Building of the Day: 432 Nostrand 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: 432 Nostrand Avenue, between Putnam and Madison Name: Store building Neighborhood: Bedford Stuyvesant Year Built: Unknown Architectural Style:…
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: 432 Nostrand Avenue, between Putnam and Madison
Name: Store building
Neighborhood: Bedford Stuyvesant
Year Built: Unknown
Architectural Style: Victorian era storefront
Architects: Unknown
Landmarked: No
Why chosen: As longs as I’ve lived in the community, I’ve loved this classic Victorian storefront building. So very few remain, especially on this stretch of Nostrand Avenue, which along this area is a combination of commercial and residential buildings, all of which have seen better days. It’s got such great details; the double bays, which would look great with their glass walls intact, and stained glass transoms. The decorative band right above the bays, and then those really fine recessed windows, accented by the decorative brick work, topped off with a pretty intact, and pretty fabulous cornice. I can imagine a number of businesses that would great in a space like this, both historically and now. In 1991 a permit was granted for the owner’s desire to turn the building into a private commercial club, but that never seemed to come into fruition. The building has been closed up for some time. Add this one to my list of ‘wannado acquisitions and projects.
Love those bayfront commercial facades, and yes, they are an endangered species. Leaf & Bean coffee store in Park Slope still has one, not sure if it’s original; there are a few in Red Hook and (as someone pointed out) along Atlantic Ave.; and there used to be a wonderful one in Greenpoint along Manhattan Ave., which my husband remembered as a little mom-and-pop ‘department store’ back in the day. I guess they are impractical in the era (sigh) of the roll-down gate…
This is an unusual building type. I can’t think of many more like it. It is very fine. The second story brickwork is really handsome.
Thanks, MM. I love seeing original storefronts. There’s a stretch of Atlantic Ave (Bond-Nevins or Nevins-3rd Ave, can’t recall exactly) where the stores fronts have been restored and they add so much to the character of the block. There’s also the block of Bergen St btw Flatbush and 5th Ave where the landlord (the owner of Pintchiks, I believe) has clearly mandated certain aesthetic standards for the storefronts and the result is wonderful on a visual level.
I always cry a little when an old storefront is replaced with sheet glass and tacky signage. There was a sweet little antique shop on Flatbush at Park Pl in Prospect Heights that became a Verizon store — and an ugly blot on the lansdcape, imho. I’d love to see local merchants associations working on this issue. They might be surprised at how well people react. It’s one of those intangibles along the lines of, “If you create an attractive enviroment for me, I’ll feel more valued as a customer and will patronize you more.”
blowfish,
Me too.
i really wish i could bankroll MM Ventures, Inc
Where these kinds of buildings (with the double-bay ground-level store windows) originally built like this, or was the jutting storefront added later?