Forum
« Wood floors - opinions... Huge Mess »
September 18, 2006
A Brownstone's Age?
Is there an easy way to track down the year a house was built?
Comments
Yeah, propertyshark.com. It hooks into the City's records.
Posted by: anon at September 18, 2006 2:01 PM
Pshark is frequently wrong on this stat...my house was built in 1866, but Pshark says 1899 (which seems to be th default year for anything 19th century).
If your house is in a historic district, the Landmarks Preservation guide for the neighborhood generally has accurate info.
Posted by: tinarina at September 18, 2006 2:38 PM
PropertyShark is incorrect on building dates. It states my house was built in 1901, but my house predates that. It's a default setting for homes built before 1899 as the above poster points out.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 18, 2006 4:25 PM
If your house isn't in an historic district, so no LPC designation report, the Brooklyn Historical Society has Brooklyn City Directories in their library which you can use to establish when someone first lived at your address. You can also consult Platt maps (sp?) to find the earliest book that shows a structure on your lot.
I found this stuff for my house way back when the Bklyn H.S. was still the Long Island Historic Society, but I'd imagine this material is still in their library.
Also, you could look in the Brooklyn Eagle archives (available on line--Google it) for "for sale" ads for your address.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at September 18, 2006 7:04 PM
1899 is also the default year with the DOB. I assume the reason for this is Brooklyn joining NYC in 1898. It seems that the City of Brooklyn's records were erased when it merged with the big city.
You can go to the department of buildings and often find original dated blueprints or filings for adding new amenities, like indoor plumbing, newfangeled steam heating systems, etc. Not all buildings will have this paperwork but its worth a shot.
Ive also heard that houses with the old vents for a forced air coal system are 1870's or before. Not sure how much truth there is to this.
Posted by: White Stoner at September 20, 2006 9:21 AM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.