Famed Clinton Hill Pfizer Mansion with a rock-n-roll past and a $5M renovation lowers ask to $10M
Photo credit: Rayon Richards and Connie Zhou, courtesy The Corcoran Group
Photo credit: Rayon Richards and Connie Zhou, courtesy The Corcoran Group
In brownstone Brooklyn, there are dozens of grand homes that have historic significance and even more that are dazzling showcases of considered design. The unique 10,000-square-foot double mansion at 280 Washington Avenue in Clinton Hill happens to be one of Brooklyn’s finest examples of both. Known as the Pfizer Mansion–it was built in 1887 by Charles Erhart, co-founder of the Pfizer pharmaceutical company and brother-in-law to Charles Pfizer–the block-through property had a full slate of interesting inhabitants, from a library to industrial band rockers, before receiving an epic renovation from its current owner. That same owner, designer Jessica Warren, who purchased the property in 2007 for $3.2 million, spent many years and many millions restoring the house to a stunning degree that surpassed even its former glory. The home, which has been featured in numerous design publications, has most recently been a beloved B & B known as The Notorious B.N.B. The current owners put the house on the market in 2018 for $13.5 million. After a year and a broker switch, it’s now asking $9.995 million–and it’s worth every penny, from its graceful, curving windows to a working Otis elevator and private parking space.
The 1887 Queen Anne mansion was, after its first owner, purchased by an attorney. In 1925, The Brooklyn Public Library used the house as their offices. In 1930, it became home to the Catholic church for use as the Bishop’s residence and later the St. Angela Hall school library and convent. In 1991, Legion Davies, rock musician and member of the band Killing Joke, bought the house, which he shared for a time with bandmate Paul Raven, also of Prong and Ministry. When the Warrens bought the impressive double mansion, its colorful life was by no means over.
Jessica Warren of JP Warren Interiors is a lifelong collector of mid-century modern furniture and the couple was avid art collectors; in addition to the picture-perfect renovation helmed by Neuhaus Design Architecture, the family opened their home to both community members and friends on a regular basis. Basement parties hosted by the couple’s daughter during the long renovation period earned it the name “STFO House” after the signs posted on doors of unfinished rooms cautioning guests to, in polite paraphrase, “Stay the Heck Out.”
With a working elevator, luxurious modern fixtures and finishes, all new infrastructure, dreamy professionally landscaped back yard and one-of-a-kind interiors, the home has been most recently functioning as a popular B & B. Nearly 5,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor entertainment space would make it perfect for any kind of entertaining, epitomized by formal living room, sitting room and dining room on the parlor floor.
Neuhaus design collaborated with the owners on the stunning eat-in chef’s kitchen, which showcases the unmatched work of both the home’s original skillful craftsmen and the more recent ones; it still looks as lovely and modern as it did when the renovation was newly complete.
The garden level features an informal sitting room, a wine cellar and a sunken party room. Both lower levels access the private parking space–and the magical garden designed by award-winning landscape design firm Rees Roberts + Partners.
Upstairs are four elegant suites, two bedrooms, an office and library. Each room is a meticulously designed sanctuary possessed of both comfort and luxury.
Hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper covers the walls of a bathing room (formerly a nuns’ chapel) and glamorous peacock-blue and matching blue glass cover the walls of another bath. Throughout the home are perfectly restored plaster moldings, paneling, immaculately revamped stained glass windows, and meticulously recreated inlaid floors.
[Listing: 280 Washington Avenue by Toni Martin for The Corcoran Group.]
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Photo credit: Rayon Richards and Connie Zhou, courtesy The Corcoran Group
