Building of the Day: 188-190 Sullivan Place
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: 188-190 Sullivan Place, between Bedford and Rogers Name: Private Houses Neighborhood: Crown Heights South Year Built: between 1925-1940…
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: 188-190 Sullivan Place, between Bedford and Rogers
Name: Private Houses
Neighborhood: Crown Heights South
Year Built: between 1925-1940
Architectural Style: Four-Square(ish)
Architects: Unknown
Landmarked: No
Crown Heights South is very different than Crown Heights North, architecturally, for one big reason the passage of time. Much of CHS was built well into the 20th century, when life was very different than it was in the late 1800’s, when CHN was built.
This relatively unknown street is a good example. The homes were built during the first half of the century in a very suburban configuration of semi-detached one family homes, all with garages behind them, as seen in the Property Shark map.
Map via Property Shark
While this style of home is well known in other parts of Brooklyn, they are still rare enough in Brownstone Brooklyn to be a curiosity.
All of the homes on this block are well cared for, most are still generous one family homes, and the neighborhood has an interesting retro vibe to it, only a block behind busy Empire Blvd, near PLG, and Prospect Park. Back in the good old days, this block was within hailing distance of Ebbetts Field, and the sounds of the ballpark could probably be heard from these yards.
[Photos by Suzanne Spellen]
Architerrorist, I make it a point to highlight a different neighborhood every day. I do not do a post in the same neighborhood twice in one week. I do make a conscious effort to have a Crown Heights building every week, as well as a Bed Stuy building. That is because both neighborhoods have been overlooked for years, and a little light on them to introduce the fine architecture in both neighborhoods is a personal mission of mine.
I would love to get around more and highlight different neighborhoods, but that is not easy, as I don’t have a car, and I don’t have unlimited time to spend wandering around, unfortunately. I do have to make a living. That is why my choices have been limited to the brownstone neighborhoods that surround me. This summer, I am making a concerted effort to getting around more, and you’ll see more diversity in neighborhoods.
I have put great effort in including a lot of different kinds of buildings in this column, both famous and unknown, humble and haughty. I could have just as easily only included listed buildings of the rich in landmarked neighborhoods. That would have been easy for me, timewise, but I truly think that there is so much more out there than that.
No, I agree – most are interesting. Just think the mix could be a little more diverse. I know this is Montrose Morris’s turf, but maybe he should journey a little off his beaten path, or let a guest writer from another nabe post now on then (I don’t mean me, btw).
Huh? Maybe a lot of Crown Heights/Clinton Hill, but I’ve found most of these features very interesting. Granted, this one less so. But this is actually the only exception I can think of.
Don’t understand why you would choose this house. Seems like a wasted opportunity. No offense, Brownstoner, but this feature is getting a little to Crown Heights/Clinton Hill heavy. No doubt there is a far more interesting/architecturally significant structure to cover in say, Victorian Flatbush or Bay Ridge.
“Many houses on the street are semi-attacheds that demonstrate what I call the “fighting Siamese twins” effect: a color, siding or other facade scheme split right down the middle…”
Right. But aren’t the “fighting Siamese twin” houses two-family?
Nice explanation of CHN and CHS, Montrose, including ballpark sounds from Ebbetts Field in days gone by. Too bad Ebbetts Field wasn’t landmarked.
This is the kind of house I grew up in the Spring Creek section of ENY. My Mom still owns the home. There are loads of houses like this there.
This house is identical to the one my wife grew up in in Gravesend. They are nice homes. One comment to add to what Montrose wrote up: a feature of this type of home is the enclosed “sun porch” in the front of the first floor. This was a big feature in the 1920’s, when these type of homes were built.
Ditch the white bars on the windows and the prison-like screen door, and this is a house I could grow to love.