Bed-Stuy brownstone sells for neighborhood PPSF record

A Bed-Stuy brownstone made famous in Spike Lee’s “Crooklyn” just sold for a neighborhood price-per-square-foot record.

The restored home at the center of Lee’s 1994 semi-autobiographical film sold for over $4.1 million, or nearly $1,153 per square foot — a peak for single-family homes. That’s about $100 more per square foot than 204 Jefferson Avenue, which a listing Zillow shows sold for $1,031 per square foot last year. 

The home, which was used as a bed & breakfast until 2016, includes a 900-square-foot speakeasy-style cellar. Since listings exclude below-ground space from such calculations, the home would miss the record with the speakeasy square footage included and notch its sale at $922 per square foot.

The four-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom home was bought by a local resident who plans to use the home as a primary residence, according to listing broker Josh Doyle of Compass. Doyle previously worked for the seller, a fourth-generation Brooklynite named Liz Mandarano, when she bought the house in 2013. 

“We were happy with the result in the end, but I continue to feel there could be added upside to the property given a better rate environment,” Doyle said of the home’s final price tag. 

Corcoran’s Jason Burke represented the buyer.

The fully restored home has original detailing, including an original walnut coffered ceiling, gold-painted original moldings and an original mahogany fireplace with hand-painted, Minton-style tiles. The cellar has original stone walls, wood beams and brick arches. 

Brooklyn’s luxury market has picked up steam in recent weeks. More than 50 contracts were signed for homes asking at least $2 million over the past two weeks, the most recent of which saw an average asking price of $2.8 million and an average asking price per square foot of $1,392.