The original Brownstones in NYC became a popular form of architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Brooklyn is the best and largest example of brownstone architecture in the nation.
History of Brownstones in NYC
Brownstones in NYC first emerged in the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights, an upper-middle class area across from Manhattan in the lat 19th century. More than a style of architecture, however, brownstone is actually a type of sandstone that was a popular building material in the United States during the period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Brownstones are easily identifiable, not just by the brown and rust-colored facades, but the elaborate front staircases and stoops that are just perfect to sit on and enjoy a summer ice cream.
This was a convenient area due to the newly created ferry service from that area to Manhattan for work and pleasure. The brownstones in that neighborhood are considered even today the finest example of brownstone architecture in the nation, as well as the most elaborate and oldest in not just New York City, but the nation.
After the popularity of the Brooklyn Heights brownstones in NYC, they moved out to the surrounding neighborhoods over the next few decades. During the decades of 1880 and 1890, the brownstones in NYC expanded as far as Harlem, across Kings County and beyond.
The Preservation of Brownstones in NYC
The brownstones in NYC began to sadly deteriorate as more and more moved to the suburbs due to the emergence of the privately-owned automobile. During the 1950’s there was a plan to essentially destroy all the remaining original brownstones in Brooklyn in order to expand a freeway plan. The neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant became synonymous with the urban down turn, similar to Harlem.
Luckily, during the 1990’s, many re-discovered the brownstones of NYC. One of the first neighborhoods to become revitalized around the brownstone was Park Slope, which is now one of the most exclusive and expensive areas of New York City. Additionally Bed-Sty and Harlem are now experiencing a re-vitalization that includes the brownstones of NYC. The resurgence moved to the nearby neighborhood of Prospect Heights and Windsor Terrace. Even more once-forgotten non-brownstone neighborhoods like DUMBO, Greenpoint and Kensington are being rediscovered and revitalized and a big part of that is the preservation of the brownstones of NYC.
