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« Existing Floorplan | Main | A Plethora of Fireplaces » January 24, 2005A Little History
"This row is comprised of nine brownstone houses erected 1873-1874. Nos. (redacted) were built by Thomas Skelly, while Nos. (redacted) were the of the builders Lambert & Mason. These three story Italianate houses with basements show details typical of the style, including projecting window enframe- ments, boldly carved foliate brackets supporting triangular door pediments, foliate keystones, parlor-floor balustrades, rusticated basements, and bracketed overhanging cornices. Alterations include a fourth story addition at (Brownstoner's house)...Among the original residents of this well-preserved row were merchant and real estate broker Joseph Almirall at (Brownstoner's house), tobacconist Antonion Gonzalez, painter Alexander Seabury, hardware dealer Joseph Tucker, weigher Theodore R. Brown, lawyer Julius E. Ludden, coal dealer Charles Carroll Smith, and glass dealer George W. Almy." More recently, the house has been an SRO for at least the past two decades and probably longer. We recently met the former owner of the next-door house who gave us a colorful description of the cast of characters who lived in our place until they were cleared out over the past two years by the woman who sold us the house. It sounds like it was mostly drug dealers--in fact the neighbor was held up at gun point by the drug dealer who used to inhabit the front room on the parlor floor. The rear room on the parlor floor has a bunch of graffiti in the closets--in striking contrast to what is the most ornate room in the house. We are now days--knock on wood--from obtaining the Certificate of Non Harassment that we need to proceed with the project. This Certificate is necessary to change the Certificate of Occupancy from SRO to one-, two- or three-family. We would not wish this process on anyone, but more on that at a later date. The bottom line is we need the Certificate to be issued in order to get our DOB permits. Barring major disasters, both should happen this week and we should be able to start demolition. Posted by brownstoner at January 24, 2005 6:23 AM CommentsGreat idea! Can't wait to see how it goes. Posted by: Gerry at January 24, 2005 3:42 PM I look forward to your updates. My wife and I did a complete near gut renovation about two years ago, however, it was such a traumatic experience it is still quite fresh in our memory - even though we had a relatively smooth reno compared to others we have spoken with. We are just now really settling into the space and starting to feel like it was worth it. I am sure, this blog will provide you with much support - wish I had something like this when we went through it all. Renovating a Bklyn brownstone is a unique endeavor. Unfortunately, much of the written material on the subject does not fully apply to this process, which is what makes support groups on the subject so invaluable. Also, frankly, the contractors available in Bklyn, at least the affordable ones are a mixed bag. Unless you have an unlimited budget, you will have many compromises to make. It's important to realize that from the outset, so that you don't start thinking it's only you who's experiencing the insanity. Good luck, and I eagerly await the next installment. P.S. Can you tell us what the extent of your reno will be. Have you hired architects, contractors, etc. Discussion of the hiring/planning process is quite valuable. Posted by: BigBubba at January 25, 2005 10:53 AM My wife and i own a 3 story brick townhouse in Ft. Greene. we are planning a renovation for next year. The first phase will involve the 2 story extension on outr 1854 single family house. Any advice on getting started and planning would be deeply appreciate. I would like to avoid any predictable pitfalls in the porcess. Any and all information and guidance would help. Posted by: DrSamJ at February 3, 2005 11:24 AM |
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The Landmarks Preservation Commission report on the Clinton Hill Historic District offers this description of our house and its immediate neighbors: