Building of the Day: 14-16 St. James Place

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Row houses
Address: 14-16 St. James Place
Cross Streets: Dekalb and Lafayette avenues
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1882-1886
Architectural Style: Neo-Grec
Architect: James or William Callahan
Landmarked: Yes, part of Clinton Hill HD (1981)

The story: When you get away from the grand mansions of Clinton and Washington Avenues, and their carriage houses on Waverly and Vanderbilt, Clinton Hill becomes a quiet row house neighborhood, like most of Fort Greene and the western edges of Bedford. A great deal of the housing here was speculative row housing built in the late 1870s to mid-1880s. The two architectural styles that make up those years were the Italianate and Neo-Grec styles. They can both be found on this block. Those styles also made up the blocks across the street, now filled with high rise middle class co-op buildings, and further down, NYCHA housing.

Both the Italianate and Neo-Grec houses have a common root. They were all flat, smooth- faced brownstone, with similar interior configurations. But the invention of the pneumatic drill made it possible for builders to carve the incised ornament of the Neo-Grec facades without the skills of a master stone carver, or the time it took him to work. This enabled developers to build faster and cheaper, and sell more houses.

The Italianates surrounding 14-16 St. James were built around 1875. These three houses were not built until ten years later. Since lots were often sold in groups, often by different owners, it’s quite possible for these lots to have been skipped over, as buildings went up on both sides. When builders James and William Callahan bought the lots, common wisdom would be to build two twenty foot wide houses here. But because that left almost two feet left over, they decided to build three very narrow 13.83 foot houses. Houses of less than 15 feet in width show up a lot in Clinton Hill, so it certainly wasn’t unprecedented.

They were all originally one-family, and were populated by people well off enough to advertise for housekeepers, serving girls, kitchen and laundry help, and other domestic help. In 1914, 14 St. James was home to Miss H. Ethel Bunting, an elocutionist of great charm and talent. She had a wide repertoire of Shakespeare at hand, and in addition to performing, gave lessons at her home in diction and performance. She also coached plays and other theatrical endeavors. All three houses were sold at regular intervals, and all three rented out rooms and suites at some point or another, but not until the early 20th century.

All three house’s facades are remarkably intact. Although 14A and 16 were painted, they still are in great shape. The incised detail work on the pedimented lintels is still sharp, the large metal cornices are intact, and the houses retain their heavy sills and elegant entryways. 14 and 16 still have their original doors. Only the iron railings and fences are gone.

I picked this group because number 14 St. James is special to me. I used to work here, in a home office on the top floor. My employer was John Simmons, who had a restaurant supply business long before foodies took over the world, and long before Brooklyn restaurants were hot. He sold fine fish, seafood and specialty goods like pate and smoked salmon, to Manhattan restaurants. I was hired as his secretary/ bookkeeper. I entered in the receivables and payables, and wrote and mailed statements. I also answered the phone, wrote letters, etc.

John shared his office space with his wife, Marie, who is a well-known food writer, author and cook. She had a regular column in several prominent magazines, including Bon Appetit. When I was working there she was finishing up her first book, and working on her second, “365 Ways to Cook Pasta.” She spent most of her time in their great kitchen, and John was at his warehouse near Manhattan’s meat packing district. They were the nicest people to work for. They had both gone to Pratt and met there. They also had a teenage daughter who was still in high school.

I learned a great deal about food there. John and Marie introduced me to foods I had never tasted, and ways of cooking (olive oil!) that were totally unfamiliar to me. Since Marie was writing a cookbook, and writing several food columns, she cooked all the time, and I was a willing taster to all of it. I still make some of her recipes. John introduced me to fine wines, (he was a “knight of the vine”) and both of them took me into to a new world of gourmet foods that were quite new to most people back in the mid-1980s. I shared Thanksgiving dinner with them one year. I will never forget their generosity, welcoming spirits, and friendship. They left Brooklyn behind long ago, to follow their daughter and her family to the West Coast, and now live in Washington State.

I also learned a great deal about the Clinton Hill of the mid-’80s. I had been here many times with my friend who also went to Pratt, but coming in every day and going to Citibank on Myrtle and the post office, and just walking around and walking home to Bed Stuy, I saw the neighborhood grow and change, and I got a close look at all of its wonderful architecture. Clinton Hill has always been one of my favorite neighborhoods because of my time working there.

PropertyShark tells me 14 St. James is only 13.83 feet wide. I never would have guessed. I also used to housesit for them, because they had two dogs and two cats, and I spent many weekends there by myself. The house was always wide as a mile to me. I think of John and Marie every time I pass there. Architecture is great and always appreciated, and a neighborhood’s beauty is a thing of joy. But nothing beats coming to the door of strangers and finding yourself in the home of friends. GMAP

(Photo: Christopher Bride for PropertyShark)

Clinton Hill is a wonderful neighborhood, filled with architectural treasures and stories of people and events that shaped the city of Brooklyn. Please join the Society for Clinton Hill, Morgan Munsey and me for a tour of some of those treasures. It’s this Saturday, June 21, at 11 am. More information and tickets can be purchased at the Society’s site here.