This distinctive, fully detached, grand late-Victorian landmarked home with its soaring front porch and enchanting surrounding garden, has been artfully designed and restored for gracious living and spectacular entertaining. An arts and crafts oasis just a 5 minute walk from Prospect Park with direct subway links to the city, this home provides the charm of a historical property with all the upgrades and demands of modern city living.
Upon entering the house you immediately time travel, immersed in the opulent splendor yet subtle elegance of the home, featuring silkscreened wallpapers, chandeliers, and delicate hand crafted touches throughout all 3 floors.
Straight out of a magazine editorial (of which there have been many!), the walls of the dining room come to life with a hand-painted chinoiserie mural in the style of De Gournay and more bespoke flourishes that invite guests to indulge in long, lively, lingering meals. The light-filled room, which is crowned with an exceptionally large crystal chandelier, also features original woodwork painted in Farrow and Ball Calke Green, seamlessly tying it together with the kitchen. There are two additional spacious living rooms on the ground floor with original historic woodwork and three fireplaces.
The generously sized eat-in kitchen is the heart of the home-it's rich with English country-estate charm and fully accented with heirloom quality finishes and a chef-sized Garland stove. The decor features renowned William Morris wallpaper, Farrow and Ball-painted cabinets and designer light fixtures. The windows and skylights provide massive amounts of light, as well as a glass door opening out to the bluestone patio, where you are immediately surrounded by a mature woodland garden as well as an oversized 700 square foot porch, elevated, wrap-around, low maintenance stone-floored porch featuring a private trellised 'outdoor room', perfect for entertaining.
Highlights of this property continue with seven large light-filled bedrooms, all featuring high-end European wallpapers, including the primary featuring a beautiful Victorian-tiled fireplace and its own en-suite bath-one of 3.5 fully renovated baths, all tastefully designed in the arts and crafts style. A large versatile bedroom/studio suite on the 3rd floor faces west and perfectly frames every sunset.
Perhaps the property's most remarkable feature of all is the splendid mature English cottage garden that surrounds the home in a lush blooming botanical embrace throughout every season. Professionally designed as a series of small "rooms", this garden is a plant lover's dream, boasting over 65 types of roses that form walls of fragrant blooms, accompanied by lilacs, wisterias, hydrangeas, elderflower, evergreens, all-season perennials, and flowering bulbs.
But this garden isn't just beautiful, it's also delicious, including apples, pears, figs, and raspberries, all espaliered (train horizontal) to accommodate city living and thriving in an 8-inch bed of organic top soil that was replaced throughout the property. All is kept thriving with an efficient and comprehensive irrigation system.
This home essentially comes with its own private professionally landscaped botanic garden-perfectly epitomizing the landmarked neighborhood's rus en urbe (country in the city) vibe. The garden comes with recommendations for local maintenance providers and further extensive information about the plants for interested parties.
Beyond this artful architecture and curated design are significant mechanical upgrades that ensure the integrity and functionality of the home-offering buyers a level security, value, and peace of mind not often associated with historic homes. Magical, enchanting, utterly unique, and move-in ready; 85 Westminster will cast a spell on you-see it while the garden is in full bloom.
Upgrades include:
- Updated electrical and plumbing systems
- Central and split system air conditioning in the bedrooms
- Comprehensive foundation and moisture/flood prevention
- A reverse osmosis drinking water system
- Upgraded bathrooms and kitchen
- Fully upgraded basement with new drainage lines, flooring, plumbing