Building of the Day: 95 Chauncey 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: 95 Chauncey Street, between Lewis and Stuyvesant Name: Private House Neighborhood: Stuyvesant Heights Year Built: 1910 Architectural Style:…
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: 95 Chauncey Street, between Lewis and Stuyvesant
Name: Private House
Neighborhood: Stuyvesant Heights
Year Built: 1910
Architectural Style: Renaissance Revival
Architects: William Debus
Landmarked: Yes
Why chosen: This row of six two story plus basement houses was designed by William Debus for developer George Beer. They complement the houses Debus designed around the corner on Stuyvesant Ave, and groups across the street on Stuyvesant between Bainbridge and Fulton. These were for developer Charles Tritschler, as well as for Beer, all built in 1910. All of this land had belonged to the extended Prosser family, a wealthy merchant family who made their money from being the American representatives of the German-based Krupps iron, steel and arms manufacturers. The rowhouses replaced several large freestanding mansions which had stood year only years before. These houses appear small when compared to the taller four story rowhouses in the neighborhood, but they are all a comfortable 20’x55′, on 100′ lots, and all have extensions in the back. Debus was a prolific and important architect in Stuyvesant Heights, responsible for both fine Renaissance Revival/Beaux-Arts apartment buildings and rowhouses along MacDonough St, and here. His houses are considered the cream of the crop in the neighborhood. The use of white limestone is key to this elegance, and Debus was a master of well-designed and well placed ornamental details, such as the decorative balcony and the beautiful pressed metal cornice brackets, among the other fine details. This group of houses faces Fulton Park, giving them as elegant a vista as any row with a fine park view.
Minard, it’s not the phone company cables, it’s from cable tv. If you don’t stand there and insist that the cables are run through the back, they will just throw them over the front facade, and come in near the window, as it’s a lot easier for them. It shouldn’t be allowed.
Bkny, the rest of the brownstone group is by Charles Infanger, built in 1900-1901. He shows up here and there in Brownstone Brooklyn, in Prospect Hts, Stuyvesant Hts, PLG and elsewhere.
btw, MM – who was the architect for the brownstone/limestones that are on the rest of the block? those are very nice also. i love the way they alternate from brownstone to limestone/bay window/no bay window. very pretty.
i love this block. pass it everyday on the way to the subway. very quiet and out of the way since you can’t really access it from the main Lewis avenue street. the only access is from a small side street, if you blink, you miss it.
these are very nice. probably very comfortable inside. would be surprised if those white aluminum windows were approved by landmarks and I doubt they predate designation.
also, I wish the phone company would not string up cable on front facades, it looks so sloppy and haphazard.