Frame House Evolution in Bushwick

When we passed by this six family at 1345 Bushwick Avenue recently, workmen were putting a new facade on the building. The new stucco front actually looks pretty good, we think, with its big windows, linear detail, and relationship to the street. It’s an improvement over the last makeover, one of the typical featureless vinyl or aluminum siding and replacement window jobs that cover most of the wood frame houses in this part of Brooklyn. Originally, this building was shingled and ornamented very simply with a few geometric shapes formed by shingles in a contrasting color. (It looks like the shingles were greenish brown with red-brown contrasts.) Our only question is why the original cornice was uncovered and is still in place. Perhaps it will be replaced with something more modern to match the rest of the building soon? The building changed hands in December, and a tax lien was paid off in April, so maybe that explains the upgrade. Click through to the jump to see more shots, including a recent before photo and the original facade, still present in the 1980s tax photo.

Above photo by Christopher Bride for PropertyShark

Above, 1980s tax photo via PropertyShark