Building of the Day: 287-293 Clinton Avenue

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Row houses
Address: 287-293 Clinton Avenue
Cross Streets: DeKalb and Lafayette Avenues
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1894
Architectural Style: Transitional Romanesque Revival/Renaissance Revival
Architect: George M. Walgrove
Other Buildings by Architect: Many similar style row houses and flats buildings on Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Landmarked: Yes, part of Clinton Hill Historic District (1981)

The story: Clinton Avenue has a wealth of fine architecture along its route, so much so that buildings that may have stood out as outstanding in other neighborhoods are often passed here without a glance. This group of houses is a good example. By the time these houses were built in 1894, this was THE street to be on here in “The Hill” as the neighborhood was called in the Brooklyn paper’s society pages. After all, for social climbers, who wouldn’t want to be able to say that Charles Pratt, the wealthiest man in Brooklyn, his wealthy sons and their friends lived only a block away?

The group of houses was designed by architect George M. Walgrove for watch case manufacturer Joseph Fahys, who engaged in a bit of neighborhood development on the side. Fahys lived just across the street, in a large mansion that stood where the Clinton Apartments are today. Fahys also developed two other groups of houses on DeKalb Avenue. Fahys’ had an old stone mansion which once belonged to a lead manufacturer torn down to build this row. His own mansion would fall to the wrecking crew only three years after these houses were completed.

The group is quite nice. The architect, George M. Walgrove is a familiar name to aficionados of Upper West Side row house architecture. His work is scattered in the blocks of the 70s and 80s, and he also designed flats buildings on the corners of many of the blocks there. His houses are all fine examples of Romanesque, Renaissance and transitional Romanesque/Renaissance Revival styles, often utilizing a lot of chunky, rough-cut brownstone, along with brick and other materials. These houses are quite upscale in golden/orange brick and fine ornamental and stylistic details.

Walgrove’s architectural career took an interesting side trip when Mayor George McClellan made him Parks Commissioner of the Bronx, in January of 1906, and then very publicly kicked him out before the year was over. According to the tabloid press, the reason was loyalty. Walgrove had been a political ally of a Tammany man who was also the political crony of Tammany Boss Thomas Murphy. McClellan, who was a Tammany man himself, felt Walgrove was too beholding to Murphy, and not to him, so Walgrove’s head rolled. The story made the papers all over the state. Walgrove simply went back to being a successful architect.

This group of houses makes quite a unified group on this important corner. The design is ABBA, and the symmetry of the two center twins, surrounded by their flanking buildings, all capped with a running cornice, makes this group look like a very large Manhattan mansion, or apartment building. Almost all of Walgrove’s Manhattan row houses have five stories, and this height here also adds to the rather monumental nature of the group.

Walgrove’s decision to curve the edge of the corner building, and have the windows wrap around is the most striking and effective feature of the entire design. This was rarely done at this time, and creates an especially modern and elegant line to the building that sets it apart. Very European and very classy, quite appropriate for the upscale folk up here on The Hill.

For many years, this corner house, number 287, was home to Dr. John O. Polak and his family. He was head surgeon at Long Island College Hospital in the ‘teens. The family was very active in Society, with debutante balls, big weddings, summering in the country and the usual wealthy pursuits of the day. Today, the house has six apartments. GMAP

If you’d like to see this group, as well as many of Clinton Hill’s impressive architectural treasures, please join Morgan me, and my tour partner Morgan Munsey, in a walking tour of Clinton Hill, sponsored by the Society for Clinton Hill. We head out this Saturday, June 21st, at 11 AM, rain or shine. Ticket reservations are here. We hope to see you this weekend.

(Photo:Christopher Bride for Property Shark)