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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: 513 Fourth Street, between 7th and 8th Avenue
Name: Row house
Neighborhood: Park Slope
Year Built: 1892
Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
Architects: Allan Brothers
Landmarked: Yes

Why chosen: The side streets of Park Slope are always a joy to wander down, and this block is no different. This semi-detached home is one of those buildings that reminds me of why I love the Romanesque Revival style so much. An architect can really indulge in flights of fancy within the restrictions of a 20, or so, foot lot and four or five stories. The Park Slope Historic Designation report tells us that this house is actually the end building in the row of four other houses built by the same architect/builders (# 505-511). The end buildings in a group were usually the most striking, as they anchored the rest of the group as a physical presence on a block. This house has it all; a towering turret bay, with a fantastic tiled polygonal roof with an ornamental finial, the inset dormer window amid the Mediterranean tile roofing, the balcony on the third floor, and the extra room on the right side, next to the bay, and the stained glass transoms all around. The warm brick and brownstone are very inviting and eye catching, and the bands of carved Byzantine leaf ornament above the window lines on the upper floors are the icing on the cake. In addition to the entwined leaf work, you can find several faces, as well as a roaring dragon. Is all of this necessary? Of course not. Is it the stuff of row house goodness? You bet.

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What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. Mopar, Mediterranean roof tiles were very popular, and honestly, the fact that a lot of buildings I’ve written up have them is purely coincidental. I do really like them, though. They add texture, shape, and color in a way that slate tile doesn’t, although slate has its own special ways about it too.

    Italy also extensively uses this type of tile, it’s all over the Mediterranean. I’ll see what I can find out as to who used it here first. I’m sure everyone else just copied whomever that was, and a trend was born.

  2. This might be one of my top favorites of all the buildings you’ve posted. Haven’t seen this one in real life. You’re really going for the Mediterranean roof tiles, aren’t you? It’s a bit of a mystery how they got going on these Romanesque Revival buildings…to my mind, they’re New World Spanish a la the missions in California, but here they are possibly intended to be Italian? Does Italy have such roof tiles?