historic Archives - Page 2 of 3

Crown Heights North House Tour

September 28, 2011 RH

What’s better than looking at internet house porn? Participating in house porn! Yes, all you house whores, it’s time for the 5th Annual Crown Heights North House Tour!

When? Saturday, October 1. 11am-4pm

Where? The kick off ceremony and breakfast starts at 10:45 at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church. Brooklyn Avenue and St. John’s Place.

What? A self guided tour of nine homes, one church, one community garden and a nonprofit location.

Tix? $20 in advance, available at Barbara’s Flowers, 615 Nostrand Avenue and Yanatiba,714 Washington Avenue or on-line from Crown Heights North Association. Tickets can be purchased for $25 at door on October 1st.

Vintage Real Estate Ads

September 7, 2011 RH

If past-life me knew then what I know now. $590 for a Brooklyn lot. Five bucks down and five bucks per month. Bet that was a lot of money back then. The only thing affordable about these vintage properties now are the ads. Click on the images to purchase or gain more info.

Buy The Red Apple Rest Stop

August 3, 2011 RH

Me and The Moms took a trip upstate for a couple of days last week. We drove the Old 17 Route so we could pass the Red Apple Rest Stop. The Red Apple was THE place to stop before the NY Thruway was built. Back when it took 5 hours to get to Sullivan County. It was still open up until 2007 when it became condemned.

While we stopped to get pictures, there was someone else swinging by to have a look, remembering the place from his childhood. I wonder how many people go out of their way to check out the old rest stop. Could be a great restoration project and business venture.

The number is on the “For Sale” sign below. Just sayin’.

Grand Entrance

July 8, 2011 RH

I was just looking back on some old Flickr photos of my Bed Stuy renovation and realized that I never blogged about my fabulous parlor floor hallway. (Nor various other little projects)

That’s the before shot you see above. The previous owners “renovated” the house. Oh please, don’t get me started. Everything in the hallway was painted a glossy shit brown…the bannister, the newel post, the doors and the molding.

We took the double doors down and stripped and repaired them. They were in pretty bad shape and needed some fill in material. The back door with that badly home made transom was switched out for an antique door that actually fit into the frame.

Ah, but my pride and joy is that newel post! The one that was there when we bought the house consisted of four pieces of plywood boxed together with a Home Depot doodad on top. We found a gorgeous salvaged newel post that would have been original to a brownstone of this era and replaced it with that. The post was stripped and stained to match everything else.

The Victorian light fixture and ornate radiator were also salvaged finds.

This stuff doesn’t really take much design skill. It’s kind of just like putting back what was taken out.

Bed Stuy Walking Tour

May 26, 2011 RH

Spending your Memorial weekend in NYC and thinking of things to do? Free tour of Bed Stuy’s historic Bedford Corners district, led by “Montrose Morris” and “Amzi Hill” will take place on Saturday.

Old House Museums in the Boroughs

April 18, 2011 RH 3 Comments

Looking for something to do now that the weather is willing to cooperate? Hey kids, here’s an idea that’s fun and productive! Visit an old house museum. Get your inspiration from historic homes on a Saturday and start ripping into your house on the Sunday. (Some of these places are only open on weekdays, so you’ll have to call in sick.)

In Manhattan. FYI, did you know you can take a tour of Gracie Mansion? I never even considered that. Shipping merchant Archibald Gracie built this “country home” in 1799. It went through a few incarnations, including the Museum of the City of New York, until 1942. Fiorello La Guardia was the first mayor to move into Gracie Mansion.

Also, check out Manhattan’s only remaining lighthouse!

In Brooklyn. The Lefferts House has been right under my nose all these years and yet I’ve never been inside. This is one of the few remaining farmhouses in Brooklyn. The period rooms reflect daily life in the 1820’s and what finer backyard than Prospect Park?

In Queens. King Manor Museum was home to Rufus King, one of the first senators from New York. The house opened as a museum in 1900 and today, programs focus on King’s role in the antislavery movement.

In The Bronx. The Edgar Allan Poe Cottage is currently closed for restoration, but I’m including it here anyway because Poe is too cool to pass up. Poe spent the later years of his life in the 1812 cottage. He wrote such poems here as “Annabel Lee” and his wife Virginia actually died in the cottage.

In Staten Island. The Alice Austen House Museum is a Victorian Gothic cottage overlooking the water near on Verrazano Narrows. Austen was one of the first female photographers in America. The museum features Austen’s images as well as those of contemporary photographers. Plus, it’s a great old house.

Killing Gatsby (Again)

April 14, 2011 RH

“They were careless people — they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money.”

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote that about Tom and Daisy back in 1925, but the same can be said about today’s throwaway society. The rumored Gatsby mansion is being demolished, just like many of the other Gold Coast homes of the past.

Developers will tear the house down to build a new McMansion. Because who wants the piece of history that inspired one of the greatest Amercian novels when you can have a brand new super sized tacky house?

Clearly Long Island needs to do something about their landmarks and preservation. This just isn’t right.

Unfortunately, it’s too late for Land’s End. The original fixtures have already been removed. Demolition is under way.

Hundreds of Gold Coast historic mansions have been torn down. Perhaps it’s a good idea to visit the remaining few before it all becomes a valley of ashes.

Via NY Times

All photos by Jen Ross.

Replacement Windows

March 23, 2011 RH 15 Comments

Oy, we knew window replacements would be a pricey pain the arse, but we thought we would get away with 2 quotes tops and be on our way to setting up the next project.

The windows in our brownstone are those horrible 1980’s vinyl type. This winter felt like we left them wide open. They are DRAFT-TEE!

Ok, so here’s what we learned about historic-but-not-landmarked windows.

There are two ways to install new windows: Replacement or Brick to Brick. Now, replacement (which is what the vinyl are) would be dead easy and really inexpensive, but there’s no point replacing crap with crap.

Brick to brick is the way to go. Why? Because the installer takes out the entire frame and insulates the empty pockets where the window workings once were. Right now, that is what is creating the draft more than the actual windows. An added bonus is that the window will be a few inches larger and look much nicer. More window, less clad.

Fine. Unfortunately, our windows aren’t straight rectangles. They have a lovely eyebrow at the top. Yes, it’s lovely. But it also means we need custom windows if we want to go back to the original look. Which we do. They will be wood and they will cost anywhere from $2000-$5000 apiece depending on the window location (they vary in size) and who’s doing the quote. That is x 7 not including the rear windows.

The rear windows are pretty straightforward and there are no shutter pockets, so it looks like we can get away with replacements. Aluminum or fiberglass is better than vinyl. They can be made with a wood veneer interior to match the front windows.

And what about window manufacturers? Marvin is top of the line and pretty much one of the only companies we can use because of our silly-shaped historic windows.

Kolbe supposedly makes a nice product, not as expensive as Marvin. People seem to poo-poo Pella and Anderson. Pella has a more modern look to them anyway.

The window guy who’s coming to do a quote later today was talking about LePage Windows. The Canadian company does custom windows that are less expensive than Marvin. Website looks promising and I’m especially loving the French casement design (pictured above) that won’t work in a brownstone.

Finally, the installation matters as much as or more than the windows. You can have the finest quality window in the world. But it ain’t gonna keep you warm if it’s not tight in the frame.

So, there’s your Windows 101. More to follow when we actually buy and install said windows.

DIY:Plaster Medallion Repair

March 21, 2011 RH 2 Comments

The broken plaster medallion came out of a Park Slope brownstone restoration about four years ago. I purchased a bunch of architectural salvage from these folks who were updating (raping) their historic home.

Fast forward to this past weekend. I finally repaired it.

Now, if you’re thinking I’m going to give you expert advice on how to successfully repair ornamental plaster, think again. A word of caution…this was all trail and error. So, I’ll share with you the mistakes I made so you don’t have to go through it yourself. Deal?

I couldn’t really find any DIY posts on this subject and I found out there was good reason. It’s a job for a skilled professional. The best article I found was from the government historic preservation site.

Ok, so DIY….

Well, my first idea which I thought was so brilliant, was to build a mold. I went to the useless Pratt Art Supply Store where not one of the four employees I asked knew anything about molds. Hello, art supply store? Know your merch! But I digress.

The resin mold might have worked fine if I wasn’t too lazy to build the perfect support to house it. Ah, but I was. I did a half ass job and the liquid mold dripped out. What was left of my mixture in the cup did harden quickly, so I’m thinking it may have work better if I let it set first to a jello-like consistency. But alas, I didn’t and the thin coat that was on the medallion was impossible to get off.

Take two. I’ll sculpt it myself.

I’ve never worked with Plaster of Paris before. Love the pre-mixed stuff too much. It took me a few tries of mixing the plaster to get it right. FYI, that shit hardens immediately! The trick is to a) use ice cold water and b) hit it with a spoonful of vinegar to retard the drying process. You still need to work fast, but at least it’s within the realm of possibility.

The mixture in the photo below was way too thick. It dried completely within like 2 minutes, leaving me no time to work.

Ok, this is where you might not want to take my word as gospel. Do your own research because I haven’t a clue if this is the right way of doing it. I just know that my medallion hasn’t fallen apart yet.

I started from the back. I had to support it somehow. I didn’t have fiberglass mesh in the house and this metal screen was just sitting there staring at me, so I figured WTF? It’s stiffer than mesh. Um, kind of like re-bar, right? I dipped paper joint compound tape into the plaster and used it to “paste” the screen backing. I also built it up on top of the tape. Think plaster cast or paper mache.

The next step was to build it up and start to shape it. Since sculpting is not my forte, I figured there would be some sanding involved.

Here’s the first glob. That took some hand sanding until I realized I could cheat with a Dremel tool. The Dremel worked great! One more application of plaster and some more sanding did a good enough job.

Oh, this is the unbroken side I was trying to replicate. Not bad for my first attempt at this stuff, right? Please be kind if you know I totally did it the wrong way. Just humor me.

Gorgeous Government Buildings

March 8, 2011 RH

Having grown up in NYC, I take many things for granted. Architecture is one of them. 45 years of seeing the same buildings. Why would I stop and look now?

Well, over the weekend I visited the Museum of the American Indian for the first time in the downtown location. Walked into the building and was blown away by the interior. Seriously, blown away.

The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the finest examples of Beaux Arts buildings in the city. The winding staircase! The rotunda with the huge skylight (it was leaking)! The marble everywhere! I’d be beyond thrilled to have a living room as nice as the ladies room.

Go visit. The museum is free because it’s a government building. Good museum too!

And look at all these other beautiful government buildings. I just pass them all the time. Maybe now I’ll stop and say hello.

Bed Stuy Landmarks Meeting

February 9, 2011 RH

If you live in the south/west part of Bed Stuy, you better come to this meeting. Or else. Yeah, that’s a threat. It’s kinda important.

The Ruins of Detroit

January 27, 2011 RH 3 Comments

The Huffington Post ran an article yesterday about Detroit’s decline. Wow, what a sad and beautiful place! It looks like the set from that Will Smith movie “I Am Legend”. Wild packs of dogs roam the streets and foliage has grown where sidewalks used to be. And dogs aren’t the only things roaming around. Real wildlife is claiming parts of the city as well.

As an historic building enthusiast, I’d like to see these structures saved. As an environmentalist, I say let nature take it back. We’re always tearing down trees and destroying natural habitats. Well, let the city become a forest. It’s been abandoned anyway.

It sure has some nice architecture though.

Ride Vintage NYC Trains & Buses

November 30, 2010 RH

During the holiday season, the MTA runs vintage subway and buses along certain routes at scheduled times. The cost is the same as any other ride. It just might not get you all the way to your destination. Click on the link to see schedule.The wicker seat trains stopped running in 1969. I am so old that I actually remember riding these a couple of time. I would have been 4 years old. They didn’t come often, but it was a treat when I got one. The lack of air conditioning was always fun. People sweating into the grooves of the seats. Ah, but they had overhead fans! And it was 35 cents for a token. Remember those little coin thingies they had before Metro Cards? Surely, you’re not THAT much younger than me!

If you’ve never been, the NY Transit Museum is one of the coolest places in Brooklyn. You can view these vintage trains and buses any time of the year.

Coney’s Last Gasp

November 15, 2010 RH

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that we decided to visit Aunt Elaine in Coney Island and have a stroll along the boardwalk. We happened upon the final last call (maybe) of Ruby’s and Paul’s Daughters (aka Gregory’s). Their leases have been terminated to make way for the Disneyfication of Coney Island. Amusing the Zillion and Sheepshead Bites have the full story.

I’ve mentioned here before that I lived in Brightwater Towers across from the aquarium during my teen years. I was still there, living with my parents, when I took up photography. To this day, my favorite place to shoot is Coney during the winter months, when it’s desolate. The decay is what makes it beautiful.

Coney Island’s appearance (or lack of) is not what makes it special. The people do. Like the lost Times Square of the 1970’s, Coney is home to a vast array of eccentric souls. The geriatric handball players. The big Russian guys swimming in sub zero temperatures. The ladies with hair to match the candy apples.

I like to think that they will remain. The courts, the water and the boardwalk will always be there for them. As gentrification spreads around the neighborhood, they will probably be priced out or bought out though.

Who knows? Maybe one day Florida will be become the new Coney Island. Oh right, a bunch of them are down there with my mom already. And you know what? It’s really not the same. 🙁

Historic Bed Stuy Architecture Snappies

October 18, 2010 RH 1 Comment

Much enjoyed touring my own area of Bed Stuy yesterday with Andrew Dolkart, Brownstoner’s “Montrose Morris” and Save Bedford Stuyvesant‘s “Amzi Hill”. Since I didn’t take notes, I’m just posting some pics and referring you to the links above for your own research. Because I’m lazy that way.

Or…perhaps some kind reader will comment on what we’re looking at. 🙂

Full Flickr set.