Building of the Day: 184 Marlborough Road

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: former Alfred Pagelow House
Address: 184 Marlborough Road, between Albemarle and Beverley Roads
Neighborhood: Prospect Park South
Year Built: 1899
Architectural Style: Eclectic, inspired by Medieval French architecture
Architect: John J. Petit
Other buildings by architect: In PPS 131 Buckingham Rd, aka the Japanese House, 1306 Albemarle, 1510 Albemarle, 94 Rugby Rd, and many others.
Landmarked: Yes, PPS Historic District, designated in 1979.

The story: This neighborhood can be an embarrassment of riches, with one interesting house after another for encompassing the entire neighborhood. Some homes are larger and more ornate, some more modest in size and design, but all add up to a beautiful neighborhood, creating a living experience quite unlike very many others in New York City. The architects in PPS had to adhere to some basic rules that Dean Alford, the developer devised, but outside of those, the imagination was the limit to the design of the houses. Because of that, a Stockbroker Tudor can sit next to a classic Shingle Style Queen Anne, down the road from a Mediterranean villa. The LPC designation reports calls this house among the most interesting structures on Marlborough Road. It’s lost a lot of detail over the century, losing much of what made it Medieval French. The porch has been totally redesigned, eliminating much of the charm it had when the bays were supported by corbels that became the supports for the arched openings that made up the veranda. The candle-snuffer roofs once had finials with weather vanes, and the double windows on the second floor originally had a balcony similar to the one on the top floor. This beautiful arched window has been shortened to accommodate an air conditioner. But in spite of the many changes, there is a lot of great stuff still remaining, enough so that the house still catches the eye, when one is walking down the street. It was designed by Petit, Dean Alvord’s chief architect of PPS for a time, one of his many designs borrowed from different cultures and times. The first owner was Alfred Pagelow, a lawyer, who moved in in 1900. He, in turn, sold it in 1904 to George P. Glover, another lawyer. The most well-known person to call the house home was Nelly Bly, the most famous female journalist of the late 19th, early 20th century, whose record-breaking trip around the world, and famous expose of the horrors of NYC’s insane asylum at Blackwell’s Island, made her a household word.

(Photo: Google Maps. Taken to show side of house. Photo is several years old.)

(Photo: LPC Designation report for PPS. Photo is from 1902.)