Opinions are mixed on the unusual exterior renovation of a wood frame house with bay windows at 1278 Jefferson Avenue in Bushwick.

A new owner installed 1970s-style stained-wood siding, single-pane windows, and stained glass transoms. She painted the brick on the first story black.

The original cornice has also been exposed and restored, and a new decorative band installed below it.

brooklyn architecture 1278 jefferson avenue bushwick

The new wood siding covers the tops of the bay windows, which would have originally been finished in trim, just as the vinyl siding did.

One commenter called the house’s new look “metamodernist.”

The photographer, houses_of_new_york, said:

A strange remodeling of this house on Jefferson between Central and Wilson in Bushwick. On one hand, it’s nice that they are bringing the building back to wood, as it would have been originally, however they’ve copied the shape of the old vinyl siding… curious.

brooklyn architecture 1278 jefferson avenue bushwick

A similar renovation seems to be in progress next door — though records do not show a new owner there. A little digging revealed the new owner of No. 1278 works in the fashion industry.

Nearly the entire block, between Wilson and Central, consists of wood-frame bay-windowed houses, almost all of which have been covered in vinyl siding or stucco.

The Instagram photographer posted a 1930s tax photo of a similar row of houses in Greenpoint so viewers could see what the houses might have looked like originally.

brooklyn architecture 1278 jefferson street bushwick
The house in 2015. Photo by Christopher Bride by PropertyShark

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[Photos by Cate Corcoran unless stated otherwise]

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