Have you ever had one of those dreams where you discover an enormous secret room in your studio apartment? That's kind of what happened a couple of years ago at 111 Hicks Street, the co-op built in the old St. George Hotel in Brooklyn Heights. There was a room in the highest tower of the building that had been used to store water tanks—and after the tanks were removed, the co-op board realized the space could be sold and turned into a penthouse. After we read about the space in a Times real estate article over the weekend, we asked the brokers at Sotheby's if they'd let us in to take a look and get some pictures.
This morning, we took the tour. To get to the penthouse, you take the elevator to the top floor, and then you walk up another three flights, open a heavy steel door, and there you are: in a secret room with enormous arched windows and a full 360-degree view of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan. Up another flight is the roof, where, if the permits can be secured, someone could build an insane roof-deck or second floor.
If you're interested, the 66x53' space is listed for $2.495MM, and you'll have to bring your own architect—as you can see, the space is entirely raw. There is a possibility that one of the elevators in the building can be made to open into the space, but that'll cost a little extra. Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll go back to our day-dreams about secret rooms and million dollar penthouses.
