Jumbo Dumbo condo claims top Brooklyn contract

Buyer signs for unit asking $5.5M with views of Manhattan Bridge, skyline

281 President Street and 1 John Street, Brooklyn (Streeteasy, Compass, iStock, Illustration by Kevin Cifuentes for The Real Deal)
281 President Street and 1 John Street, Brooklyn (Streeteasy, Compass, iStock, Illustration by Kevin Cifuentes for The Real Deal)

Eight years ago, Alloy Development filed for permits to build a waterfront condominium at 1 John Street, a joint effort with Monadnock Development. Since then, units from the project have made many appearances atop the weekly report by Compass of luxury Brooklyn homes to go into contract.

Last week it happened again as a purchase agreement was signed for Unit 9B, asking $5.5 million. It’s not quite the 3,600-square-foot penthouse that might have been the borough’s most expensive listing ever when it hit the market in 2015 at $8.8 million, but the 2,500-square-foot apartment has three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a chef’s kitchen with double islands and Italian cabinetry. Each bedroom has an en-suite bathroom.

Floor-to-ceiling windows and high ceilings offer views of the East River and the Manhattan Bridge and skyline. The unit also has its own laundry room. Building amenities at the 42-unit development include a 24-hour doorman and concierge, a landscaped roof deck, a gym and storage space.

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The second most expensive listing to go into contract was an immaculately staged, two-family brownstone at 281 President Street in Carroll Gardens, with an asking price just under $5 million. The home, built in 1899 and listed for the first time in more than 50 years, has eight bedrooms, three bathrooms and a private backyard with a patio and garden.

The north-facing bedroom has exposed beams and offers views of lower Manhattan, as does the roof. The brownstone also overlooks Carroll Park. The row house is 20 feet wide and has original pocket doors, parquet floors, elaborate crown moldings, high ceilings, marble mantels and original banister.

A garden apartment has its own entrance under the stoop.

The two homes were among 24 asking $2 million or more for which contracts were signed last week: 13 townhouses, 10 condos and one co-op. The median asking price was $2.8 million and the asking prices totaled $70.3 million, for an average price per square foot of $1,371. The two dozen homes spent an average of only 60 days on the market and in most cases did not see a drop in asking price.