Glass condominium towers dominate New York’s skyline, but don’t forget that new construction joins properties built centuries ago.
Some of the city’s oldest, most beautiful and still-habitable residential real estate dates back to the early 1800s — nearly a century before Mayor George McClellan led the maiden voyage of the new underground subway system.
The Post scoured local listings to find some of the oldest homes currently for sale. Our favorites, which span from 1816 to the 1890s, not only boast tony historical details — like decorative mantels and moldings — but also come renovated for today’s needs.
Brooklyn Heights
Built in 1840
The landmarked brownstone at 142 Columbia Heights in Brooklyn Heights has a literary claim to fame: Pulitzer Prize-winning author Norman Mailer once owned it. It currently has a $2.25 million listing: an offering that encompasses both a two-bedroom apartment on the fourth floor and a one-bedroom on the third floor. The fourth floor is where Mailer reportedly wrote novels including “The Executioner’s Song” and “Ancient Evenings.” (Mailer once owned the whole building, but converted it into a co-op during the 1970s and later sold the lower floors.) It’s not clear whether any 19th-century details remain — the charming floral-patterned stained glass might have been a later addition — but we do know that Mailer decked out the top floor in a quirky nautical style, which includes an extant