170 Halsey Street

Some houses can’t be built again. 170 Halsey Street is an 1880s Neo-Grec brownstone in the landmarked Bedford Historic District, between Marcy and Tompkins Avenues, and it has kept the craftsmanship of its era almost entirely intact. A high stoop with original cast-iron railings and newels rises to a facade with a two-story angled bay, fan-carved lintels and a bracketed cornice. Inside, the original staircase climbs all four floors, with its carved newel post, wood banister and turned balusters. The parlor floor has ornate plaster ceiling medallions, tray ceilings, crown moldings and picture rails. Pocket doors and double doors sit under incised, dentil-trimmed Eastlake crowns, and a towering carved walnut pier mirror anchors the parlor. The bedroom floor has two generous bedrooms joined by original washstand closets in the shared wall. The plumbing is already in place, which makes them a natural starting point for a primary suite with its own bath. The top floor has full-height bedrooms on one side and a space under the pitched roofline on the other that would suit a library, studio or office. Four original mantels with ornate cast-iron covers are spread through the house, along with built-in wardrobes under carved arches and sunny bay windows. The garden level has a formal dining room with a mantel and an eat-in kitchen that opens onto a deep, private, fenced garden with mature trees. A full cellar provides storage. On a 20 × 100 ft lot, the house could be restored as a grand single-family residence or laid out in a flexible configuration, with modern kitchens, baths and systems added alongside details that are rarely found today. The house is about 4-minutes to the A/C express at Nostrand Avenue, and the cafés and shops of Tompkins Avenue and Fulton Street are close by.