Livingston Collection, 68 Livingston Street: Review and Ratings

Review of 68 Livingston Street by Carter Horsley

The Livingston Collection is a 6-story building at 68 Livingston Street at the corner of Court Street in Brooklyn Heights with 25 rental apartments.

The 19^th Century, red-brick base of this building erected in 1878 as the Central Grammar School, the first public high school in Brooklyn.

It was recently converted to residential use by the United American Land LLC by adding a floor to the building and increasing its height from 50 to 74 feet.  The design by DiGuiseppe keeps the red-brick façade for the lower four floors and topped it with two floors faced with large inset windows in a modern industrial style that has nothing to do with the handsome base.

The original building has a large mansard roof with several chimneys.

According to the building’s website, the building hosted, over the years, the Woman League of Voters, The Independence League and the Brooklyn Economic and Social Club, a club integral in hosting talks of prominent figures of the day. Steadfast lecturers promoted their causes, including leading members of the Women’s Suffrage movement.

The building, which is also known as 76 Court Street, has a bank branch on the ground floor.

Bottom Line

Well-located on the border of Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn, this rental apartment building has an attractive, 4-story, red-brick base hunkered down, incongruously, beneath by two floors of gray panels with large inset windows.

Description

Most of the windows in the red-brick base of the building, which has several stringcourses, are arched.

The lobby has a chandelier designed by the late Zaha Hadid.

Amenities

The building has a landscaped roof deck, a bicycle room, a virtual doorman, a package room and storage.

Apartments

Apartments have Porcelanosa kitchens with Gama-Décor cabinetry, stone countertops and tile backsplashes, Fisher-Paykal refrigerators, Kitchen-Aid cooktops, Bosch microwaves and washers and dryers.  Bathrooms have recessed medicine cabinets with integrated electric defoggers.

Apartment floors are 5-inch-wide plank red oak with a mocha satin finish.  Some units have exposed brick accents and ceilings are high as 12 feet.

Apartment 5B is a two-bedroom unit with a large living room with a corner open kitchen.

Apartment 5C is a two-bedroom unit with an entry foyer that leads to a large living room with an open kitchen with an island.

Apartment 2C is a corner two-bedroom unit with an entry foyer that leads to a large living room with an open, pass-through kitchen.