Morgan Munsey, Champion of Bed Stuy Preservation, Profiled in Times

Over the weekend, The New York Times ran a profile of Morgan Munsey, ardent preservationist and walking encyclopedia of Bed Stuy history, architecture, houses and the people who live in them. You may know him as Brownstoner commenter Amzi Hill, who also gives walking tours with our own Montrose Morris. (Above, a favorite block often featured on the tours and one of the Gold Coasts of Bed Stuy, the stretch of Hancock Street between Tompkins and Marcy.) As regular readers of this blog know, Munsey recently put his many contacts in the area to good use and became an agent with Evans & Nye, where he specializes in digging up some of Bed Stuy’s best-preserved and most impressive properties. Also, with his Rolodex of top-notch tradespeople, he is able to guide clients who want to preserve and restore their purchases rather than gut them. We hear 242 Decatur Street, which Munsey co-brokered, is in the process of being restored to its original glory from top to bottom, including the kitchens and bathrooms. The story is sprinkled with Munsey’s delightful bons mots; we could see and hear him walking and talking as we read.

Walking and Talking Bed-Stuy [NY Times]