Suzanne Spellen

Suzanne Spellen is a longtime Brownstoner contributor. She is an architectural historian, researcher, and writer with a special love for Bedford Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, and local African American history. She loves old houses, architectural detail, and enjoys exploring new places, camera in hand.

santa on sleigh

History

A Tale of Two Cities: A Children’s Christmas in 1899

Editor’s note: This story is an update of one that ran in 2013. Read the original here. Many of...

By Suzanne Spellen 12/25/2019 0

713 nostrand

This Exuberantly Colorful Terra Cotta Building in Crown Heights Housed Bowling and Billiards

Editor’s note: This story is an update of one that ran in 2011. Read the original here. This is...

By Suzanne Spellen 12/23/2019 0

1044 and 1046 sterling place

These Unusual Curved Twin Houses in Crown Heights Are Like No Others

Editor’s note: This story is an update of one that ran in 2015. Read the original here. This un...

By Suzanne Spellen 12/16/2019 0

prospect lefferts gardens

Axel Hedman Designs Something Different in Prospect Lefferts Gardens

Editor’s note: This story is an update of one that ran in 2012. Read the original here. This bl...

By Suzanne Spellen 12/03/2019 0

thanksgiving

History

How Brooklynites Celebrated Turkey Day

Editors note: This post originally ran in 2015 and has been updated. You can read the previous post ...

By Suzanne Spellen 11/28/2019 0

park slope

Bringing Music to the Park Slope Manse of William M. Brasher

Editor’s note: This story is an update of one that ran in 2015. Read the original here. William...

By Suzanne Spellen 11/26/2019 0

lidgerwood

Red Hook’s Lidgerwood Complex and the Importance of Our Industrial History

Long before New York City’s groundbreaking Landmarks Law was passed in 1965, preservationists ...

By Suzanne Spellen 11/19/2019 0

94 9th street

Feeding Brooklyn: The Gowanus Grocery Warehouse of Thomas Roulston

Editor’s note: This story is an update of one that ran in 2014. Read the original here. Thomas ...

By Suzanne Spellen 10/28/2019 0

lefferts manor

History

Welcome, Neighbor! Covenants and Deed Restrictions in Brooklyn

The dictionary defines a covenant as a “formal, solemn and binding agreement.” A dictionary of ...

By Suzanne Spellen 10/22/2019 0

brooklyn museum

Warming Up in Brooklyn: The Art of the Fireplace

Editor’s note: This is an update of a series that ran in 2010. Read the originals here: Part 1 and...

By Suzanne Spellen 10/14/2019 0