Prospect Park South Mansion at 1305 Albemarle Asks $11.75M

A house with a two-story columned portico does not blend in, even on a street of landmarks. The Colonial Revival mansion at 1305 Albemarle Road in Prospect Park South is back on the market with a new listing team and a new price: $11.75 million, according to Brownstoner.

The sprawling residence sits on a corner lot within the Prospect Park Historic District. Brownstoner reports it has restored period details, wood-burning fireplaces, a sauna and updated mechanicals, including central air. Fresh paint, new wallpaper and a stylish new kitchen make it appear move-in ready, the outlet says.

This is not its first turn on the market. The house was a Brownstoner House of the Day in 2022, when it was asking $12.95 million, and it has been on and off the market since. Chris Farber and Lauren Talio of Fantastic Frank now hold the listing, which comes with updated photographs showing the wood-filled dining room with its expansive bay window, the grand central stair, and the porches and balconies that look out over neighboring properties.

The house dates to 1905, built in developer Dean Alvord’s planned community of freestanding houses and green parkways. Architect Henry B. Moore designed it with monumental two-story Ionic columns at the entrance, smaller columns on the porches, a mix of window styles and swan’s-neck dormers along the roofline. The district’s designation report called it “one of the most eccentric buildings in the Colonial tradition in the district,” and Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen has named it among the most noticed and photographed houses in the neighborhood.

Its first occupants were George E. and Sarah Gale and their two children, who moved in from Bed-Stuy in 1906. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle described George as a “capitalist.” He died in 1909. The 1910 census shows Sarah still living on Albemarle with the children, extended family and two live-in servants. She died a year later.

The house last sold in 2017 for $2.75 million. A restoration approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission followed, including replacement of some deteriorated features. Owner and architect Stephen Tanenbaum told the Wall Street Journal that the three-year project reworked the floor plan and updated mechanicals.

The numbers are large. The house spans more than 11,000 square feet over four floors, with nine bedrooms and 7.5 baths. The main level offers parlors, a library, a dining room and a large kitchen. The top floor, a former ballroom, has a vintage bar and a spiral staircase to a mezzanine. Outside, a patio off the kitchen is big enough for dining, and there are front and side yards. The garage is reached by a driveway on Argyle Road.

At $11.75 million, the asking price is $1.2 million below the 2022 figure and more than four times the 2017 sale price.