Frank Freeman, Brooklyn's Greatest Architect

We’ve been saving this one for a rainy day. Brooklynology, the blog of the Brooklyn Public Library, recently mined its archives and the Brooklyn Daily Eagle for historic images of the now mostly destroyed work of Frank Freeman. Considered Brooklyn’s greatest architect by Norval White, author of the “AIA Guide to New York City,” Freeman’s reputation has been obscured over the years by fire and development. Six of the nine buildings shown are no longer standing. Yet through these old images his originality is evident. We especially like the old photo of the Brooklyn Fire Headquarters of 1892, with the dog on the ledge (right). The design of the no-longer-extant Brooklyn Savings Bank of 1894 seems to be at least a decade ahead of its time. As Wikipedia explains, “Freeman’s early work was completed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, at which he is considered a master. After the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 however, Romanesque went out of fashion and Freeman quickly adapted to the new Neoclassical trend, completing a major commission in the genre, the Brooklyn Savings Bank, even before the World’s Fair had ended.” Click through to Brooklynology to see all the great pictures.
A Freeman is Hard to Find [Brooklynology]
Walkabout: Brooklyn’s Architects — Frank Freeman [Brownstoner]