PREVIEW

WORDS BYLINE: Hayley Chamberlain

A spectacular townhouse in New York is poised to make history after hitting the market for an astonishing $22 million.

Situated in Brooklyn’s exclusive Cobble Hill neighbourhood, the property now holds the title of the most expensive listing the historic area has ever seen, according to data from UrbanDigs.

The current record sale in Cobble Hill stands at $15.5 million, set by a restored carriage house in 2015 - but this six-story residence on Clinton Street could soon shatter that benchmark.

The sellers, who run a New York real estate firm specialising in multifamily properties and development, wanted to avoid the pitfalls that often come with townhouses - namely, dark rooms and cramped layouts. “They wanted to create a continuity of spaces that you typically don’t get in a townhouse,” said Lindsay Barton Barrett of Douglas Elliman, who shares the listing with colleagues Taylor Schultz and Christopher Mohr.

“The renovation truly disassembled the house behind the front facade and put it all back together but in a very different and intentional way,” Barton Barrett explained. “They wanted to create a continuity of spaces that you typically don’t get in a townhouse, and so by essentially offsetting the floors from the parlor all the way down, they created a bunch of separate spaces that are integrated.”

Before the renovation, which took more than two years, the 25-foot-wide home had the typical floor-by-floor structure that kept each level separate. Now, light pours through open spaces connecting three main living floors, giving it a modern, single-family feel.

The seven-bedroom home spans six levels connected by an elevator - a rare feature that, Barton Barrett noted, was difficult to get approved. “You typically can get five stops, so often it’ll either go to the top or to the cellar but generally not both,” she said.

The upper floors include a luxurious primary suite with a private terrace, a laundry room, and a top-floor “clubhouse” - a skylit, loft-style space leading to another terrace with a built-in barbecue, a gas fireplace, and stairs to a roof deck ready for a hot tub.

“It has absolutely beautiful views of Manhattan, the Verrazzano Bridge - you can see so far because there aren’t many buildings that are a full five floors around there, and there are no real roof decks nearby,” said Barton Barrett.

Downstairs, the back garden extends from the kitchen through sliding glass doors and features a shaded pergola and outdoor dining area - perfect for entertaining.

While sleek and modern in design, the renovation pays homage to the home’s 1850s roots. A panel of stained glass once above the front door now adorns the entry vestibule, and original brickwork has been repurposed in the wine cellar.

The sellers, who purchased the townhouse in July 2020 for $3.85 million, scored what records show was a Covid-era deal. After decades under one family’s ownership, the property has emerged from its reinvention as a light-filled, energy-efficient masterpiece - and a contender for Brooklyn’s most expensive home ever sold.