Building of the Day: 370 Carlton Avenue
Brooklyn, one building at a time. Name: Private House Address: 370 Carlton Avenue, between Lafayette and Greene. Neighborhood: Fort Greene Year Built: between 1872 and 1876 Architectural Style: Neo-Grec Architect: Unknown. Builder was Samuel Booth. Landmarked: Yes, Fort Greene Historic District. The story: Neo-Grec is one of my favorite row house styles, and this is…
Brooklyn, one building at a time.
Name: Private House
Address: 370 Carlton Avenue, between Lafayette and Greene.
Neighborhood: Fort Greene
Year Built: between 1872 and 1876
Architectural Style: Neo-Grec
Architect: Unknown. Builder was Samuel Booth.
Landmarked: Yes, Fort Greene Historic District.
The story: Neo-Grec is one of my favorite row house styles, and this is a particularly distinctive and ornate version of the style. Many people think the Neo-Grec moniker is confined only to those buildings with the very distinct, yet rather spare, incised floral or geometric patterns, usually on the lintels and doorframes, and maybe in the center of the front of the building. But this high end version of Neo-Grec was also quite popular. The incised pattern is still evident in the little shields at the top of the brackets, but the brackets themselves are carved in very stylized geometric patterns, with acanthus leaves on the bottom, borrowed from the Italianate style, also popular at this same time. Some buildings with this very stylized Neo-Grec ornament seem almost reptilian, or vaguely Egyptian in design. It seems very avant-garde for this period of time, but well within the Aesthetic Movement’s early stylings. This well preserved and rich looking 25′ house reminds us that Fort Greene was a preeminent neighborhood in the middle to second half of the 19th century, and this house, built speculatively, would have been, and still is, highly desirable. It was built by Samuel Booth, who dabbled in speculative real estate after leaving office as mayor of Brooklyn. The light buff-colored brownstone is of a particularly high quality, with a slightly darker, though not deep brownstone ground floor. The double doors are also particularly well preserved, as is the magnificent Greek portico above them. Icing on the cake is what looks like the original balustrade and fencing. The house had a couple of owners, and by the end of the century, the neighborhood had settled into gentile middle class quiet. Ads in the Eagle show rooms for rent, advertised to “quality folk”. Today the house is a three family. This is a very nice house.
Is it perhaps Dorchester stone, also sedimentary, much finer grained, sometimes a slight olive cast to it? Most memorable in contrast to brick, especially red brick as, if I recall, Jeff Market Courthouse.
Christopher
MM – I particularly loved this phrase: “Some buildings with this very stylized Neo-Grec ornament seem almost reptilian…”
Nicely done.
One of my favs in the hood but then I’ve always been partiall to neo-grec. Nice angular bones.
If only more houses had used the better quality stone we would not have to stucco over so many facades.
A picture perfect brownstone. In the case of the more modest one to the right, I’ve always wondered if all of the carved stone ornament was originally done on site or if it could be purchased ready made kind of like the gingerbread ornament on wood houses?
Maly, whoops, missed that one. Thanks.
Yeah, mopar. I love the Aesthetic Movement touches here.
How unusual, a pale facade in the era of brownstone!
I was also looking at the trim over the door and thinking “How odd, an Italianate house with Aesthetic Movement styling.”
Always learning something! I really love your posts.
(please fix: preeminent, not pre-eminate)