Building of the Day: 8 Old Fulton Street

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: 8 Old Fulton Street, between Furman and Everitt Streets
Name: Brooklyn City Railroad Company Building
Neighborhood: Fulton Landing/DUMBO
Year Built: 1860-61
Architectural Style: Italianate
Architects: Unknown, apartment conversion by David Morton
Landmarked: Yes

Why chosen: On of the reasons the Fulton Landing area is so interesting is because of the collection of disparate buildings that have survived almost 200 years of Brooklyn history, through which we can see the layering of changes that took place in commerce, home, and transportation. This building was finished right before the start of the Civil War, and was headquarters for the Brooklyn City Railroad. The company began in 1853 as a horsecar line which transported passengers from various interior parts of Brooklyn to the Fulton Ferry terminal across the street. These horsecars were trolley cars on rails, pulled by horses, a much faster and more efficient means of transportation than regular stage coaches, called omnibuses. Before the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, the horsecar lines running to such newly developing places such as Park Slope and Bedford, made the early development of these areas possible. The Brooklyn City RR soon had tracks running everywhere, and eventually replaced the omnibuses completely. Since the Fulton Ferry terminal was the final or beginning destination, it made perfect sense to erect headquarters for the company here. And what a great building it is. At a tall five stories, it stands alone on this side of the street. The ground floor is cast iron, a new building material for the time, while the rest of the building is brick with granite quoins. Those are the white blocks of alternating length on the sides of the building. They serve as a frame to the rest of the classic Italianate features, and make for a most handsome building. As Fulton Landing faded in importance, the building would eventually be used for light manufacturing, including a toilet seat company, and then was converted to apartments by architect David Morton, in the 1970’s. It’s now a co-op, with 11 apartments.

Atlantic Avenue with horsecars in center roadway. 1850’s. New York Public Library.