A former church in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, has had its pews turned into staircases and bell tower to a kitchen, undergoing a refresh into luxury condos.
Now known as the Abbey, the building, at 232 Adelphi Street, started sales this week for 12 condos, ranging from studios to three-bedrooms. Sales are being handled by the Jessica Peters Team at Douglas Elliman, with studios starting at $1.195 million and three-bedrooms starting at $3.85 million.
“You’re buying art,” said Ms. Peters, who also oversaw the renovation’s interior design with Rita van Straten. “You’re buying a piece of history that was updated.”
Completed in 1888 in the gothic revival style, the church, which is in a designated historic district by the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission, was formerly known as St. Mark’s Protestant Episcopal. The building was converted to rentals in 2016 after having fallen into disrepair.
Adapting a church “is always a negotiation of trying to preserve all the things that are extraordinary about it, but then finding a way to utilize this residential use,” said Brian Ripel, a principal with Combined Architecture and Interiors, the firm that oversaw the building’s initial conversion.
“It’s a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle, to be honest,” he continued. “It’s remarkably complicated, and for us, everything is about finding light and air.”
As fewer people attend church, some abandoned houses of worship have been converted in recent years to private residences, hotels or restaurants.
Along a tree-lined, idyllic block on Adelphi Street, the converted building retains much of its original character. The facade still resembles that of a church, and restored stained glass appears throughout, along with soaring, domed ceilings. But the building was eventually listed for sale again, and in 2024 it was purchased by the real estate company KSR, which opted to convert it to condos.
“When we saw it, the finishes were a little bit dated,” said Ceasar Salama, a partner at KSR Development, who noted that the previous developers had done a “fantastic job” on their conversion. “Some of the elements of what we would want to see in a modern condominium, in a modern condo project, for today’s Brooklyn buyer, weren’t quite there.”
The building’s flourishes were among the reasons Mr. Salama decided to convert the units to condos. One of his favorite aspects of the building, he said, is that its foundation is made from stone excavated from nearby Fort Greene Park. He also loves that it is in a historic district. As a developer, he used to view the landmarks commission as a roadblock, but eventually, he said, he saw its value: “It helps retain the character of the neighborhood.”
“We respect what the property is, we respect what the neighborhood is, and in turn, the landmarks commission has come to respect us,” he added.
Each of the 12 condos has a distinct layout and nods to the building’s ecclesial past. Duplexes and triplexes include wooden stairs made from the church’s original pews. Rafters are inside some closets. And in a three-bedroom listed for $4 million, a massive, arched window is the centerpiece of the living room, and the kitchen is in the church’s original bell tower.
Maintaining the building’s “historic nature” was essential to the design process, Ms. Peters said.
“The color selection was very much revolving around keeping the aesthetic intact without ruining what was originally done with the architecture,” Ms. Peters said.
The tones throughout are mainly neutral, with the lower kitchen cabinets made from solid walnut, and original restored oak floors. In some units, the stained glass gives pops of blue, red, yellow and green.
Green was an especially important motif, and the primary bathrooms have a fluted mint-colored marble above their vanities.
That marble was among the bolder selections, Ms. Peters said, noting that she was more open to taking risks because there were only 12 units to design and sell. And since she has sold homes in the area for a while, she had familiarity with the neighborhood’s vibe and what buyers might like.
“In Fort Greene, it’s not a very vanilla crowd,” she said. “It’s a very fun, eclectic crowd.”
The kitchens, bathrooms and HVAC systems are entirely new, and four units now have private outdoor spaces. There’s also a common courtyard that was made larger, and the gym downstairs is being refreshed. One unit even has its own separate entrance on the side.
Residents are scheduled to move in during the fall, and one unit has already sold. The developer and sales team expect the historic aspect to be a huge draw.
“If we just basically threw up a glass box of a building, I think we’d still have success in sales, but this is just a whole different world,” said Daniel Fried, a member of Ms. Peters’ team at Douglas Elliman. “You’re getting the built-in aesthetic of living in a classical building with all the accouterment of modern life, which I think is really nice.”
Matt Yan is a real estate reporter for The Times and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.
The post Condo Conversion in Former Brooklyn Church Offers ‘Piece of History’ appeared first on New York Times.
