1870s Brooklyn Brownstone With Eight Fireplaces Hits Market at $2.22 Million

A 12.5-foot-wide brownstone in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill Historic District has hit the market with an asking price of $2.22 million. The property at 120 Cambridge Place features eight fireplaces and original marble mantels from the 1870s. It is currently in estate condition and requires modern updates.

The home was built by Walter C. Russell, a developer active in the area during the late 19th century. His 1893 obituary described him as one of the most extensive builders in the city. He frequently collaborated with his wife, Susanna, who appeared in records as S.E.C. Russell and worked as an architect and developer in Bed Stuy and Clinton Hill.

The single-family dwelling maintains its original layout. The garden level houses a dining room and kitchen. The parlor level contains the front and rear parlors. Two upper floors provide bedroom space. The structure is set up as a traditional single-family home with distinct functional zones for each floor.

Architectural details include wood floors with inlaid borders and arched doorways. A curving staircase with a curved railing leads to the upper levels. An arched niche, commonly known as a coffin corner, features elaborate plasterwork. Six of the eight fireplaces have finely carved marble mantels.

The garden level dining room contains a built-in china cabinet with arched glass doors. The kitchen has wood cabinets and a stainless steel stove. The listing notes that the kitchen is generously sized but may benefit from layout changes. A bathroom on this level and a full bath elsewhere in the house are not shown in the available photos.

Approved renovation plans were filed with the Department of Buildings in June. The plans call for moving the kitchen to the parlor level and converting the garden level into a guest suite. Work includes the removal of existing millwork, flooring, and wall finishes. The house has new windows, a new roof, and a new parlor-level deck with stairs to the paved rear yard.

The property has not been on the market in decades. It is listed with Tricia Lee Riley and Jeffrey St. Arromand of Serhant. The home is described as a time capsule with well-preserved original details that need burnishing. The listing photos show one of the four bedrooms, which has a marble mantel and wall-to-wall carpeting. A wall of built-ins is visible in the hallway.