With a mansion this old and this fine, you'd hope there would be a ghost or two floating around, to amp up the sense of antiquity.
And this stunning Greek Revival landmark does not disappoint.
Just ask Frank Guido, who has seen silent specters in the hallway on the top floor of 440 Clinton St., AKA the John Rankin House, which was built when Martin Van Buren was President.
“Two women pass at times, one in a white dress, one in a blue dress,” said Guido, who has lived and operated a funeral parlor for more than a half-century in the historic Carroll Gardens manse.
“They are long dresses, almost like a nightgown,” said the fourth-generation funeral director of F.G. Guido Funeral Home, whose great-grandfather launched the undertaking business in 1883.
We aren't lion — this is a stunning house.
When we step inside the house, this grand staircase catches our eye.
Here's a closer look at the beautiful staircase.
His daughter, Maria-Ray Guido, said that when she and her brother were kids growing up in the house, they saw the two spirits.
“It was frightening because we were young,” recalled the fifth-generation funeral director. “They would come at night. We would be having a heart attack and calling for our parents.”
Father and daughter graciously showed us around the elegant square-shaped house.
Frank and Maria-Ray Guido are our gracious hosts when we visit the Greek Revival mansion.
The house is furnished with antiques.
Madonna and Child.
We were on a quest to photograph 10 of Brooklyn's lesser-known but lovable landmarks, all of them listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Clinton Street house was added to this Federal landmark registry in 1978.
John Rankin House “is one of the finest Greek Revival residences in all the five boroughs,” according to a report about its 1970 designation as a city landmark.
Stately chairs.
Even the doorknobs are nifty-looking.
Ship Ahoy, at 440 Clinton St.
When the wealthy merchant built the house in 1840, the area was dotted with country estates.
Sadly for our thrill-seeking self, the long-gowned ghosts did not appear during our visit. We were there on a sunny morning, which was the wrong time of day.
We saw antique furniture and objets d'art and a grand French walnut staircase with burl-paneled wainscoting. The house has 16 fireplaces — and a bread oven in the basement.
The house has 16 fireplaces.
Ship Ahoy, part two.
Ship Ahoy, part three.
Frank Guido said he bought the free-standing red-brick home for $60,000 in 1959 — at a time when neighborhood brownstones were selling for $10,000 to $12,000.
For Guido, who majored in history at Villanova University, it has been a joy to own this architectural treasure from Brooklyn's distant past.
“I'm very proud of it,” he said.
Before he moved to 440 Clinton St., his funeral home was located on nearby President Street. There was a stable at Hamilton Avenue and Rapelye Street for horses that drew its old-fashioned hearses.
Even now, Guido owns 28 carriages, and can accommodate requests for horse-drawn carriages at funerals.
This helping hand is part of a prayer-card holder.
Frank Guido keeps some of his 28 carriages in the basement of the house.
When we leave 440 Clinton St., we notice this fine fence post outside the house.
