Building of the Day: 240-244 Dean Street

(Photo: Property Shark)

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Frame row houses
Address: 240-244 Dean Street, between Bond and Nevins
Neighborhood: Boerum Hill
Year Built: 1857-1858
Architectural Style: Vernacular Italianate
Architect: Unknown, if any. The builders were Wilson and Thomas.
Landmarked: Yes, part of the Boerum Hill Historic District (1973)

The story: There’s something very relaxing and charming about the streets of Boerum Hill. Other parts of town have their big named wealthy businessmen, their well-known Brooklyn architects who created mansions worthy of their stature, and their late 19th century rows of ornate Renaissance and Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne rowhouses. Boerum Hill is from an earlier day, when builders, not fancy architects, determined the styles of the homes they created. Using style books and the vernacular and familiar forms of the day, they built rows upon rows of simple Greek Revival and Italianate homes that all combine to form a small, often forgotten, but pleasing neighborhood. My favorite feature in these homes is the parlor window. The long, full length windows add light and create an airy feel to the inside of these homes, allowing the light to soar to the high ceilings, highlight the intricate moldings, and bounce off the wide planked floors and the white marble fireplace surrounds. It’s easy to see why these homes will always be popular. And then you have these little gems. There used to be four of them, but only two remain, with plenty of room around them now. They aren’t very wide, only 16.5 feet, and 40 feet deep, but they make up in pure charm what they lack in stature. Again, the windows are the most striking features, the angled bay, full floor second floor windows, with remnants of stained glass, and at center stage on the third floor, those beautiful Palladian windows. Perhaps the attic window at 240 was closed over, or perhaps a new window was cut into 244? These are just delightful houses!

Some investigation reveals a lot about this neighborhood in the second half of the 19th century. By 1871, all four houses are advertising for boarders and renters. All four offered either furnished rooms, or half of the house for rent, or furnished suites. Boerum Hill was home to tradespeople, shopkeepers, clerks and other middle class working folk. There are advertisements by the women of the houses to take in laundry, or sewing work. Renting to boarders was, and is, a time honored way to bring in extra money, and this neighborhood, with its proximity to the jobs in downtown Brooklyn, as well as lower Manhattan, was perfect for working people. The neighborhood would stay that way for almost 150 years. Boerum Hill has quite a few wood frame houses. These two are among the best.

(Photo: Google Maps)