Prankster Grants Paul Manafort’s Brooklyn Brownstone Special and Hilarious Landmark Status

The entrance to Paul Manafort’s brownstone at 377 Union Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, was recently tagged in chalk with the word “FASCIST.” (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic)

On Monday morning, Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort became the first person to be indicted as part of special council Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation into possible collusion between Russian officials and the Trump campaign. Shortly thereafter, a Brooklyn brownstone Manafort bought in January 2017 — through two Cyprus-based accounts for a total of $3 million, according to court documents — was granted satiric landmark status, complete with a faux plaque affixed to its fence at 377 Union Street in Carroll Gardens. Local blog Pardon Me For Asking first reported on the tongue-in-cheek plaque.

The satirical plaque at the entrance to Paul Manafort’s Brooklyn brownstone (click to enlarge)

Under a pixelated landmark seal, a short text, written as if from the future, explains the house’s important role in “the collapse of the presidency of Donald J. Trump.” The text of the plaque reads in full:

377 Union Street

“The House That Brought Down A President”

377 Union Street will forever be known as the building that lead to the collapse of the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Originally acquired by Trump campaign chairman, Paul Manafort in January 2017, this building’s finances would later become the foundation for initial charges of money laundering and conspiracy against the United States of America. Under the direction of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, these central criminal indictments were the “tip of the iceberg” in the federal investigation of collusion, conspiracy and other illegal activities by Donald J. Trump and his associates.

Thought to be originally built around 1899, 377 Union Street is construction 22′ x 45′ on a 90′ lot in the classic brownstone style of the Carroll Gardens area.

New York Landmark Preservation Foundation 2017

As of this morning, renovations were being done on the house and someone had tagged the sidewalk in front of it by writing “FASCIST” in chalk. At least one Halloween pumpkin had been smashed on the property, eerily echoing the cover of yesterday’s New York Daily News, which showed Mueller “Smashing Trumpkins.”

Hyperallergic reached out to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, which confirmed that 377 Union Street is not an LPC-designated landmark.

Though 377 Union Street is among the most expensive purchases Manafort made with allegedly laundered money — and as such may be seized by the federal government in the coming weeks — the indictment against him indicates that he also splurged at an unnamed Florida art gallery. In two purchases in 2011 and 2013, he spent $31,900 on art. And between 2010 and 2013 he dropped $623,910 on antiques from a New York-based dealer.

Paul Manafort’s brownstone at 377 Union Street in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn