60 Plaza St E

60 Plaza E

Situated on Grand Army Plaza, 60 Plaza Street East overlooks the oval landscaped park sporadically adorned with American Civil War memorial statues. The historic district is distinguished by endearing attractions dear to the neighborhood, such as the Greenmarket, the Central Library and Richard Meier’s all-glass high-rise (satirically described by The AIA Guide as "a massive, beached whale”). Designed by architect Philip Birnbaum in 1940, the six-story unimposing structure is clad in red bricks with white-framed aluminum double-hung windows. One has to look closely at the building to see its few, periodically placed Art Deco-style flourishes, which include ziggurats, sunbursts and other geometric motifs in relief. Famous for employing efficient layouts with little-to-none wasted space, the architect did precisely that with zero interior hallways and plenty of square footage. For those looking for good value in northeast Brooklyn, the co-op offers multi-room apartments with low maintenance fees starting at $600,000. Seventy-five residences across six stories range from studios to three-bedrooms. The 1940-designed floor plans are generously proportioned with formal rooms, including salon-like foyers with walk-in closets, proper dining rooms and ample, deep closets. Throughout, one can find charming architectural details, such as recessed shelving, sunken living rooms with functioning fireplaces, wide arched doorways, as well as crown, floor and window molding. Regardless of size, all units have just one bathroom (otherwise, if more bathrooms are to be found, it was a later addition). About one-third of the units have private terraces, which average 12’-by-7’. Studios, spanning between 525 and 680 square feet, are usually large, often including spaces for multiple purposes. For example, #1G, a ground-floor alcove apartment with an office den, bedroom area and an open living area big enough to fit a full dining table, sofa and coffee table, sold for $598,000 in February 2025. One-bedrooms, averaging 900 square feet, are equally as spacious and often comprise what many layouts label as a “bonus room” or 7’-by-9’ dressing area with two closets. For instance, in #4E, its previous tenants used the extra room as a nursery and the foyer as an office; it was listed for $625,000 in February 2025. Two-bedrooms, ranging between 1,100 and 1,350 square feet, typically encompass a split floor plan with a massive open galley-style kitchen. Apartment #4L, a two-bedroom that overlooks Grand Army Plaza with a custom-built library that runs the entire length of the living room, went on the market for $1.3 million in January 2025. Three-bedrooms, with a median of 2,000 square feet, are rarely available and customarily come with an eat-in kitchen with a walk-in pantry and a gallery attached to the foyer. To illustrate, #2A, a three-bedroom with an office, a primary bedroom with an 8’-by-4” wardrobe closet and a tree-shaded balcony swathed in red bricks, netted $1.75 million in January 2021. The elevator building has a part-time door attendant, a live-in superintendent and part-time maintenance staff. Residents can find personal storage lockers and a bike room on the lower level. The same subterranean floor houses the laundry facilities, complete with folding tables and wire basket carts. Potential buyers should note that in-unit washer-dryers are not permitted. At the entrance of Prospect Park, visitors are greeted by the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch, a historic Civil War memorial with a crowning bas-relief sculpture of a winged goddess. Lining the perimeters of the Grand Army Plaza, four granite and bronze columns topped with copper-cast eagles lead to the Central Library housed inside the 1889 Beaux Arts building. Park Slope’s contemporary comforts are plentiful, too, including the YMCA housed in the former National Guard 14th Regiment Armory and cocktail-service cinema Nitehawk outfitted with retro arcade games. Nights out could entail stirred gin martinis at Saint Eve's Cocktail Bar, followed by black squid ink pasta and a glass of Chianti at mainstay Al di la Trattoria. For groceries, denizens can walk a few blocks to Foodtown supermarket or specialty grocer Ideal Food Basket. However, Prospect Park is the leading attraction, with its 526 acres of green space comprising The Grecian Shelter, Dog Beach, The Picnic House and The Boathouse. Residents can easily walk in under two minutes along the roundabout to the Grand Army Plaza station, which provides access to trains 2, 3 and 4. Just a bit further down Flatbush, about a quarter mile, Seventh Avenue Station services the B and Q trains. Meanwhile, major thoroughfares — Atlantic Avenue, Flatbush Avenue and Prospect Expressway — make travel easy through Brooklyn into Manhattan and beyond.  For local trips, there is a Citi Bike station at Plaza Street West and Flatbush Avenue.