For a step inside a fairy tale, the “Gingerbread House” in Bay Ridge does the trick–that is if you have $8.75 million to spend. That’s the price the house was last on the market for in 2023, and there are a few reasons why.
James Sarsfield Kennedy designed the 1917 home for shipping merchant Howard E. Jones and his wife Jessie. Howard learned the trade from his father and partnered with him to run James W. Elwell & Company, one of the most esteemed shipping enterprises in New York. The 1919 annual report from the Port of New York described the company, founded in 1821, as “perhaps the oldest 'Simon-Pure' bona fide 100 percent American house in the Port of New York in the shipping line.”
Located at 8220 Narrows Avenue, the "Gingerbread House," was one of many detached, opulent homes built in Bay Ridge as a retreat out of the city. Despite his industrialist background, Jones appears to have become attuned to the Arts and Crafts movement, which, as a reaction to mass production, sought to bring back hand-made techniques in building. The design of the house also enabled it to conform to the natural topography of the land.
The approximately 5,746-square-foot house sits on a 20,000-square-foot lot a few blocks from the waterfront. The stone facade is made of irregular, uncut stones. The asphalt shingle roof, designed to look like a traditional thatched roof from afar, and adorable gabled windows, give the house its fairy tale reputation.
The interior is more akin to the style of opulent Gilded Age homes, with stained glass windows, coffered ceilings, and elaborate wood detailing. A marble fireplace and chimney in the dining room was clearly inspired by the castles of Europe. There are six bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms in the house, plus a room designated for the chauffeur and a wine cellar of approximately the same size. In addition to several entertainment rooms, three patios wrap around the exterior. There was originally a turntable in the garage so you could always drive straight out of it, but it no longer works.
The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported in 1918 that the home was constructed using largely local materials. The cobblestones that make up the exterior facade were sourced from the neighborhood, wood native to Bay Ridge was used on the billiard room ceiling, and trees and shrubbery were transplanted from another property Jones owned in Brooklyn.
The current owners purchased the house in 1985, fulfilling the childhood dream of the husband who grew up nearby. The home has been on the market multiple times since 2009 when it was originally listed for $12 million. As of this publication, the home is not for sale, but we can dream.
