Building of the Day: Children's Portico at Pratt
The BOTD is a no-frills look at interesting structures of all types and from all neighborhoods. There will be old, new, important, forgotten, public, private, good and bad. Whatever strikes our fancy. We hope you enjoy. Address: NW Corner of Activity Center, Pratt Campus Name: The Children’s Portico Neighborhood: Clinton Hill Year Built: 1912 Architectural…
The BOTD is a no-frills look at interesting structures of all types and from all neighborhoods. There will be old, new, important, forgotten, public, private, good and bad. Whatever strikes our fancy. We hope you enjoy.
Address: NW Corner of Activity Center, Pratt Campus
Name: The Children’s Portico
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1912
Architectural Style: Norman Revival
Architects: Unknown
Landmarked: No
This ancient-looking portico used to be attached to William Tubby’s Pratt Library, and was called the Children’s Porch. The Pratt Free Library, the first public library in Brooklyn, used to have an extensive library for children, and this entrance was for them.
The library went totally private in the 1940s, and the children’s library was no more. In 1982, the library was expanded and this entrance was dismantled and reassembled on the other side of the campus. It’s a wonderful Norman style ruin, said to be a copy of part of the King’s School, Canterbury Cathedral, and was built in 1912, not 1012.
On a photo shoot of Clinton Hill earlier this spring, Wasder and I discovered this structure, and had a great time photographing it. It’s a tribute to Pratt’s tradition of architectural preservation that they reconstructed what many may consider to be a useless pile of stone, an entryway leading nowhere. I’m very glad they kept it — it still delights the eye, and is a place of mystery and enchantment.
[Photos by Suzanne Spellen]
I was a student then at Pratt as well (79-83 – I guess we may have known each other, jfmarsh) when the Portico was moved. One of the summer jobs we had was chemically cleaning the old bronze book stack parts. The Portico almost didn’t survive the Library renovation, but enough noise by students and staff was made to convince Jerry to preserve it. Where it ended up I think was an afterthought, but at least they saved it. Not sure if time has been too kind with the semiunderground extension they made to the library.
I can imagine Thomas àBecket running down these steps.
I was a student at Pratt when the library was renovated and the porch was removed, I think around 1978-1979. I recall there was some effort by students and other to prevent Pratt from demolishing it, and the efforts resulted in it’s relocation near the ARC, where it is now. I visited the campus just this spring ad spent a few minutes reminiscing at the porch- I gradated in 1983- and I was disappointed by the visible neglect. You cannot travel up the steps in it anymore as there are plywood barriers erected. It is, however, an nice ‘folly’ to come across as you wander the old school. Than for the BOTD listing!
Is the public allowed on-campus again? When I used to babysit in the neighborhood the kids loved going there and climbing on all the sculptures, but the last time I tried to go through the gates I was chased down and told to GTFO because I wasn’t a current student…? Gotta love the “security” they employ.