House of the Day Bed Stuy

Grand Parfitt Brothers-Designed Queen Anne in Bed Stuy Asks $3.995 Million

Lush details inside the 1880s brownstone-trimmed townhouse include fretwork, stained glass, mantels, built-ins, and intricate plasterwork.

bed stuy - dining room with wood floor, wainscoting, built-ins, stained glass, beamed ceiling

Photo via Compass

by Susan De Vries

05/23/2025 1

Its exterior showcases the fine attention to detail the Brooklyn architectural firm Parfitt Brothers were known for, and the layers of ornament aren’t lacking on the interior either. The 1880s Queen Anne-style townhouse at 246 Gates Avenue has fretwork, stained glass, mantels, built-ins, and intricate plasterwork. Modern updates include a renovated kitchen and central air.

The architects designed a row of six townhouses on this block between Classon and Franklin avenues for John Gibb, a lace importer and partner in Frederick Loeser & Company. Plans were filed in May of 1885 for the brick dwellings with two-story rear extensions. Gibb already had his own Second Empire-style manse on Gates Avenue and, as detailed by Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen, had made a smart investment by buying up property along the avenue. For the development of this portion of his property, the Parfitt Brothers designed grand Queen Anne-style brick houses with brownstone and terra-cotta ornament that all have unique bays, dormers, and other elements, but are clearly part of a unified group.

Advertisements in 1886 for some houses in the row show they were being pitched as competing with any house in New York or Boston with “painstaking construction, excellent arrangement, and artistic finish.” An effusive description of the finished decor of one in the row, No. 252, gives a hint to the original elaborate finishes en vogue with the residents, including frescoed ceilings, Lincrusta wall coverings, and rich colors throughout.

While the wall colors inside No. 246 are now mostly white, the details are still lush. The house is arranged as a single-family with kitchen and a guest suite on the garden level, triple parlors above, and three floors of bedroom space.

On the parlor level is an impressive entry with wainscoting, stair, fretwork, and pocket doors. The latter lead to the front parlor, where the plasterwork brings an extra layer of ornament with garland swags rimming the room. Swags are repeated, although in wood, on the mirror above the columned mantel.

The mantel in the middle parlor, or library, is more ornate, and there are still built-in bookshelves along one wall.

A dining room fills the rear extension, where Moorish-inspired woodwork screens are still in place on the windows, giving a hint to the original finishes in the room. There is a built-in china cabinet, stained glass, and a beamed ceiling.

Downstairs, the kitchen was renovated and opened up to create a large eat-in space with white cabinets, granite counters, and a vintage-inspired hex tile floor. Glass doors at the rear and side provide access to the paved rear yard.

There are eight bedrooms spread over the upper three floors, with some used as office, gym, and studio space. The former billiard room on the fourth floor is still set up as a game room.

In addition to the full bath and powder room on the garden level, there is a powder room on the parlor floor, a split full bath on the second floor, and a full bath on the third floor. But there is not bath on the top level.

They share a mix of vintage features and updates, including checkerboard floor tile and subway wall tile.

The house hasn’t been on the market in decades. Priced at $3.995 million, it is listed with Danielle Mickiewicz of Compass. What do you think?

[Listing: 246 Gates Avenue | Broker: Compass] GMAP