A Historic Brooklyn Mansion Goes on the Market for $30 Million

The palatial, 4-tale mansion at 53 Prospect Park West, with a sprawling back garden and a pair of pedestaled lions retaining guard out front, has experienced a extended, loaded background in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Crafted in 1901, just right after the borough was incorporated into New York Metropolis, the brick-and-limestone framework was section of what was acknowledged as the “Gold Coast” of opulent houses that sprang up near Prospect Park all-around the switch of the last century.

The dwelling was developed by William B. Tubby, the go-to architect for the well known Pratt family members, in a neo-Jacobean model, and was commissioned by William H. Childs, a financier, a supporter of Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive Celebration and a founder of the Bon Ami cleaning products and solutions business. The mansion remained in his family right up until 1947, when it was obtained by the nonprofit Brooklyn Modern society for Moral Tradition, which supports social justice, between other issues. It has used the making as a meeting property and for many programs.

Over the many years, the William H. Childs Residence, as it is recognized, has also served as a form of community centre, with the society leasing it out for anything from weddings and bar mitzvahs to live shows.

Its next iteration, nevertheless, is now in the performs. The 30-foot-wide setting up, experiencing Prospect Park concerning Initial and Next Streets, is on the market for the initial time in 74 years. If it sells for the $30 million inquiring selling price, and is used as a residence all over again, it could be the most high-priced household sale in Brooklyn. (The borough report was established in January with the $25.5 million closing of a townhouse at 8 Montague Terrace in Brooklyn Heights it was offered by Vincent Viola, the proprietor of the Florida Panthers hockey group, and his wife, Teresa Viola, an interior designer.)

The mansion, currently classified as business, was involved in Park Slope’s to start with historic district designation in 1973. The entrance of the house has a common entrance stoop flanked by concrete lion statues and a monumental arched doorway. The fenced-in yard, just underneath a quarter of an acre, is touted in the listing as “the major non-public garden in Brooklyn,” with mature trees, perennial shrubs, a paved terrace, and a meditative seating spot with stone benches.

The interior extends 5,724 square ft and features a complete, concluded basement, which is made up of a substantial industrial kitchen area and what used to be a billiards place. Judith Lief, a broker for the Corcoran Team who is listing the house with her colleague Talia Magen, suggests the offices in the constructing could simply be converted back to bedrooms. The listing estimates 6 bedrooms, in addition to the two entire loos and a few powder rooms.

Many of the authentic architectural details keep on being intact — albeit in want of some T.L.C. and refurbishing — which includes six fireplaces, hardwood floors, quite a few stained- and leaded-glass windows, carved walnut ceilings and hand-painted friezes. The curved staircase in the entrance foyer capabilities carved scabbards as balusters.

On the major ground, off a conference place, wherever there is a substantial hearth with rich, marble surrounds, is a windowed solarium that was added by the Childs family members in 1907. There is also a terrace on the fourth stage.

“There are amazing sights of both Prospect Park and a extensive see south on Prospect Park West,” Ms. Lief explained, adding that from the upstairs terrace, “you can see the dwelling Mr. Childs created for his daughter at 61 Prospect Park West.” (His daughter, Mary Childs Draper, was an early advocate for birth control and helped sort the Prepared Parenthood Federation of The usa.) In the course of the residence are higher ceilings and oversize windows. “It will get fantastic gentle on each individual ground,” she mentioned.

Ms. Lief sees two styles of prospective consumers for the mansion. “One could be a private home-owner who would like just one of the most remarkable web-sites in New York City,” she mentioned. “Another could be a nonprofit, a private university or museum.”

“The least probable consumer, for a host of explanations,” she added, “would be a developer who’s heading to subdivide it. That’s not our focus on audience.”

When the Brooklyn Culture for Ethical Lifestyle wouldn’t remark on why it was advertising the mansion, Ms. Lief pointed out that the team hoped to relocate to a further place in the region. “They’ll be on the lookout for a different locale that is more workable,” she mentioned. “It’s a substantial, high priced assets to maintain.”

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