Building of the Day: 921 Putnam Avenue

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Former Convent of Our Lady of Good Counsel
Address: 921 Putnam Avenue
Cross Streets: Patchen and Ralph Avenues
Neighborhood: Bedford Stuyvesant
Year Built: 1914, with alterations to this and the building next door in 1915
Architectural Style: Renaissance Revival
Architect: Frank J. Helmle
Other Work by Architect: St. Barbara’s RC Church, Bushwick; St. Gregory the Great RC Church, Crown Heights North.; Boathouse, Prospect Park; Bossert Hotel, Brooklyn Heights, among many others
Landmarked: No

The story: If I had the opportunity and the money, I’d buy this place in a hot minute. Who wouldn’t want to have one of the coolest row house balconies around? We don’t often think of nuns living in this sort of splendor, but the Sisters who called this convent home had quite an elegant place to lay their heads. The fact that the building was designed by a really great architect only adds icing to quite a nice cake.

The parish of Our Lady of Good Counsel was established back in 1886 by Father Eugene Mahoney. This was before there was even much of a neighborhood here, as this part of the Eastern District was home to suburban villas, not row house development. But the good Father knew it was coming; his brothers were successful and wealthy builders in Manhattan, so he enlisted their help, and weeks after buying a huge chunk of land on Putnam and adjoining Madison, they began building a wooden church that would seat 800, with a more impressive stone church to follow.

By 1891, the stone church that stands a couple of doors down was finished, as was a school and a rectory. This parish served the needs of this part of Brooklyn’s ever growing Irish and German Catholic families, and a complex of buildings is typical of Catholic parish growth. The church is, of course, the heart of the complex, with a school, rectory for priests and religious staff, and a convent for the nuns who traditionally taught in the school. By the end of the first decade of the 20th century, Our Lady of Good Counsel had both an elementary and secondary school, so a new convent was a must.

The diocese hired architect Frank Helmle to design a beautiful new convent for the sisters. There had been a house here previously, probably a wood framed structure. Helmle designed a four story row house, and he might have also designed the buildings next door, as well. He was not a stranger to working for the Church. In 1910, he had designed one of Brooklyn’s most beautiful Catholic churches, St. Barbara’s, in Bushwick, and after finishing this rectory, would go on to design the even more impressive St. Gregory the Great, in Crown Heights North.

According to the Real Estate Record, the year after the building was finished, Helmle was back, in 1915, to do more work inside and out, with work also done on the row house next door, which had been annexed to the nunnery. 921 is a beautiful Renaissance Revival house, the most noticeable and attractive feature being that balcony on the top floor, supported by an impressive bracket, flanked by columns, and topped with a pressed metal cornice and pediment, all surrounded by a slate covered mansard roof.

Unfortunately, there are very few records attached to this building. The Sisters of St. Joseph were the order teaching the girls at the school, while the Franciscan Brothers taught the boys. In 1973, the schools were shut down by the dioceses, and presumably, soon after, the nuns were moved to another location. In 2006, Our Lady of Good Counsel merged with nearby St. John the Baptist Church. It’s unknown if the convent was rented out as apartments, or some other kind of living situation, perhaps as a social service entity. The schools of the complex now house homeless people, and other social services. At any rate, the building is now abandoned and open to the elements, at least up on that balcony.

The house was on the market in 2007, and the listing said that it had some original detail left, including a couple of fireplaces, pocket doors and a stained glass bay window on the side. The listing has been withdrawn for about three years, and the diocese still owns it. I hope they let go of it and let someone bring this grand house, with an interesting history, back to life, especially before the elements destroy it. This area is being looked at by Landmarks as a potential historic district, which is tentatively being called the “Our Lady of Good Counsel Historic District.” There are many fine buildings in the area, especially on Jefferson Avenue, only a block away. The area is certainly worthy, and I hope this building, like its neighbors, is landmarked. GMAP

(Photo: Christopher Bride for PropertyShark, 2012)

Want to know more about Bedford Stuyvesant’s vast wealth of great architecture? Please join Brownstoner commenter “Amzi Hill” and me in a walking tour of Bedford Stuyvesant. We’ll be exploring the architectural and cultural history of the soon-to-be-designated Bedford Historic District, the area around the Nostrand Avenue A train stop. The tour is sponsored by the Municipal Arts Society (MAS), and information and registration can be found on their website. We’d love to meet you, and share this great neighborhood with you. It’s this Sunday, April 14th, at 11 am. Municipal Arts Society of New York.