Building of the Day: 1450 Pacific Street

The BOTD is a no-frills look at interesting structures of all types and from all neighborhoods. There will be old, new, important, forgotten, public, private, good and bad. Whatever strikes our fancy. We hope you enjoy.

Address: 1450 Pacific Street, between Brooklyn and Kingston Avenues
Type: Private House
Neighborhood: Crown Heights North (CHN Historic District)
Year Built:1882
Architectural Style: Italianate/Neo-Grec
Architect: George Damen
Landmarked: Yes
This freestanding brick Italianate, set back on a small hill, overlooks the rest of Pacific St, and must have had an amazing porch view, when built. It is a beautifully preserved home, with an impressive wooden cornice and Neo-Grec detailing in the lintels and porch.

It also has a garage, built before 1940, squatting in front of the house cutting off the fine gardens and walkways. In spite of that, it is a remarkable survivor, constructed when the area was a suburban retreat, just before the opening of the -Brooklyn Bridge in 1883.

Correction: In our very first post, we credited the architectural firm of Halsey, MacCormack and Helmer with the design of the Hanson Place Central Methodist Church, getting that information from a reputable source, a well regarded architectural guide to Brooklyn.

An intrepid reader thought differently, did some digging, and wrote in that the actual architect was Lessing Whitford Williams, a contemporary, and sometimes colleague, of HM&H. His evidence is overwhelming. The address was incorrect, as well. It should be 9-13 Hanson Place. Thank you Mr. H.P. for that information.

[Photos by Suzanne Spellen]