Clinton Hill Brooklyn -- 229 Clinton Ave History

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Former Frederick B. Pratt House, now Caroline Ladd Pratt House, part of Pratt Institute
Address: 229 Clinton Avenue, between DeKalb and Willoughby
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1895
Architectural Style: Georgian influenced Renaissance Revival
Architect: Babb, Cook & Willard
Other buildings by architect: George Pratt House, 245 Clinton Ave, Andrew Carnegie Mansion, E. 91st St. Manhattan
Landmarked: Yes, part of Clinton Hill Historic District (1981)

This house has a special meaning for me because my godson’s parents were married and had their reception here, quite a while back. It was one of the first grand historic homes in Brooklyn that I had ever been in, and further fueled my love of old houses in general, and Brooklyn, in particular.

Oil man and philanthropist Charles Pratt had eight children, and four of his six sons had grand houses near his, here on Clinton Avenue. Remarkably, three out of the four houses still remain, as well as Pratt Senior’s own home.

Clinton Hill Brooklyn -- 229 Clinton Ave History

Frederick Pratt was the second son, and had his house built next door to his older brother Charles, and the two homes couldn’t be more different. Charles’ house is a magnificent Romanesque Revival brick mansion designed by William Tubby, and today is the residence of the Catholic bishop of Brooklyn.

Frederick’s house, built five years later, is both more modern, and yet harkens back to an earlier time and architectural styles. The Manhattan-based firm of Babb, Cook & Willard designed a Georgian style home through the lens of the then-popular Renaissance Revival style, and the result is a large and beautiful semi-detached mansion that allows the grounds and the entrance to take center stage.

This house replaced an earlier wood framed mansion on the lot, and the group of row houses to the north was already built when the architects took on the job.

Clinton Hill Brooklyn -- 229 Clinton Ave History

Rather than placing the new house in the center of the lot, and trying to deal with the unwieldy problem of the side of the building next door, BC&W cleverly made use of the wall as a backdrop for a magnificent pergola and entryway that both hides the wall and creates a majestic entrance to the home.

They faced the wall in the same brick as the house, added complementary trim, and a two story Roman style stoa, with six granite columns on the first level and six caryatids and atlantes (draped female and male figures on a support column)supporting the trellis on the second floor.

Over the years the wisteria and other vegetation has grown to the extent that the whole entryway looks much older than it really is, creating a unique and majestic walkway; unique, and quite special. A less ornate, but also wisteria-clad, pergola stretches across the rear of the property.

Clinton Hill Brooklyn -- 229 Clinton Ave HIstory

The house itself has distinct Georgian lines in a very Italian Renaissance body, the most striking features being the generous size, the Palladian window in the front, and the curving bay on the side.

To really understand the house, one needs to take in all the small details, as well, such as the copper cladding along the roof, and other subtle goodies that indicate the great attention to detail the architects had. Frederick Pratt was president of Pratt Institute for 44 years, and the school owns the property, which is now called the Caroline Ladd Pratt House, named after Frederick’s wife.

For many years it was foreign student housing, and the parlor floor could be rented out for things like weddings. The house still has a lot of fine, original detail. Today it is home to the President of Pratt Institute, currently Dr. Thomas Schutte, and his wife, Tess.

Clinton Hill Brooklyn -- 229 Clinton Ave History

Clinton Hill Brooklyn -- 229 Clinton Ave HIstory

[Photos by Suzanne Spellen]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. herkimermaid- I too visited the house in the mid-1980’s when it was a student project. One of the rooms in particular has awesome views of the side yard. I also got a sense that there was no master plan for the students, but work they did for their keep. I only wish I took photos of my visits there…

  2. Astonishing how, after creating this unique and wonderfully modulated family enclave (so varied, unlike the Phelps-Dodge identical brownstone boxes on the Morgan Library site) they just … let it fall apart. Just as they did with their huge, multi-faceted (stables, barn, cemetery, beach) country house complex in Glen Cove.

    In Brooklyn, they could easily have left them all to, for instance, Pratt. But they just let them drift off, like an astronaut come untethered from his space ship.

    Christopher