30 Clinton St

30 Clinton

Located across the street from a sleek 36-story luxury tower on the edge of Brooklyn Heights, 30 Clinton St. can be easy to miss. At just six stories, the 1926 building has the understated elegance of a bygone era, with a red-brick façade and a grand Colonial Revival entrance flanked by columns and topped with a broken pediment, a triangular design feature popularized by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Planted garden beds and wrought-iron lanterns serve to enhance the exterior charm. Converted to a co-op development in 1986, the 60-unit property strikes a balance in terms of its size that residents find appealing. “Folks in this building tend to stick around a long time,” explains Alexandra Colon Gupta, a Corcoran broker who recently listed a one-bedroom unit at 30 Clinton. “It’s not too small, like a four-unit co-op that might be too intense for the buyer to go in and run the building, and it's not a big behemoth where you kind of get lost." The property's strong financials and dedicated staff are also a draw for prospective residents. “It’s one of the best-managed co-ops in Brooklyn Heights,” says Charles Zivancev, a broker with Corcoran who recently sold a three-bedroom unit in the development. “It is an impeccably maintained building with a super who has been there for at least 30 years and owns at least a couple of units.” Even through updates, the building is careful not to lose its old-school charm. “They've done a great job at maintaining quality, structure, and prewar attributes,” says Gupta. Zivancev adds, "People buy in this building for the prewar charm, reasonable maintenance and proximity to everything Brooklyn Heights offers.”<br><br>"The building has a mix of studios and one-bedrooms, except for a few combined apartments," notes Gupta of the layouts. There's little uniformity across the units, with some sporting fresh renovations and others with tattered flooring and dated appliances. New windows were installed building-wide in 2016, and the elevator has been recently upgraded. "The co-op board and staff are very proactive about maintaining the building, so they don’t let any issues or problems build up,” explains Zivancev, noting the property carries no mortgage. "They've been very smart with their financials," adds Gupta. "They have strong reserves and have yet to impose an assessment on owners." In terms of pricing, a studio in good condition sold for $310,000 in December 2024, while a one-bedroom was recently acquired for $595,000. A three-bedroom combination unit was listed in October 2024 for $1.5 million. Co-purchasing is permitted only if all buyers reside in the dwelling, and the unit must be the owner's primary residence. "You need to have at least two years of mortgage and maintenance saved to qualify," explains Gupta. "The building also charges a flip tax of 15 percent of the seller’s profit,” says Zivancev.<br><br>“This building is not amenity heavy,” explains Gupta. “But they have a renovated laundry room with nice, bright new machines and storage cages for rent at a decent price." An elevator services all floors, including the basement, where the laundry and storage facilities are located, and there is an additional space for bike storage. Pets are also permitted. "Another amenity is the live-in super,” she adds. “If you have an issue, say a leak or a running toilet, you can message the super, and he should come right up and fix it." A virtual doorman lends a sense of security, and the video intercom system can be accessed via cell phone. While there's no fitness center on-site, several gyms are in the area, including Equinox, Orangetheory Fitness, Barry's, Form Fitness and Pilates Heights Brooklyn. "Having no frills helps keep the monthly maintenance low; it's on the low end of Brooklyn Heights and Brooklyn in general," says Gupta. For reference, a studio in the building that sold for $310,000 carried a maintenance fee of $700 per month. <br><br>Brooklyn Heights is among the most desirable neighborhoods in the borough thanks to its charming mix of historic architecture, specialty shops and access to green space. For recreation, residents of 30 Clinton are just moments away from Cadman Plaza Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park, the latter of which was completed in 2021 and encompasses some 85 waterfront acres across six piers, with various activities available. Across the street from Brooklyn Bridge Park is the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, a popular destination dotted with benches that allow visitors to relax while taking sweeping views of the East River and Lower Manhattan skyline. The area also has its own museum, the Center for Brooklyn History, formerly the Brooklyn Historical Society, which stages regular exhibitions and public programming for all ages. Inside, the Othmer Library and its enchanting wood-paneled reading room draw book lovers and researchers, who can access the institution's extensive archives. <br><br>The area is also brimming with practical amenities like grocery stores, buzzy restaurants, and cafes. A trio of supermarkets, Gristedes, Key Food and Fresh Start Marketplace, are within three blocks of the property. A branch of the Brooklyn Public Library is located across the street, as is an outpost of Brooklyn Roasting Company, which brews sustainable coffee in an unpretentious setting. A block and a half away is Montague Street, home to various dining establishments serving cuisines including Italian, new American, Thai and Japanese, and internet-famous bakery L'Appartment 4F. <br><br>“The location is ideal, steps away from so many modes of transit,” says Gupta. Among the subway stations within a few blocks are Clark Street, where the 2 and 3 express trains stop, and High Street, serviced by the A and C. The Borough Hall station is less than a third of a mile away and provides access to the 4 and 5 and the 2 and 3 trains. Bus service can also be found nearby, with the B25, B52, B41, B38, B26 and B103 all passing along Cadman Plaza West, half a block from the building. The transit hub of Atlantic Terminal, where six subway lines intersect, is a little more than a mile away and serves as a Long Island Rail Road terminus. Residents can find Citi Bikes half a block from 30 Clinton, and the area is well-connected to bike lanes.