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June 13, 2005
Brooklyn Heights Up Close: 24 Middagh Street
We're going to be focusing on the architectural history of Brooklyn Heights this week, hopefully serving up a different nugget every day (with a whole lot of help from Charles Lockwood's bible Bricks and Brownstone). Holding the title of the oldest home in the hood, the former Eugene Boisselet house at 24 Middagh Street, built in 1824, is a logical starting point. Middagh Street has a strong literary history, Number 7 (no longer in existence) having been home to W.H. Auden, Benjamin Britten and Richard Wright among others. Number 24 is one of the best examples left in New York today of the Federal-style wood frame house. At the time, these houses were typically painted white with green latticed blinds. While generally characterized by the classical simplicity that marked the Federal style, Number 24 is particularly notable for its front doorway with its "delicately leaded toplight and sidelights and elegantly carved ornaments" as well as its rear carriage house and charming garden whose gate happened to be open yesterday morning as we shuttled Brownstoner Jr. around the surrounding cobblestone streets. Lockwood also makes special note of the two dormer windows on the top floor and the small lunette windows on the side of the house. GMAP
Bricks and Brownstone [CharlesLockwood.com] AMAZON
Comments
This is a great beginning. Can't wait for the next installation.
Oh, not to be a nit, but just wanted to point out that Benjamin Britten was a composer, not a writer (and as such, does not add to the "literary" history of the address).
Posted by: anon at June 13, 2005 11:20 AM
Very cute (i am not a big fan of frame construction but this one looks preciuous)
Posted by: malymis at June 13, 2005 11:49 AM
Point well taken re: Britten.
Posted by: Brownstoner at June 13, 2005 12:01 PM
What year was it built in?
Posted by: rashers at June 13, 2005 2:18 PM
Sorry, 1824.
Posted by: Brownstoner at June 13, 2005 2:52 PM
Great idea to write about this.
I'd love to know about the houses that were destroyed to pave way for the BQE. Are there any photos of them? My dad lived here as a child in the '30's (trying to figure out which house number, but know it was where Middagh meets Willow).
He always spoke about 'The Penny Bridge, The Penny Bridge...suppose that was destroyed for the Expressway too, have never been able to find a photo of it either...
Posted by: renogirl at June 14, 2005 11:43 PM
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Posted by: Travis Ballard at December 6, 2005 3:54 AM
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