Building of the Day: 237 Hancock Street

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: former W. G. Randolph mansion, now apartments
Address: 237 Hancock Street, between Marcy and Tompkins Avenues
Neighborhood: Bedford Stuyvesant
Year Built: 1891
Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: Peter J. Lauritzen
Other buildings by architect: Union League Club, Grant Sq. CHN, Offerman Building (former Conway’s) Fulton St. Downtown. Other buildings in CHN, BS.
Landmarked: Not yet. Will be part of Bedford Corners, or Bedford HD.

The story: Hancock Street, between Marcy and Tompkins, is architectural heaven to those of us who love the architecture of Bedford Stuyvesant. Many of the major players in Brooklyn’s proud architectural history built on this block, the major one being Montrose Morris. This building, right across the street from his former home, is one of the best buildings on the block, but is not by Morris, but by one of his contemporaries. This 43 x 53 mansion was built for W. G. Randolph and his family. He was the Vice President of the very successful Smith, Gray & Company, the men’s and children’s clothing business. He and his family must have been private people, as they are barely mentioned in the Brooklyn Eagle, although his wife was mentioned in this home, in a notice that she was receiving guests. The house was designed by Peter J. Lauritzen, one of my favorite architects. He was a master of the Romanesque Revival style, a talent he exercised in this house. Unlike most Rom-Rev houses, Lauritzen used a combination of brownstone, limestone and light grey brick. By using the lighter colored building materials on the upper stories, the building soars, and the ornate Byzantine leaf carvings, the massed columns with their floral carving, and the row of round windows in the attic interspersed in the carved cornice, pop and delight the eye. The joy in a building like this is that there is always something new. I used to live around the corner from here, walked by here for years, and only noticed last year on a house tour I was leading, that there were faces carved in the Byzantine leaf. The house languished in the 60’s and 70’s, and was abandoned for a time, before being taken over by the city. They established co-ops, which remain today. Some period detail can sometimes be seen through the front parlor window, but the city is not known for retaining detail in the buildings it renovates, so a fireplace and some woodwork may be all that remains of the Randolph mansion. But, the exterior is almost intact, and in great shape, a testament to great craftsmanship and design. I often wonder what Montrose Morris used to think when he looked across the street at this house, designed in the same style that he made his reputation on. Hopefully he appreciated the beauty of Lauritzen’s design as much as architectural buffs do today. This entire block of Hancock, as well as the block before it, will one day be the crown jewels of the Bedford (Corners) Historic District.