Fifteen years ago, Dimitry Epelboym, a dentist born in Ukraine, set out to create his dream residence — a house that reflects the opulence and grandeur of the Old World European architecture he long admired.
The result was a massive limestone structure built on a tree-lined street in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where a century-old Victorian had once stood. The inside was designed to resemble a palace, with imposing double marble staircases, abundant hand-gilded detailing, intricate woodwork, mirrored walls, and museum-quality décor and fixtures.
“The home was deeply inspired by my travels,” Mr. Epelboym, who spends most of the year abroad, said in an email, “particularly the palazzos of Italy and iconic places like St. Peter’s Basilica.”
He and his then-wife, Lidia, paid $1.3 million in 2010 for the Victorian, which was owned by Jimmy Destri, the keyboardist for Blondie. They then tore it down and spent the next eight years and millions of dollars more on the new construction.
“I stopped counting after $10 million,” said Mr. Epelboym, who had worked with several artisans and handpicked the architectural finishes. The limestone used on the facade, he noted, was imported from the Puglia region of Italy.
Now divorced and retired, he says the house is too big for just him. It is on the market for $25 million, one of the priciest residential listings in the borough, according to Alexander Boriskin of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, who is marketing the property with his colleagues Michael Lorber and Ammanda Espinal. Annual property taxes are $34,301.
“Life evolves,” said Mr. Epelboym, who ran a successful dental practice in Brooklyn for three decades. His license was revoked in 2018 after he pleaded guilty to insurance fraud.
“I was eligible for reinstatement three years later and chose not to return,” he said. “I took it as a signal to move on — to enjoy life, travel and create. This home is now ready for its next chapter.”
Measuring around 14,000 square feet, the house has five generously proportioned bedrooms, each with at least one private balcony; six full bathrooms; two powder rooms; and a spacious wood-paneled home office. At the lower level is a full floor dedicated to entertaining and recreation. “It’s literally a spa in your home,” Mr. Boriskin said.
The property, just under a quarter of an acre, comes with a heated limestone driveway, a one-car detached garage and an electric vehicle charging station.
The home is entered through a formal central foyer enveloped in marble and copious amounts of gold leaf. Atop a 24-foot ceiling is a large stained-glass starburst illuminated by a circle of lights. It is flanked by the marble staircases, each framed in ornate gold leaf railings and mirrored walls. Nearby is a powder room and an elevator, and beyond the foyer is a gallery space that opens to the backyard patio.
The foyer leads to a spacious dining room and eat-in kitchen at one end and an enormous great room and the home office at the other. Both the dining and great rooms are anchored by stately fireplaces adorned with precious stones — green malachite and deep blue lapis lazuli, respectively — and inlaid wood floors surrounded by marble.
“One of the most special spaces to me was the formal dining room,” Mr. Epelboym said, recalling the dinner parties hosted there.
In the kitchen is custom wood cabinetry also adorned with gilded moldings and ornate carved details, along with a center island, countertops, backsplash and floors all done up in burgundy quartz. There’s a separate eating area, too.
The home office, just past the great room, features a gilded, coffered ceiling with intricate floral reliefs. The walls are clad in wood paneling and framed silk damask insets, each bordered by ornate gold-leaf molding. The space is lit by sconces supported by sculpted griffins.
Throughout the house are custom furnishings and several sculptures made by the artist Richard MacDonald.
The bedrooms, equally ornate, are on the second level. The primary suite has two balconies, dual walk-in closets, and a marble spa bathroom with a separate soaking tub.
Mr. Epelboym, who also owns homes in Pennsylvania and Georgia, said his favorite part of the Brooklyn house was the lower level.
“Sometimes I’ll unwind in the hammam or hot tub,” he said. “Other times, I’ll watch a film in the theater. That level was always meant as a sanctuary.”
The ground floor also has staff quarters, a powder room, a wine closet, a gym and a large ballroom with a Tiffany chandelier salvaged from a historic Tennessee riverboat. Besides the hammam steam bath and hot tub, the spa area contains a dry sauna and a bucket shower.
Mr. Boriskin, a listing agent, marveled at the enormity of the house, as well as its proximity to Manhattan.
“This kind of square footage in Manhattan,” he said, “would be a whole different ballgame.”
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