Brooklyn Trust Company Building

Once the anchor of “bank row” in the Heights, a century-old neo-Renaiss ance masterpiece finds new life as arguably the borough’s most unique new townhome development

by matt scanlon • photos by DBOX

We live in an era when banks are virtually indistinguishable from coffee joints and shoe shops in their storefront dimensions. Ubiquitous and uber user friendly in design, they are tailor-made for 21st-century’s 24-hour commerce, yet it’s difficult for us oldsters to forget a time when banking institutions were built to be intimidating–when Neoclassical façades were meant to inspire buyer confidence and awe in equal denomination.

A century ago, Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights marked the borough’s pinnacle in exuberant bank architecture, with part of it unofficially dubbed “Bank Row.” The People’s Trust building (1904), for example, designed by Mowbray & Uffinger (now the site of a Citibank branch), combines elements of Greek, Roman and Renaissance styles, and though demolished in 1964, the Frank Freeman-penned Neoclassical Brooklyn Savings Bank is still regarded by veteran residents as an architectural loss akin to the tearing down of McKim, Mead, and White’s Pennsylvania Station.

Perhaps most beloved of all is The Brooklyn Trust Company building (1915), a Neo-Renaissance masterpiece designed by York & Sawyer and modeled on the 17th-century Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona, Italy. Located on the blockfront of Clinton Street between Montague and Pierrepont—and with its glorious rusticated limestone base and the piano nobile’s double-height colonnade of smooth-faced limestone—the site was declared a landmark by the New York City Landmarks Commission in 1996 and placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. With its soaring interior spaces, Cosmati-style mosaic marble floor, and borough-centric frieze panels inscribed with the names of sections of Brooklyn served by the B r o o k l y n Tr u s t C o m p a n y (“Breucklyn-New Lots-Red Hook-Greenpoint-Flatbush-Wallabout”), it somehow manages to be monolithic and delicate simultaneously.

In a canny antidote to the shimmering metallic high-rise philosophy that dominates the new real estate marketplace, The Stahl Organization recently completed a thorough renovation of the building–repurposing it into 12 sprawling townhouse-style residences. In conjunction with Barry
Rice Architects and Brown Harris Stevens Development Marketing (the latter selected to exclusively handle the development’s sales), the six story structure underwent an extensive interior renovation, and was refashioned to integrate modern and refined design elements without sacrificing the building’s historical integrity. The homes—four of which are duplexes—range from approximately 2,200 to 3,100 square feet, in two-bedroom to five-bedroom layouts. (The main banking hall, which is currently home to a Chase Bank, is landmarked and will remain as is.)

“Our vision was to preserve the architectural significance and identity of the property, to showcase its classic features while bringing a product to market that would satisfy the demand of our clientele— buyers in search of large luxury residences,” said Gregg Wolpert, co-president of the Stahl Organization.

A&G SPREAD

The townhomes offer open-concept layouts and 10.5-foot ceilings in living and dining areas. Large skylights compliment the oversized windows in duplex apartments, allowing for an abundance of natural light, and all homes feature five-inch-wide dark-stained white oak flooring throughout, and come equipped with Bosch Axxis washers and dryers. Chef ’s kitchens include white, highgloss painted wood cabinets with glass front upper cabinets; Quartzite stone counter tops; breakfast counters; rolling island carts with Belgian blue granite tops; and Bosch, Wolf, and Sub-Zero appliances. Master baths feature Statuario marble walls and radiant-heat floors, white high-gloss custom vanities with Calacatta Gold marble tops and Kohler sinks, walk-in showers with glazed partitions, and polished nickel rainfall shower heads.

Common amenities include a live-in super, doorman, a pet spa, bike and stroller storage, lounge and tea room, dedicated teen and children’s rooms, a sound-attenuated music practice room, gym, and roof terrace with barbecue grill.

“It is very rare to find a space that takes you back in time from the minute you walk into the lobby,” added William Ross, director of development marketing at Brown Harris Stevens. “The Brooklyn Trust Company Building offers the opportunity to own in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Brooklyn, in an exclusive building with amenities one would expect in a luxury high-rise development.”

Reference prices (actual prices may vary) start at approximately $3.2 million and range to $4.35 million.

The Brooklyn Trust Co. Building Brown Harris Stevens Development Marketing bhsusa.com