Fort Greene Manse to Be Demolished for Apartments

"The circa 1860 wood frame house, located at 158 South Oxford Street, between Hanson Place and Atlantic Avenue, was called a "rare beauty" by Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen in 2010. She noted its "beautiful Gothic trimmed porch and symmetrical windows" and urged "There are only a handful of these houses left, and very few in such good shape. Let's protect them now, rather than when the 'dozers are rumbling up the street.""

"While the permit applications list Kleiman as the owner, city records still show artist Marc E. Lambrechts as having the deed to the property. It's possible the property has been owned by artists for decades, with the records showing Richard Artschwager, likely the renowned artist, as owning it from 1985 to 1995. In 1995, the deed was transferred to Lambrechts and his wife, Suzie Soo Gyong Cho."

Developers filed permits to demolish a circa 1860 Italianate wood-frame house at 158 South Oxford Street and construct a five-story building with 17 apartments and 10 off-street parking spaces. The three-story house features a Gothic-trimmed porch and symmetrical windows and was previously described as a rare beauty and considered for a proposed Fort Greene Historic District expansion that never occurred; the house is not landmarked. Permit applications list Shimon Kleiman while city deed records show artist Marc E. Lambrechts owning the property since 1995, after ownership by Richard Artschwager from 1985 to 1995. The lot measures 100 by 115 feet and holds buildable rights up to 23,000 square feet. The lower duplex has been rented and appeared in listings as recently as October. Permit approvals have not been issued.

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