Two landmarked Brooklyn properties tied to pioneering physician Dr. Josephine English are officially on the market after years of uncertainty surrounding the family estate, according to Brownstoner.
The sale includes the mansion at 375 Stuyvesant Avenue in Bed-Stuy and the former Paul Robeson Theater at 40 Greene Ave. in Fort Greene. Listings posted in April show the properties are being sold together for $8.25 million, though each can also be purchased separately, the website reported.
The properties have been at the center of a long-running dispute following English’s death in 2011. Court records show family members reached a legal agreement last year to move forward with a sale, according to Brownstoner.
“Both properties will be delivered vacant and sold in as-is condition, subject to any existing violations. Buyers are responsible for conducting their own due diligence, including verification of zoning, landmark status, building condition and any applicable regulatory requirements,” the listing states.
The mansion on Stuyvesant Avenue has become a rallying point for community organizers hoping to preserve the building as a cultural and community space. Residents formed the BLAC Land Trust over the past year in an effort to raise money and secure the property before it is sold to a private developer.
The group aims to create long-term community ownership and protect historically Black spaces in central Brooklyn.
Designed by Kirby & Petit and completed in 1915, the Renaissance Revival mansion sits within the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District. English bought the property in 1973 after becoming the first Black woman in New York state to open a private gynecology practice. Over the decades, the building housed senior services, classrooms, art programs and small businesses, Brownstoner said.
The former church building in Fort Greene is in far worse condition. Originally built in 1864 as the Church of the Redeemer, the Romanesque Revival structure later became the Paul Robeson Theater after English purchased it in 1980. Recent photos show major deterioration, including roof damage and crumbling plaster, though many stained-glass windows remain preserved.
Both properties are being marketed toward buyers experienced in landmark restoration and large-scale redevelopment projects.
