Building of the Day: 510 Hancock 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: 510 Hancock Street, between Lewis and Stuyvesant Avenues Name: Private House Neighborhood: Stuyvesant Heights Year Built: 1890’s Architectural…
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: 510 Hancock Street, between Lewis and Stuyvesant Avenues
Name: Private House
Neighborhood: Stuyvesant Heights
Year Built: 1890’s
Architectural Style: Queen Anne/Arts and Crafts
Architects: Unknown
Landmarked: Not yet, being looked at
Why chosen: The 1880’s and 90’s brought a wonderful time of imagination and eclecticism to residential row house architecture. This house is unique on this block, a one of a kind house. I have a personal short list of possible architects who may have designed this: George Chappell, and Magnus Dahlander most immediately come to mind, and both were active in the area. I’m leaning towards Chappell. Whoever did it, it’s a wonderful storybook building, with a totally unnecessary steeply peaked roof detail that nicely adds interest to a basic row house facade. The use of materials here make the design, as well: both smooth and rough cut brick and smooth sandstone blocks, darker brownstone on the left of the roof line, the carved detail above the door, and those tiny studded Gothic window pediments. The window on the top floor looks like it was enlarged at some point, as it does not align with the pediment. It also lost its stained glass transoms. But in spite of some modifications, this is still a great house. The blocks in this area are all filled with fine houses, and will someday be landmarked as part of either Stuyvesant Heights HD, or in their own district.
The house on 510 Hancock St was once the home of the Fields Brothers of Bklyn. Carl A Fields has a building named after him at Princeton University-Sylvester Fields was a Youth and Music Minister – Ralph Fields was a gifted musician and Earl Fields a superb government administrator. This building is a landmark-they occupied this house for more than 50 years.
Where do you get the Real Estate Record online?
Wonderful building – but it is completely out of context with the surrounding row houses! But if you are going to be acontextual, that’s the way to do it.
The Real Estate Record is a wonderful resource. Unfortunately, it is not indexed for Brooklyn for much of the run (most years after 1890 or so don’t have a Brooklyn index, and some years don’t cover Brooklyn at all). There were a few years in which there was a separate Brooklyn edition, which I believe was indexed separately. Still, it has all of the information that the DOB should have – every NB record, every Alt record.
Yes the Real Estate Record & Builders Guide is the best by far I think sometimes it is better than the DOB.. Back then every month the DOB would tell them of every job being submitted. So you have a monthly record of what jobs are filed. But be careful sometimes jobs are file and never built.. or a few years later another architect is building on the same site with the original architects drawings…
Also – no similar house in the Slope that I’m aware of, although I was gonna guess L&D due to slight similarity to some in the Garfield Place row.
Ah, okay Amz, sounds like we are using similar sources. Was hoping you were in at the DOB ’cause we have some stumpers that are pending formal research.
Also our approach at any rate is pretty random… we do searches etc. and get lots of hits, but hard to do a systematic, block-by-block, lot-by-lot survey without access to the actual DOB records. So, we have gaps that we’d really like to fill. And of course, strictly speaking, our attributions are “speculative” until confirmed by the actual building files.
I say, what’s the best online repository for the Real Estate Record & Builders Guide? Haven’t used that one much yet.
OMG
fantastic!
U can pick ’em, MM!
No, I wish I was in at the DOB I need a good week in that place. I have done a lot of research on this neighborhood like you because for landmarking. I have looked up every building being built in future Bedford Historic and Stuyvesant Heights expansion, east, north and west. I use brooklyn eagle, American architect and architecture and Real Estate record and builders guide which is the best. Most are online. Is there a similar house in the slope?
if this was new construction you’d all be crying that it is out of context.