Former Fort Greene home of Notorious B.I.G. sells for $2M
All photos courtesy of Compass
After just over three months on the market, the Fort Greene home that once belonged to the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. sold last week for $2,000,000, as the New York Post first reported. Located at 159 Carlton Avenue, the two-bedroom duplex sits within a former stable building and underwent a major renovation by the current owner, a well-known costume designer. The home, which is where Biggie lived when he released his iconic 1994 album “Ready to Die,” was listed for $1,700,000 in September.
Known as Feuchtwanger Stable, the building was built in the Romanesque Revival style in 1888. Inside, stunning architectural details include the 12-foot ceilings, arched windows, whitewashed exposed brick walls, and timber beams.
According to the Post, the current design-magazine-ready decor comes from owner Caroline Duncan, a costume designer who has worked on “The Affair” and “When They See Us.” City records show Duncan picked up the 1,700-square-foot apartment in 2011 for just $749,000.
“Upstairs had been carved into a series of puzzling small rooms so I did the opposite, and knocked down all the walls to create a lofted open space,” Duncan told the Post in an interview. “I loved the neighborhood, the proximity to Fort Greene Park, the fact that the building is on the Historic Register and had the bones of a true artist’s residence.”
The sleek chef’s kitchen features a Bosch five-burner stovetop, deep double sink, Glassos and Carrera countertops, and two ovens.
Tucked behind the kitchen is a library with custom-milled cabinetry, blue shelving, and a built-in Murphy bed. The room also has a renovated full bathroom and a large walk-in closet.
The main bedroom is on the lower level, along with a home office and a dressing room with built-in shelving and hanging racks.
The primary bathroom has been totally transformed with the addition of wooden beams and custom built-in shelving.
“When I moved in, the basement was just a raw space with concrete floors,” Duncan told the Post. “I framed and put up all the walls and created a bathroom with barn wood and modern finishes, a massive walk-through closet to showcase my collection of clothing and accessories, a laundry room and bedrooms.”
Christopher Wallace, known as Notorious B.I.G., grew up in a Clinton Hill apartment at 226 St. James Place. In 2019, the rapper’s childhood apartment was listed as a $4,000/month rental. That same year, the city renamed the block where he grew up “Christopher ‘Notorious B.I.G.’ Wallace Way.”
In 1994, he bought the apartment at 159 Carlton Avenue and lived there with his wife, Faith Evans, and her daughter, Chyna Tahjere Griffin, according to the Post.
[Listing details: 159 Carlton Avenue, Unit 1A at CityRealty]
[At Compass by Josh Doyle, Christine Toes Muldoon, and Gulnara Yunussova]
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Listing photos courtesy of Compass
