Building of the Day: 213-235 Clermont Avenue

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Row houses
Address: 213-235 Clermont Avenue
Cross Streets: DeKalb and Willoughby Avenues
Neighborhood: Fort Greene
Year Built: 1868-1871
Architectural Style: French Second Empire
Architect: Unknown
Landmarked: Yes, part of Fort Greene Historic District (1978)

The story: My introduction to Brooklyn came from my BFF, who was a student at Pratt Institute during the late 1970s, through early 80s. When she graduated, she stayed in the neighborhood for many years afterward. I was living in the Bronx at that time, but used to visit often, and because she moved around a lot, I saw a lot of apartments in Clinton Hill and Fort Greene. Most of them were pretty awful student housing hovels, back in the day when you could rent almost anything to a starving art student. But after she had a decent job, her apartment choices got better, and her last apartment in Brooklyn was in this group of houses.

I was still living in a 1930s apartment in the Bronx, which was a totally different aesthetic than a floor-through in an 1868 row house. I loved her apartment, which was on the third floor of one of these houses. I’ll never forget it had two beautiful intricately carved marble fireplaces, one in the front and one in the back rooms. One had the bust of a woman in the center, and both had the patina of age. Thank goodness, they had never been covered in paint.

Her kitchen was in the center of the apartment, and she had a bathroom in the back bedroom, and a small trunk room off the front living room. It was a really spacious apartment, with wide plank floors. It was a bit shabby in terms of paint, appliances and fixtures, and had a great unrenovated bathroom, with a clawfoot tub and shower, and the original sink. It also had the ceiling medallions, wall sconces and old replacement chandeliers. Over the years, the owner(s) of the house never really put much into it, but the original details made up for it, at least for both of us, who loved that stuff. Do you think I’d have a BFF who DIDN’T like old houses??

She moved on long ago to other places and boroughs, but I still remember that block and apartment fondly. Now that I’m Montrose Morris, I’ve learned a great deal more about Brooklyn, including her old neighborhoods of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. Back then, we didn’t know that it was even two neighborhoods.

The row was built between 1868 and 1871 as speculative housing in the growing Fort Greene neighborhood. The popularity of what was then Washington Park and the proximity to the Navy Yard and Wallabout Market brought speculators to the neighborhood in droves. They built hundreds of handsome brownstones on these blocks, mostly aimed at an upper middle-class buyer. These houses were especially fine, as evidenced by the quality of the interior features and their five floors of living space.

Interestingly, they were built by at least two separate builders who were working from the same sets of plans, so there is continuity throughout the group. 213-219 were built by Patrick O’Brien, while 223-235 were built by Joseph Townsend. There is no record of who built 221. After the houses were finished, both men sold out immediately. Buyers throughout the group included several Manhattan merchants, a publisher, a shoe merchant, a lithographer, and an insurance broker.

Over the years, many of the houses lost their stoops and façade detailing. Landmarking efforts in 1978 definitely saved many more from destruction. In spite of the changes, this remains a very handsome group of houses. Although I can’t remember which one my friend lived in, I regard them all quite fondly. They were among my first Brooklyn brownstones, and a spoiler for my choices thereafter.

(Photo: Nicholas Strini for PropertyShark)

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