Building of the Day: 355-357 Washington Avenue

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Wood framed row houses
Address: 355-357 Washington Avenue
Cross Streets: Lafayette and Greene Avenues
Neighborhood: Clinton Hill
Year Built: 1860
Architectural Style: Italianate
Architect: Perhaps Ebenezer L. Roberts
Other Works by Architect: In Clinton Hill: chapel for Emmanuel Baptist Church; 80-86 Vanderbilt Ave; Brown Memorial Baptist Church, and 160 Atlantic Avenue in Cobble Hill, among many others.
Landmarked: Yes, part of Clinton Hill HD (1981)

The story: One of the best things about Clinton Hill is the variety of architectural styles, which span the beginnings of the neighborhood right up to the present. There’s something for everyone here. For many people, the most attractive houses aren’t the mega-mansions, or the apartment buildings, or even one of the many intact brownstones from several different periods that grace the streets. The best buildings for many are the wood framed houses, and Clinton Hill certainly has its share of these.

This pair is among the finest and best preserved. They are wood framed Italianates on brick foundations, still clad in the original clapboard siding. According to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, they may have been designed and built by architect Ebenezer L. Roberts, a man who made a good living designing in Clinton Hill and the other earlier neighborhoods of Brooklyn during the 1860s, and for the next twenty or more years. Roberts was one of Charles Pratt’s favorite architects, so much so that Roberts designed Mr. Pratt’s own brownstone mansion in 1874, an elegant Italianate mansion on Clinton Avenue.

If Roberts did indeed build these houses, then these are very early Roberts, and while pretty standard for this type of house, do show a nice hand in the details, especially the porch, windows, and the upper attic windows and cornice pieces. The houses have been wonderfully maintained and restored, and are just about perfect. Note the four over four windows, the side lights in the doorways, and those great porches. These are really well done.

357 once belonged to Charles E. Evans, who was a long time Trustee of the Adelphi Academy, from at least 1869 through 1885. The school was around the corner from his house, on St. James Place. There he rubbed elbows with Charles Pratt himself, as well as many of the area’s wealthiest men, who also sat on the board. The only other reference to the house was an estate auction in 1891, where the entire contents of the house were offered up for sale. Today, these two houses are among my favorites in all of Clinton Hill. I really love the simplicity and grace. GMAP