Bed Stuy Limestone With Wall of Glass Asks $4.125 Million

In the Bedford Historic District, the early 20th century limestone is back on the market with a new kitchen and an impressive price tag.

bed stuy - middle parlor with a mantel and view through columned screen to front parlor

Photo via Compass

by Susan De Vries

Some lush early 20th century period details are still in evidence on the interior, but since it last sold in 2021 this Bed Stuy limestone has gotten a makeover that included a revamped kitchen, new deck, and tweaks to the floor plan. In the Bedford Historic District, 214 Jefferson Avenue is now back on the market with an impressive price tag.

Sited at the end of a row, the house has a gently curved limestone facade with fluted pilasters and foliate details. The dog-leg brownstone stoop leads to a columned entry and original front door with carved wood details. The builders, Frederick L. and Carrie Hine, developed hundreds of houses, with Frederick usually acting as the architect. Construction on this row was nearing completion in the fall of 1910 when each was offered up for $16,500. No. 214 sold the following March.

While it stayed in the same family hands for decades, like many Brooklyn row houses it became a rooming house later in the 20th century. By the time the last owners purchased the house, the interior was carved up. Interviewed for a 1992 New York Times article about townhouse living, they described an interior rich in detail but covered by layers of paint and linoleum.

The restoration results were featured in a Brownstoner House of the Day in 2021, and the house sold that year for $2.72 million. The new owners have left details like wainscoting, mantels, built-ins, and beamed ceilings in place while updating the kitchens and baths. There were also some LPC-approved changes to the exterior, including replacing windows and enlarging openings on the rear facade.

The house is still set up as a triplex with a garden-level rental, but the floor plan for that rental has been reconfigured to turn it into a two-bedroom with in-unit laundry. All three levels of the owner’s unit have seen some changes to the layout.

On the parlor level those changes are at the rear of the floor with the removal of a half bath to increase the size of the kitchen. The kitchen got a whole new look with a graphic tile floor, black cabinets, walls of glass, and access to a new rear deck.

Upstairs, while the bedrooms have stayed the same, the bathroom and pass-through have been reconfigured to fit in an additional half bath and a dressing room. The full bathroom has a blue tile floor with radiant heat and a soaking tub. It is accessible from both the front and rear facing bedrooms; the floor is currently used as a full-floor suite. The narrow bedroom at the rear is set up as an office and now has access to a terrace.

On the top floor the street-facing bedroom now has an en suite bath, while another full bath is shared by the remaining three bedrooms. The laundry room has bee updated with an apron sink and cabinets.

Outside, the new metal deck has a staircase down to the landscaped garden, where there is a pathway to a patio with room for dining.

Listed with Eric Sidman, Kelly Bree, and Callie Katt of the Hudson Advisory Team of Compass, the house is priced at $4.125 million. Worth the ask?

[Listing: 214 Jefferson Avenue | Broker: Compass] GMAP