The Plan: Suburb Meets City at 487 Henry Street in Brooklyn

You get the best of both worlds at this newly completed luxurious — yet unassuming — townhouse in Brooklyn’s tranquil Cobble Hill neighborhood. 

Situated along a quaint, tree-lined boulevard, 487 Henry Street aligns perfectly with the vibe and visual of the neighborhood, looking outwardly like any other Brooklyn brownstone. The inside tells a different story. 

487 Henry Street is a 6,300-square-foot, $14.5 million oasis featuring five bedrooms, six bathrooms, and a 130-year-old American elm tree in the backyard. In all this, it offers buyers a taste of both the city and suburban life. 

“We are a developer that specializes in townhouses, and this is probably our 29th townhouse,” said Carlos Saavedra, founder — along with wife Nicole Eckstrom — and principal of development firm Eckstrom NYC. “We do townhouses, we do condominiums, and we do one-family homes. And this one, the vibe seemed like it would be a very good one-family home.”

And what a home that family will have. You’d be hard-pressed to find a room at 487 Henry Street that you would want to leave. What’s Commercial Observer’s favorite room? So glad you asked: It would have to be the main bathroom, which features a free-standing, deep-soaking tub, a separate closed-door stall for the toilet, and a separate stall for the steam shower, which has a rainfall showerhead. 

The bathroom also has a mini fridge, a frequent request among buyers, and not just for cosmetics and skin care. “Ozempic needs to be refrigerated,” Saavedra said. “It’s so much more common these days than it used to be, people have become more open about it, and buyers are asking for this.”   

Renovations at 487 Henry Street were completed in March, and the property was listed in April. Built between 1844 and 1845, the property now spans six levels and features two entrances, one on the first floor and one on the lower level. 

There are several outdoor spaces, including a glorious backyard, a small terrace off the main bedroom, and a rooftop lounge complete with an outdoor kitchen with a stunning view of Manhattan. 

The first floor features two living rooms. The smaller has a wood-burning fireplace, while the larger overlooks the massive kitchen on the lower floor, which features a huge sliding glass wall that opens to the backyard. And thanks to the small, cozy lounge — which is giving coworking vibes — just off to the side, and the bathroom on that floor, you could literally live in the kitchen. 

But, if you spent all your time in the kitchen, you’d miss out on the condo-level wellness amenities such as the sauna and cold plunge, as well as a workout space. There is also a lounge designed with teens in mind, and an office area.

Head up the stairs — which are a work of art in and of themselves, as they feature a Guggenheim-style spiral — to the
second- and third-floor bedrooms, and there is space for the whole family and even a few guests. 

“Everything here was designed with the little moments in mind,” Saavedra said. “There is no one room where it feels like we didn’t care about it. We obsessed over every detail. Every little thing is a gesture of love.”

Amanda Schiavo can be reached at aschiavo@commercialobserver.com.