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December 14, 2007
Anyone know of an original cornice on a frame house?
Spring time will be new facade time, and I'm thinking about what style of cornice to use. The 1939/40 tax photo for my house is hard to make out. I'd like to check out some houses that still have their originals. Any suggestions much appreciated (incl vague ones if all you can remember are the block and maybe the color of house -- I'm happy to do a walking tour).
Also, any advice from people who have done this? I've noticed that some people go for a more modern/blocky and less ornate style. How did you come to that decision, and are you pleased with the result?
Thanks all.
Comments
take a stroll down Hall Street between Myrtle and Willoughby.
Also quite a few frame houses scattered about in Fort Greene between Myrtle and Park.
Carroll Gardens has lots of frame houses also, sorry don't know the name of any streets in particular.
Good Luck.
Posted by: guest at December 14, 2007 12:13 PM
Hall street in Wallabout ( North Clinton Hill)
http://home.nyc.rr.com/seyr/imgs/Wallabout_HallSt.jpg
Posted by: guest at December 14, 2007 12:52 PM
gota love all the FINE white folks who use to live there before....well you know
Posted by: guest at December 14, 2007 1:06 PM
I restored what are generally referred to as "painted ladies" in Chicago...there are books with lots of photos on these style houses in San Francisco mostly. In fact one book is titles "Painted Ladies"
There are numerous places that sell the brackets and other fretwork pieces. I think most of them advertise in a magazine called "Victorian Home"
Posted by: daveinbedstuy at December 14, 2007 1:26 PM
What period is your house?
With some exceptions, cornices were similar by period, frame or masonry. Most of the cornices on older masonry buildings are wood anyhow - sheet metal came around fairly late, particularly for row houses.
So a Greek Revival cornice on a masonry row house would be generally appropriate on a frame house as well. Even if you are not looking for period accuracy, masonry houses will provide good templates.
The period you are looking for would determine what neighborhood I'd send you to. But in general, look in landmark row house neighborhoods of the right period and you will find plenty of examples.
Posted by: WBer at December 14, 2007 3:54 PM
The part of Ridgewood near Brooklyn has some of these surviving (Grove St, Linden St, etc.) -- or Wallabout, maybe?
Posted by: Zach at December 14, 2007 3:58 PM
i am also considering a replacement cornice for my wood frame house. who are you planning to use ? what about the front? are you going with wood?
Posted by: buckygirl23 at December 14, 2007 4:04 PM
Check out Henry St. between Clark and Love Lane. There are two stunning renovations of frame buildings. I think at least one of them is shown in the AIA guide to NY.
Posted by: guest at December 14, 2007 4:20 PM
You can check out 11th Street between 3rd and 4th Avenues in Brooklyn, or S. Slope, or Greenwood Heights, or go to this web site link
http://imby.blogspot.com/2007/12/scrap-aluminum.html
Posted by: guest at December 15, 2007 12:23 AM
If you want to know about your house, you should also try to find photos of your neighbors' houses.
Maybe one of them is clearer than the one you've seen.
Posted by: slick at December 15, 2007 5:10 AM
Thanks for all the helpful comments and photos/links!
WBer: I believe it was built in/around 1885.
buckygirl23: Haven't gotten that far -- as you've probably seen, all the recs on the forum (ALL of them) are for T&A Carpentry in Red Hook -- skilled but pricey seems to be the consensus.
Posted by: reNO at December 17, 2007 4:15 PM
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