Clinton Hill Neo-Grec With Mantels, Medallions, Pass-Through Asks $4.199 Million

This article highlights an 1870s Neo-Grec brownstone located at 309 Vanderbilt Avenue in Clinton Hill, currently listed for $4.199 million. The property, situated within the Clinton Hill Historic District, was constructed in 1877 by Benjamin Linikin. Historical advertisements confirm Linikin's active development in the area during that period, with his homes on Vanderbilt Avenue near DeKalb offering "brownstone fronts and all modern improvements." The designation report for the historic district specifically noted that 309 Vanderbilt Avenue was unique in its row for retaining all of its original architectural features, including a rusticated basement, incised ornamental details, a high stoop, and an iron cornice. The house has been maintained as a single-family residence for decades, preserving many of its original period details. These include multiple marble mantels, rich wood floors, functional pocket doors, and an intricate pass-through. A notable feature of the brownstone is its hidden third floor, which is set back and obscured behind the cornice, offering additional space not immediately apparent from the exterior. The legal two-family configuration currently places the kitchen and dining room on the garden level, with double parlors directly above. The second floor hosts bedrooms connected by the distinctive pass-through, along with a smaller third bedroom. The discreetly placed top floor encompasses an additional bedroom, a bathroom, and finished attic space. Upon entering, arched doors open into a stair hall that features one of the home's several ceiling medallions and the original staircase. The front parlor is accessible through pocket doors adorned with ornamental fretwork, showcasing high ceilings, wood floors with an inlaid border, another ceiling medallion, and a marble mantel. A second set of pocket doors leads to the rear parlor, which boasts its own impressive mantel and a niche framed with corbels. A photograph from 1976 by Dinanda Nooney, who documented Brooklyn residents in their homes, provides a historical glimpse of this rear parlor, revealing a marble mantel with incised ornamentation and a 19th-century lighting fixture, both still present today. The garden-level kitchen area also retains a less ornate but intact marble mantel, along with interior shutters, wood floors, and a ceiling medallion. The passageway to the kitchen includes built-in storage. The kitchen itself maintains a vintage aesthetic, characterized by beadboard walls, a tile-faced nook for the stove, and a central island equipped with a sink and dishwasher. An adjacent powder room provides a compact wall-mounted sink and a corner shower. On the second floor, the largest bedroom faces the street and features another corbel-adorned niche. The pass-through connecting this room to the rear bedroom is fitted with two marble-topped vanities. A full bathroom on this level incorporates beadboard and a clawfoot tub. The top floor, according to floor plans, includes a bedroom with a sink and a full bathroom with a large shower. The property's rear yard, accessible from the kitchen, offers a paved patio area suitable for dining, complemented by planting beds containing trees and perennials. The listing is managed by Kathleen Perkins of Compass. #ClintonHill #Brownstone #NeoGrecArchitecture #HistoricHome #BrooklynRealEstate #PeriodDetails #MarbleMantels #CeilingMedallions #VanderbiltAvenue #ClintonHill #Brownstone #NeoGrecArchitecture #HistoricHome #BrooklynRealEstate #PeriodDetails #MarbleMantels #CeilingMedallions #VanderbiltAvenue