Brooklyn Heights townhouse sells for $24.5M, the borough’s priciest sale of 2026
Photos by Roland Spring
A Brooklyn Heights townhouse sold for $24.5 million in an off-market deal, marking the borough’s most expensive residential deal of the year. The 6,625-square-foot brownstone at 192 Columbia Heights surpassed this year’s record, a penthouse in Dumbo that sold for $16.3 million in March. The transaction ranks as the borough’s third-most expensive residential sale ever, according to the New York Times. Just two Brooklyn properties have ever fetched higher prices: a 10,000-square-foot mansion in Gravesend that sold for $32 million in 2025 and a four-story home in Brooklyn Heights that sold for $25.5 million in 2021.
Despite a decline in the number of sales across the city, prices have continued to rise. Manhattan’s median sale price reached $1.3 million during the second quarter, while Brooklyn’s climbed to $1.05 million, even as the number of closed sales dropped 29.2 percent year over year in Manhattan and 31.5 percent in Brooklyn, according to the Times.
Ravi Kantha of SERHANT., who represented the seller, said the sale reflects the growing appeal of real estate in Brooklyn Heights.
“The market in Brooklyn Heights used to be a value alternative for buyers who wanted more space than they could find in the city,” Kantha said. “It’s now a direct competitor to the Village and Upper East Side for some of New York City’s wealthiest people.”
The home’s previous owners, Granite Broadcasting CEO W. Don Cornwell and his wife, Sandra, who purchased the property in 1996, listed it for $16 million in 2014, which would have set a new sales record at the time. The home sold four years later for just under $12 million, according to The Real Deal.
Constructed in 1856, the 25-foot-wide mansion recently underwent a comprehensive renovation led by Belgian architect and designer Nicolas Schuybroek. Spanning seven bedrooms, the residence has been updated for the 21st century while retaining much of its historic charm.
A stunning entry foyer leads to a parlor floor with 14-foot ceilings, a spacious living room with a wood-burning fireplace, and a grand formal dining room with floor-to-ceiling doors opening onto a deck with sweeping harbor views, as 6sqft previously reported.
The expansive eat-in chef’s kitchen introduces a modern touch to the home’s historic aesthetic, while an operable dumbwaiter connecting to the parlor level nods to the residence’s historic roots.
The primary bedroom features its own fireplace and a sitting room larger than many living rooms across the five boroughs. Additional highlights include a library, two office spaces, and a top-floor gym.
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