Building of the Day: 143 Buckingham Road
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: 143 Buckingham Road, corner of Albemarle Rd. Name: William and Lulu Norwood House Neighborhood: Prospect Park South Year…
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: 143 Buckingham Road, corner of Albemarle Rd.
Name: William and Lulu Norwood House
Neighborhood: Prospect Park South
Year Built: 1906
Architectural Style: Northern Italian Villa with Colonial Revival bones
Architect: Walter S. Cassin
Landmarked: Yes, part of the Prospect Park South HD, designated in 1979.
Why chosen: The historic district report for PPS calls this house one of the most impressive houses in the district. Apparently, it is also one of the few single family homes in the area to be entirely constructed of brick. And construct it, they did. At 49 x33 feet, with almost 5,000 square feet of house, this is some home. The eye is first drawn to that magnificent tower, with recessed loggia, peaked roof and jaunty finial. How great would it be to have that outside your bedroom window? The strong Mediterranean feel of the house is due in the most part to the bracketed porch, tower, hipped roof and deep bracketed eaves which surround the house. Underneath all of that is really a very large Colonial Revival house, with classic details such as splayed stone lintels, dormers, and a Palladian-like window on a second story bay. It is said that Dean Alvord, who developed Prospect Park South, had a special regard for Buckingham Road, the shortest road in his development. All of the houses are unique, some are architectural masterpieces, and this one would have been visible from his own mansion, just across the way, on Albemarle. The house was built for successful real estate broker William Norwood, and his wife Lulu. Inside, the house boasts an impressive living room, dining room, kitchen, billiard room, music room, eight bedrooms, and three bathrooms. Walter Cassin seems to be an unknown, I was not able to find any information on him, although there were a number of Cassins who were involved with architecture, but I don’t know if they were relatives. If this was his only major house, he certainly did himself proud, designing an impressive, yet attractive house in a wealthy suburban neighborhood of impressive houses.
(Photo: Andrew Dolkart for LPC Designation Report, 1979)
(Photo: donwiss.com. Date unknown)
It is Walter L. Cassin, not Walter S.
Christopher
This house was not part of the original development of PPS. It was built almost 6 years later, squeezed onto a narrow tract of land just feet away from the elevated tracks. Absolutely no back yard. Of course, when trains ran infrequently, this wasn’t really an issue, I suppose. Speaks to how desirable it was to live in PPS back in the day. It neighbored Dean Alvord’s own house, the massive Tudor on Buckingham which was destroyed by fire in the mid-twentieth century, photographs of which still survive.
I have actually seen graffiti sprayed on the back of this house, by vandals who gained access through the subway cut. Shame.
Would love to see interior shots of this house, and others, in PPS. Would be wonderful if home owners got together and shot a series of the most impressive interiors. All I hear now are rumors of magnificent ballrooms hidden on third stories, fabulous, one-of-a-kind fireplace surrounds, etc..
zydeco, I also used to live in NOLA (pre-flood). I live in Ditmas Park which has more than a passing resemblance to the Garden District. Both neighborhoods were built at roughly the same time in similar styles.
I want, I want, I want…. I totally agree, BHS.
Reminds me of a house I loved on Audubon Park in NOLA (I lived there pre-NYC). Can anyone point me to more info re the resemblances of some houses in Bkln to those in NOLA?
eight bedrooms and only three bathrooms?
I hope they had plenty of empty vases around.
Ishtar, I just took the picture this January, so it’s in winter mode.
Is that tree dead or is that it’s winter state?
This is the kind of house I used to dream of as a kid. So awesome. I love this block. Somehow it manages to be spooky, cozy, and gigantic all at the same time.