Walkabout: My Favorites - Commercial and Civic Buildings
Our regular architecture columnist who on this site goes by the username Montrose Morris files another piece this morning…This month I’m highlighting some of my favorite Brooklyn buildings, as well as the favorites as indicated by reader responses. Mine are mostly in Brownstone Brooklyn because that’s what I know. Today’s faves are all commercial and…
Our regular architecture columnist who on this site goes by the username Montrose Morris files another piece this morning…This month I’m highlighting some of my favorite Brooklyn buildings, as well as the favorites as indicated by reader responses. Mine are mostly in Brownstone Brooklyn because that’s what I know.
Today’s faves are all commercial and civic buildings, although some have been repurposed for other uses, including residential. The original owners and their architects wanted buildings that were functional, but also added to the streetscape of a prosperous and growing city.
If a building was impressive, and had their name or company emblazoned on it, that didn’t hurt, either. Many of these civic and commercial buildings were designed by the same architects who designed the homes and neighborhoods of these same movers and shakers of the 19th and early 20th century.
Some of these buildings I pass quite frequently, some I see less often, but always enjoy. Perhaps you’ve never noticed some of them, and the photos will surprise you, and hopefully, some are your favorites, too. Some are considered Brooklyn’s best and most important buildings, some I just like.
Thursday’s column will highlight more favorite commercial and civic buildings suggested by readers, including the Brooklyn Historic Society, Boy’s High School, Fire Headquarters and the Montauk Club, all of which are among my favorites, as well. Here, in no particular order, are twenty more.
Some of these will be expanded upon in the future. If you would like to add your favorites, please comment below. All the buildings are featured on my Flickr page.
1. Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Building, 75 Livingston St, corner of Court. AF Simberg, architect, 1927. Style: Early Art Deco.
2. Abraham and Straus secondary building, Livingston St. at Gallatin Place. Downtown Brooklyn. Architect, George L. Morse. 1885. Style: Romanesque Revival.
3. Temple Bar Building, 44 Court Street at Joralemon. George L. Morse, architect 1901. Style: Neo-Classic.
4. Eagle Warehouse and Storage Co, 28 Old Fulton St. DUMBO. Frank Freeman, architect, 1893. Style: Romanesque Revival.
5. Boat House, Prospect Park, Helmle and Huberty, architects, 1904. Style: Neo-Classic.
6. 88th Precinct House, NYPD, 300 Classon Ave at DeKalb. Clinton Hill. 1890. Style: Romanesque Revival.
7. Dime Savings Bank, 9 DeKalb Ave at Fleet. Mowbray and Uffinger, architects. 1906-8. Style: Neo-Classic.
8. General Post Office, Cadman Plaza East, Brooklyn Heights. Mifflin E. Bell, architect. 1885 91. Style: Romanesque Revival.
9. 23rd Regiment Armory, Bedford Avenue at Atlantic, Crown Heights North. Fowler and Hough, architects. 1891-95. Style: Romanesque Revival.
10. Beard and Robinson Stores and Van Brunt’s Stores, now Fairway, apartments and artists’ spaces. Van Brunt St. Red Hook Piers, 1869. Style: Romanesque Revival.
11. Williamsburg Bank Building, 1 Hanson Place, Fort Greene. Halsey, McCormack and Helmer, architects. 1927-29.
12. Main Gate and Gatehouse, Green-Wood Cemetery, 5th Ave. at 25th St. Greenwood Heights. Richard M. Upjohn, architect. 1875. Style: Victorian Gothic.
13. Franklin Trust Company, now condo conversion, 164 Montague at Clinton St. George L. Morse, architect. 1891. Style: Romanesque Revival.
14. Kings County Savings Bank, now Banco Popular, Eastern Parkway at Nostrand, Crown Heights North. 1931. Style: Art Deco.
15. Medical Arts Building, Joralemon St. Brooklyn Heights. Style: Eclectic Art Deco.
16. Williamsburgh Savings Bank, 175 Broadway at Driggs, Williamsburg. Architects – George B. Post 1870-75, Helmle, Huberty and Hudswell, additions, 1905, 1925. Styles: Neo-Classic (Italian Renaissance), Beaux Arts.
17. Brooklyn Printing Plant, New York Times, 59-75 3rd Ave, at Dean. Boerum Hill. Architect, Albert Kahn. 1929. Style: Neo-Classic w/ Art Deco detail.
18. Ulmer Brewery Office and gate, 31 Belvidere St. at Beaver. Bushwick. Theobald Englehardt, architect. 1886. Style: Italianate/Romanesque Revival.
19. Bergen Inn, 148 Hoyt St. at Bergen. Original building, Thomas Maynard, architect, 1851. Façade from 1880’s. Style: Greek Revival with Queen Anne façade.
20. Nassau Brewery and warehouse complex, 1042 Dean St at Franklin, Crown Heights North/Crow Hill. Oldest building-1849. Style:Romanesque.
[Photos by Suzanne Spellen]
Hello, Nostalgic On Park.
Yes. And if the murals have been removed, they should be put back where they belong.
NOP and Morris, do you know if the Williamsburg Houses referred to by NOP are the same ones where the famous “Williamsburg Murals” were re-discovered, restored and shown at the Brooklyn Museum?
Quote from a link about the Williamsburg murals (leading to more links):
“Fascinating – in 1988, a group of abstract murals were discovered in the basement of the Williamsburg Houses. The murals, which “are thought to be the first and among the most important abstract wall paintings in the United States”) according to this Times article), …”
http://www.brooklyn11211.com/11211side/2009/04/williamsburg-murals
http://www.nytimes.com/1988/07/20/arts/long-lost-brooklyn-murals-are-being-restored.html
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brooklyn_museum/3439311310/
PS- my previous post was lost so hope stuff doesn’t post twice.
Montrose:
With all the grousing about public housing on another thread, I nominate one of my favorite New York architectural pieces for your coverage:
The Williamsburg Houses on Leonard Street in Brooklyn. (Off Tenyck Street, I believe.)
These were among the first public housing projects in America, built during the 1930s, and still have some of the period’s Moderne flourishes.
Check them out. (And scroll down http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3667 for pix.)
I’d enjoy reading your comments.
Nostalgic on Park Avenue
Does anyone know if the general public can access the Montauk club?
Posted by: Joe from Brooklyn at December 8, 2009 10:37 AM
Joe, one afternoon in June, I just walked in there and looked around. There were some people attending some music lectures. Maybe whoever was there thought I was part of the group. I walked into all of the public spaces and up the stairs afterwhich certain doors were closed and one surmises off-limits to the public beyond that. I was encouraged to do this by two elderly neighborhood people who told me they were members there, and going in and looking around would be okay. This was after expressing my curiosity to them about the building. One would have to look around anyway if one was thinking of joining the club.
Ditto, I don’t get over to Greenpoint at all. Someday, I hope to.
Minard, I’m doing a favorite houses of worship later in the month, I’ll try to get over to the church. I’ve only seen it in passing.
See you Thursday with the readers’ choices.
Brava!
Nice selection.
My younger architect friends are trying to widen my world view of architecture, that is they are trying to get me to appreciate buildings from the 1950’s and 60’s. To that end, I must say that the bank building on the corner of Montague and Court. the White Marble building housing European American Bank, I believe, is very nice. Prismatic columns, a little evocative of the contemporaneous Lincolc Center.
Just throwing that in.
Also, I left a message for you in the Myrtle Avenue, Andrea thread.
Once again, a beautiful job. It would be interesting to break this down further – outstanding interior public spaces.Some are included here. As a Brooklyn Tech grad, the main lobby murals would be a phenomenal addition to such a list.
MM asked me to let everyone know she is in an all day seminar but will reply to everyone when she get home tonight. I love the old A & S building too- the part that is still original, on Fulton. Very beautiful facade. What’s left of it anyway.