Building of the Day: 1019 Bushwick Avenue
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: 1019 Bushwick Avenue, between Grove and Linden Name: Private House Neighborhood: Bushwick Year Built: late 1890’s-early 1900’s 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: 1019 Bushwick Avenue, between Grove and Linden
Name: Private House
Neighborhood: Bushwick
Year Built: late 1890’s-early 1900’s
Architectural Style: Colonial Revival
Architects: Unknown
Landmarked: No
Here’s another of Bushwick Avenue’s fine mansions, built by the brewmeisters and industrialists who flourished here at the turn of the 20th century. There was a lot of money in this mostly German neighborhood, and they certainly spent a great deal of it on fine houses, many of which remain.
Bushwick fell from fortune, in great part due to Prohibition, and the homes of the rich were often subdivided into apartments, or became churches, schools, or other kinds of social service institutions. And many are just gone, torn down long ago.
Many of the records of who built these houses, when they were built, and for whom, also disappeared. This particular house has weathered the storms well, although there is no information on its origins. It still is listed as a one family.
The Colonial Revival style gained popularity towards the very end of the 19th century, on into the 20th, so that makes this one of the last houses to be built on Bushwick, as many of the other mansions are 15-20 years earlier.
It’s in great shape, with classic Neo-Colonial details such as the collonaded porch, and that little dormer windows on the top floor. The ironwork on this house is superb, and plentiful, and the stained glass in the side entrance is also quite fine.
This really is a great house, well taken care of and proudly taking its place on this fascinating avenue.
[Photos by Suzanne Spellen]
I know the house you are talking about, Legion. I was interested in buying it about 15 years ago, but, in the end, the price was too steep and I don’t drive making it VERY inconvenient
MM,
This is my favorite of the Bushwick Ave. Mansions.
It is very well maintained and on occasion I’ve seen the little old lady who lives in it.
The inside of this home must really be something and the owner’s must have true grit to have held on to it through the rough 70’s and 80’s. That’s my own assumption based on the little old lady I’ve seen.
Of course there is the possibility that the little old lady was only visiting on those days and the house is owned by some entirely new family.
In either case it’s really a nice home.
…and if you like this one, please drive by Highland Park, the highest point in Brooklyn, it’s next to the
Ridgewood Reservoir,
there’s a whopper of a mansion up there with a guest house behind it that’s about the size of this home.
By the way, MM… if I havent said it recently, this feature is awesome!
This is a beautiful little slice of Boswijk… too bad most of that area is so… less than awesome.
Wine lover, none of those schools are IN bushwick. I’m just saying.
there are tons of deals on houses in bushwick. to follow the neighborhood’s real estate and openings of biz’s click on http://bushwickbk.com/ every once and awhile. i try to follow that site because i like the way it is written, and do look at listings. usually features at least one house in addition to lots of rentals. the 2 magnet schools in district 14 are school options – 31 (excellent all around grade schol) and 84 (dual language program is strong, upper grades not dual language are behind). personally know people that come from bed stuy and east williamsburg to both as well. seems like people also manage to get into 132 which is a good zoned school. not sure how they pull that off tho.
another school option is the expanding private school, williamsburg northside that now has a grade school and infant/daycare after the success of their preschool.
I personally don’t like pre-war homes but this is pretty nice and very well cared for.
That’s a good one.
Very nice design. The cornice is something. It is refreshing to see properties like this that are well cared for. Give the owner a stewardship award!