Marine Park Tudor With Art Deco Baths Asks $1.399 Million

The unexpectedly spacious house has original wood floors, stained glass windows, stunning Art Deco bathrooms, and a garage.

On the exterior, this petite-appearing Marine Park Tudor has charm, while inside it is unexpectedly spacious. On a block filled with 1930s dwellings, the standalone at 1755 East 33rd Street might be in need of some style updates, but an old-house lover will see the potential thanks to original wood floors, stained glass, and some stunning Art Deco bathrooms. The house also has a private driveway and garage.

Cameo Construction filed plans in early 1935 for nine houses on the block, all one-family dwellings with garages designed by Isaac Kallich. He pops up as the architect behind numerous other Tudor-style houses in Marine Park and Flatlands and even a terra-cotta-adorned bowling alley in Crown Heights.

Here Kallich designed detached houses that are a generous 27 feet wide. Each one originally featured arched entry doors, leaded-glass windows with stained-glass rondels, brick porches with cement planters, tall chimneys ornamented with a metal arrow, and an upper story with half-timbering. That half-timbering can be seen on No. 1755 in the circa 1940 tax photo. It was replaced with Permastone by 1981. The dwelling still has its brick porch and ceramic planters, its arched entry door with stained glass, and some leaded-glass windows.

As early as 1936, ads show, the owners were renting out the lower level, describing it as a “modern basement in a beautiful new one-family house.” A summer kitchen in the basement was a fairly typical amenity for 1930s-era houses in the neighborhood, presumably making it a bit easier for the owners here to rent out the space and bring in some extra income. A 1952 certificate of occupancy shows the house was converted to a legal two-family that year with apartments on the first and second floors.

The house still has this layout, which involved closing off the original staircase from the living room of the main level and installing a spiral staircase at the rear to duplex it with lower level. The second-story unit is reached via a side entrance.

Some major design changes in the 1970s included updating the kitchens, adding wall-to-wall carpeting in many of the rooms, and installing wall mirrors. Pulling up the carpets would likely reveal hardwood floors throughout; a glimpse under one rug during a visit to a recent open house showed the original wood floors. Removal of the wall mirrors will mean some skim coating, but other walls appeared to be in fine repair.

The floor in the breakfast nook and kitchen has been replaced, but the nook still has its arched niche. The 1970s cabinets in the kitchen have been painted white and the appliances include a dishwasher.

A look at an old listing for another house in the row shows the first floor likely would have included bedroom space even as a one-family dwelling, which must explain the rather grand full bathroom on the main level. It is swathed in pink tile with an arched surround for the bathtub and a built-in shower. There are black border tiles and accessories, a stained glass window, and a medicine cabinet with hinged sides. A lighting cove on the ceiling is trimmed with black tile and ornamented with square mosaic tiles in shades of pink. This feature appears in other homes designed by Kallich. Other than the replacement of the shower floor tiles with a nicely coordinating pink tile and some new sink hardware, the room appears to be in original condition and well maintained.

Another standout feature is found on the landing to the second floor unit, a delightful stained glass window depicting two Dutch girls blowing soap bubbles from clay pipes.

The 1970s kitchen in the upper unit is bold, with black, white, and red wallpaper on the ceiling, red laminate counters and backsplash, and wood cabinets. The original Deco bath in this unit is also in fine condition, albeit not as grand as the one below. Its colored fixtures, border tiles, and accessories are likely Standard’s T’ang Red. The pink tiles on the walls are original, while the floor has been replaced.

The basement has a 1970s vibe except for the summer kitchen, which retains its original metal cabinet with sink and a built-in cupboard. Another vintage detail can be spotted in the laundry room where there is a period utility sink next to the more modern washer and dryer.

Outdoor space includes a bit of front lawn and planting beds as well as a rear deck, paved patio, and another small lawn.

The house is listed with Michael Fraulo of Ben Bay Realty and priced at $1.399 million. Worth the ask?

[Listing: 1755 East 33rd Street | Broker: Ben Bay Realty] GMAP