3. Seamans Mansion, Crown Heights
In the early 20th century, the St. Mark’s District of Brooklyn was the place to be for the borough’s wealthiest residents. Located in what is now the Crown Heights North Historic District, this ritzy neighborhood boasted many elegant mansions. One of the most grandiose of these homes was that of typewriter tycoon Clarence Seamans. Standing at 789 St. Marks Avenue, Seamans’ four-story masonry house was designed by architect Montrose W. Morris. Many homes on St. Marks Avenue were of Morris’ design.
Built around 1904 in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, the limestone-clad mansion had all the things you would expect in a home of its size: a bowling alley, ballroom, swimming pool, and an underground passageway that connected the main house with the carriage house. Morris and Seamans traveled to Europe to buy furnishings for the home, sometimes purchasing whole rooms. Seamans’ wife sold the mansion in 1918 and in 1922 it became Chateau Rembrandt, an event space. By 1928, the event space had closed and the final private owner moved out. The mansion was torn down to make way for The Excelsior apartment complex.
