownstone Was Once a NYC Mayor’s Mansion

On an impossibly lovely landmarked brownstone block near the border between north Park Slope and Prospect Heights, the 1890s townhouse at 212 Saint Johns Place is a testament to the idea that they don’t make them like this anymore. This historic brownstone, on the market for $3.895 million, will definitely appeal to anyone smitten with the idea of living in a beautifully preserved home from the 19th century rather than constructing a modern interior with contemporary flair. Once the home of New York City mayor William J. Gaynor (1910-1913), this two-family neo-Grec townhouse is filled with original architectural details from parquet wood floors, richly-carved mahogany trim and ten-foot parlor floor doors to the exquisite wood-carved cabinet built into the third floor landing.

Though you’ll likely want to renovate to your taste (the home hasn’t changed ownership since 1994), for a passionate preservationist it should be a labor of love. Aesthetics aside, this very large two-family house can provide significant rental income while giving the owners plenty of living space, and then some.

This four-story, 4,000 square-foot (including a two-story extension) residence has an updated eat-in kitchen on the parlor level with a granite breakfast counter, an ornamental Dutch fireplace and stained-glass windows. An updated modern powder room is just off the kitchen.

The dining room opens to a large, lovely outdoor deck with stairs leading down to a landscaped garden patio and the aforementioned two-bedroom rental apartment.

On the third floor, the master bedroom has an en-suite bath (and lovely restored wood floors).

Also on this floor you’ll find an office/family room, and the convenience of a laundry area. On the fourth floor there are two more bedrooms, each with its own hall room and full bath (so no fighting over the bathroom, ever).

This landmarked block near the best of both Park Slope and Prospect Heights shopping and dining, Prospect Park, Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Museum and lots of transportation options and surrounded by some of the city’s most beautiful residential architecture boasts many of the area’s grand homes that command a grand price–though that doesn’t seem to make them any less in demand.

[Listing: 212 Saint Johns Place by Audrey M. Edwards for Brown Harris Stevens.]

RELATED:

• Historic Park Slope Brownstone on Prospect Park Asks $5 Million
• Live in Eleanor Roosevelt’s Historic Townhouse for $18M
• Spectacular Park Slope Mansion Comes with Private Parking and a Twice-Reduced Price
• C.P.H. Gilbert-Designed Park Slope Brownstone Retains All of Its Historic Splendor

Images courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens