Building of the Day: 29 Third 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: 29 Third Avenue, between Atlantic Avenue and State Street Name: Brooklyn Central Dispensary Neighborhood: Boerum Hill Year Built:…
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: 29 Third Avenue, between Atlantic Avenue and State Street
Name: Brooklyn Central Dispensary
Neighborhood: Boerum Hill
Year Built: probably 1860’s, but redesigned in 1890
Architectural Style: Queen Anne over original Greek Revival
Architect: George L. Morse (redesign)
Landmarked: No
The Brooklyn Central Dispensary was a charitable medical organization founded in 1855, in a building on nearby Flatbush and Nevins. The facility provided free treatment and medicines to indigent patients. This new building opened to much fanfare in November of 1890.
The Dispensary originally had the clinic on the ground floor, with a waiting room, exam and operating rooms and a pharmacy. The second floor had offices, a dentist’s office, and rest rooms. The third floor housed the pharmacist and his wife, and the top floor, the janitress.
The Dispensary treated over 14,000 patients in its first year in the space. Only the pharmacist and janitress collected salaries. Today, the building is co-ops.
[Photos by Suzanne Spellen]
“Zing!”
Pete, wouldn’t be surprised. The Bklyn Eagle article I got some of this info from said that that the building was altered to suit the needs of the Dispensary, so perhaps George Morse put some zing into the facade as well. One would have to go down to the DOB and pull the file to see if there is anything in there that indicates what, if any, exterior changes occured.
Petebklyn,
Good question.
I, too, wonder if the Greekness of the facade is original.
Anyone have any good educated guesses?
Montrose?
BSD, the Brooklyn Tavern used to be a wonderful, low-key place. It was owned by the same people as the diner next door, and you could watch a game in peace–I saw a World Series game there with perhaps ten people in the whole place–while having extraordinary, flame-grilled hamburgers.
Both have changed hands a few times, I think, and now are under separate ownership. The last few times I went, I asked myself, ‘who are these people?’ They didn’t seem to live in the neighborhood, in fact they didn’t seem very “Brooklyn”. It used to be (early-80s) one of the few places to have a drink before or after BAM, but news flash: there are a lot of better choices in Fort Greene now.
But check it out for yourself. A lot more people go there so it must have some appeal, perhaps even to you. There is a deck out back, for one, for the smokers or just to get away from the juke box for a bit.
There were a lot of those dispensaries built around that time. The triangular building at the east end of Sheridan Sq. in Manhattan was one too. Great little building.
So cool! I always wondered about that building. What a sweet history, with a modern Brooklyn end. Thank you, MM.
Not to derail so soon, but noticed on streetview that a place called Brooklyn Tavern is next door, anyone been? Any good? Only been to Hank’s down the street.
so you think was probably just like blue house next door …
(except not blue)…and then added all the ornamentation on it?
how weird of idea. Helping those who can’t afford it get healthcare. Musta been a passing fad.