Thursday Blogwrap

whats with the colored doors...see this often enough to believe it means something, some kind of secret society, following, ...whats up with that!

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 5:10 PM

Hiding behind the tree to take the photo?

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 5:11 PM

i think blue doors mean that the residents are celibate swingers. but i could be wrong.

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 5:24 PM

Heh, Peepstoner launches NEXT month.

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 5:31 PM

aren't the blue doors the kind of thing that brownstoner is constantly freaking out about, i.e., some horrid non-compliance with the historical society of america, or some shit?

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 5:37 PM

I live around the corner. This house is a row of three narrow brownstones.

I think a number of them had quite a bit of construction WITHOUT permits.

I believe it is the house pictuerd in the photo above that had all the entryway woodwork ripped out (along with a MAJOR curve-top framing element) to have something much more mod slapped in.

I can't imagine the owner filed with Landmarks to change the door color to this color. The houses all had dark doors before.

You can see the house to the right with its scratch coat on the ground floor level. It has been that way for years.

Over the last bunch of years, these houses have had nothing but blah ruination bestowed upon them. They are not visually better for the work that has been done--some of it, again, done without apparent permits. And that work included some rather dumb ripping out of detail...which, if you want to do it inside is okay I guess, but in this case really changed the main big entryway as seen from the outside on two of the houses...they have lost some of their character.

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 6:01 PM

plenty of homes across brownstone brooklyn have blue/purple window trim or doors..is a little freaky

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 9:43 PM

This is not blue or purple, it is Turquoise.
Pronounced "Turkwas" as in Turkish.
Perfectly lovely.
Could not be better.

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 9:55 PM

Ick. Take your Turkwads to SoBe.

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 10:24 PM

oooooooo the blue door. What's behind "the blue doors?"

Posted by: guest at January 17, 2008 10:50 PM

I think blue stands for democrat.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 8:25 AM

Plutocrat.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 9:02 AM

It's always very interesting how a bit of nonconformity freaks out so-called progressives in a so-called artistic and creative community like Brownstone Brooklyn.

You'd really hate living in the colorfully painted Victorians on Martha's Vineyard Island or in San Francisco. Or in L.A. where everybody gets creative with the colors painted on the doors of the 1910's-1920's houses there.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 9:40 AM

To 9:40, I don't think anyone who posted is "freaked out" by the painted door. (And given the number of painted doors to begin with, you are setting a very low bar for nonconformity). Most of them are either joking about the recurring photos on this blog to focus on painted doors or else complaining about the reported disregard for following generally applicable rules in landmarked blocks regarding facade appearance.

And if you think Brownstone Brooklyn is an "artistic and creative community" -- well, your lips to God's ears, because most would concede that the majority of townhouse owners in this area are members of the professional classes.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 9:51 AM

I don't think it's because they crave stagnation or whatever, I think it's because Brownstone owners love feeling part of a clique or club. Thus the fights between neighborhoods, and thus the obsession with insulting people who want to paint their door pretty.

(Yes, tastes in colors do differ, but not everything is loved by everyone. That doesn't mean you suppress all individuality and expressionj.)

I'm a house owner, for those who would predictiably call me a bitter renter or coop owner. I would love a rich, darkish blue laquered door. It's not a wild color, but it's not allowed.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 9:56 AM

dang, typo in my spelling above at 9:56, sorry.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 10:21 AM

Wait, so if I buy a landmarked house, I can't paint the door a dark green or dark blue? I don't know anything about this issue, obviously, so pardon my total ignorance. But I'm looking at maybe buying a landmarked house and the ones on both sides of it have colored doors.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 2:33 PM

Just the facts -

I am the owner of the house. We have lived in it since 1990, having moved to Ft. Greene in 1987.

I don't know why the picture appeared on Brownstoner. I had nothing to do with it.

As for the comment re: "construction without permits" - we had both Landmarks and DOB approval and permits for all the work that was done.

As for the quality of the renovations - how could anyone possibly comment unless they have seen them from inside the house? The comments are pure speculation.

As for those who like the color of the door - thanks. For the rest of you, simply avoid walking on the block and you won't be offended.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 3:48 PM

Blue is beautiful. This owner has a true sense of architecture and restoration. Isn't it true that blue doors were fairly common in 1800's brownstone Brooklyn?

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 4:11 PM

I am nine years old and....
It is my house and I love it!

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 7:40 PM

I think they are beautiful! Ignore the haters...they are jealous they don't have them.

Posted by: guest at January 18, 2008 8:54 PM

I am thirteen years old and my friends and I like to travel in groups of three to seven. And we like to talk really loudly and scream out of nowhere as we try to control the hormones that are raging out of control in our bodies. Nice door!

Posted by: guest at January 19, 2008 11:13 AM

Someone said:

"most would concede that the majority of townhouse owners in this area are members of the professional classes."

Hmm, don't know where you live in Brooklyn but everyone in our Park Slope coop and now everyone on our landmarked brownstone block are ALL in creative fields or in media.

Owner of the house with blue doors, thanks for weigning in here. You have a beautiful house! I love your doors. It's so refreshing. I'd thoroughly enjoy gazing at your doors across the street from mine.

Posted by: guest at January 19, 2008 1:39 PM