Recognize the lovely Renaissance Revival building above? You should. Now take a peek inside.
A photo of Greenpoint’s 144 Franklin Street has graced the top of the Brownstoner website years. There’s just something special about its arched Romanesque windows and terra-cotta trim.
Today, half of the building hits the market for a cool $3,000,000, listed by Win Brown for Core. The listing includes two of 144 Franklin’s three residential units: a 1,920-square-foot three-bedroom apartment taking up the entire second floor; and a 900-square-foot two-bedroom occupying half of the first floor, with a sleeping loft and another 900-square-foot space in the basement, the agent told us.
As we know from Brownstoner historian Suzanne Spellen, this 1895 building is the former Mechanics and Traders Bank of Brooklyn. At the time it was built, Franklin Street was a high-traffic turnpike linking Williamsburg with Astoria, and the bank building was designed to be the grandest on the block.
The building became a co-op in 1984. In addition to the three residential units, it has a commercial storefront. The listing says one of the units for sale is zoned for commercial, and the sale must be all cash.