Erik, you're a go-getter and modern real-estate man; therefore, I'm glad you love the old architecture and the world that gave birth to it! The tower apartments (each a full floor) in the Sherry Netherland are wonderful! A rule of elegant apartments/homes: one never sees a bathroom or kitchen or bedroom when he walks into a home. Best wishes and good luck, Erik.
@@harrisonbrown512 A rule of elegant apartments/homes: one never sees a bathroom or kitchen or bedroom when he walks into a home. I very much like your scholarship, my young friend! Best wishes.
In 1988 we bought a Brownstone in Brooklyn Heights, New York at the time the Brownstone was not exactly cheap however today our home is worth millions. Renovations, Landmark Commission, maintenance are a tremendous expense. We LOVE our home, our neighborhood.
I just finished watching your video on the history of Brownstones, and I have to say-it was amazing! I loved how you broke down the history in a way that was so easy to follow but still packed with fascinating details. The visuals were spot-on, and I especially enjoyed the history of the quarry that supplied the stone materials. The connection with the stoops and what was going on with the maintenance of the streets and sidewalks at the time period of construction is interesting. It’s clear you put a lot of effort into this, and it really paid off. Thanks for teaching me something new and making it so enjoyable!
A trend I have seen in Montreal (similar extensive missing middle and gentrification of said housing) is to add a few stories on top, set back a bit to not disturb the street facades. I haven’t seen it as much in NYC, but hopefully it catches on! More apartments in historic districts without damaging the existing buildings would be amazing.
Most brownstones aren't strong enough to support much additional weight, and replacing the existing structural masonry with a steel frame all while preserving the Landmarked facade is a lengthy and expensive process. When you consider the large setbacks and low heights required to keep penthouse extentions invisible from the street, they rarely pencil out from a developer's point of view. Unfortunately, that means brownstone penthouses are pretty much exclusively on the roofs of single family homes owned by exceptionally wealthy people.
@@jimbo1637to second, this added floors are happening in some neighborhoods in NYC. Like Soho. But as mentioned it's very expensive and not necessarily affordable housing
I lived in Brooklyn for 5 years. I moved away because I have a family and I needed to buy a large spacious home. However, I'm still nostalgic to my time that I lived in Brooklyn and I am fascinated by the history
What's interesting about the Nimby point at the end is that these rowhome communities where you find brownstones would be considered very high density development in most American towns. How I wish it were the norm to build this way.
I agree. Replacing single-family zoning with higher density rowhomes and townhouses would certainly help make cities more accessible and affordable. NYC is a whole different beast ...
Here’s your answer - you preserve architectural heritage while aggressively developing new housing in underutilized areas, like Gowanus or other parts of the city that were once industrial districts. Additionally, pair that with a robust and reliable transit network, and you will alleviate the housing crisis while protecting precious architectural marvels such as brownstones. And yes, EVERY brownstone deserves to be saved.
This is kind of already happening in Gowanus. But one thing that is starting to come up there are environmental issues caused by the neighborhood being so industrial for such a long time. I think the canal is cleaner than it had been -- when I first moved to Brooklyn 15 years ago, it was commonly known as the Lavender Lake, and on a hot day, emited an odor one could smell for miles around -- but, I'm pretty sure, is still a superfund site.
@@greenmachine5600 actually you can't. NYC zoning restricts you to only being able to add a few hundred sq feet. Many owners extend their ground floor into their garden and some at this as a 3/4 floor on top.
There is no way to put in elevators as there is no space for elevators on the lower floors. I grew up in Gowanus - it was both solid working class and middle class. I never saw any homeless, any drug use or alcoholism, and I was next to the warehouses bordering the docks. There were many nondescript houses which could be replaced but, please, not for wrong-for-the-neighborhood ugly modern flat metallic rectangles that only architects love.@greenmachine5600
I'd be devastated to see these architectural gems demolished, i have never been to New York and these houses would be one of the first things i'd check out if i ever go there, they are historic and iconic!
We have essentially the same situation in Australia, especially Melbourne and Sydney, though your brownstones are our Victorian terrace houses. Terrible ventilation, barely any insulation, but beautiful, cultural icons, and the most expensive places to live in thanks to white-collar gentrifiers from the 70s onwards. Awesome video by the way, keen for more!
Bronx born but moved out in the 80's. Not on topic but when I build my first Bastion in D&D it will be a New York style brownstone set in Waterdeep. I really enjoyed this video. Keep up the good work.
Interesting that the DOD and Dept. of Veterans Affairs chart 2:53 lists Vietnam casualties at 90,220 while Wikipedia quotes 58,220. Brown was the post-Civil War color preference ? With war profits the Gilded Age was born. On a subjective note during sunrise and sunset the stone appears golden brown.
I think the true solution that we are missing is that we really only have a few cities that are dense. NYC is expensive because its one of a few in America. We need more cities building housing like Chicago, NYC, Boston, Philadelphia built
uhhh, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia are not known for their dynamic growth. Neither is NYC for that matter. Where is all the money coming from to build these ornate structures? How are you going to have family growth when every brownstone is divided into micro units? The solution to demand is more supply, not good vibes and self-congratulatory ideas. The echo chamber of the North East and the West Coast needs to be taken down.
@@bhalps Brownstones are only expensive because there's a limited supply. Structurally, they're brick boxes party walls, extremely cheap to build when you build them in a row. And when the structure is cheap, you can afford a nice facade. Also, for what's it's worth, many people actually prefer the brick faced townhouses to brownstones aesthetically even though they're cheaper to build and maintain.
@@bhalps I think you're missing my point. We need more major cities that are true viable destinations. The price pressure on those cities is high because they are unique in the US. They aren't scarred and criss crossed with highways like a Kansas City
@@jimbo1637 lol, no, you are so wrong, they are expensive as can be. I'm in construction and land.. They don't really stand the test of time structurally, they just look quaint. A modern brownstone isn't a real brownstone either. Why the materials are vastly different. Concrete is cheaper, cast concrete is way cheaper, steel and glass are way cheaper, wood is even cheaper than that. God bless if you don't get it.
@@stephendunn4073 Dude these are inert cities you cite. Cities are already destinations. "The price pressure is high because they are unique" - you're proving my point, they don't have enough of an item (housing supply) in the cities to meet the demand (demand) of all the people. Wax poetic all you want. Solution, build more housing to meet demand. Not a solution, wax poetic about architecture that is from a bygone guided age.
Brownstones are narrow* so the delivery and servant's entrance are placed under the stoop to the sub-basement. The front entrance or stoop date from New Amsterdam (Dutch New York) 1624-1664. Later, during the 1880s with cheap German immigrant skilled masons it took the form we see today. Besides being above the trash having a raised first floor entrance offered some privacy from pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk. * the narrowness of Brownstones also dates back to New Amsterdam when for pragmatic reasons lot sizes were 25 ft. by 50 ft. with a 50 foot backyard. Thus, putting a doorway under the staircase allowed more sub--basement window space facing the street and an area for garbage cans.
Very educational! As a native Brooklynite, who grew up a *brick* building in Ocean Hill/Brownsville, my take on brownstones is that *they are so narrow* ! Yes, they're considered elite in 'hoods like Bk hts, Pk Slope, and Clinton Hills, but unless you inhabit the entire building, you're living in a horizontally *narrow* space! If you have the whole building, you have more *vertical* space, but it's still all *narrow* !!!
The narrowness of NYC buildings dates back to Dutch New Amsterdam 1624-1664 when for pragmatic reasons building lots were around 25 ft. width x 50 ft. depth with a 50 foot backyard. Plus, the maximum span of wooden floor joists were twenty-five feet.
They're not usually "1-2 family" They were usually 3-4 family. Now that rich yuppies are purchasing them they're being converted into 1 family. (I lived in one as a kid in Carroll Gardens Brooklyn.) In the old days entire families lived in a brown stone. In mine it was.. My grandma (garden) Aunt/Uncle (parlor) Us (3rd fl) Aunt (4th fl)
I enjoyed your video. Thanks. One reason a lot of brownstones are replacing brownstone with a matching cement is at the brownstone quarries are not what they used to be and the cost of brownstone is quite high.
An easy answer to the redevelopment question is to allow up to 15% of the brownstones in a particular neighbourhood hood to be redeveloped. The new building must keep the facade of the original structure and any floors that extend beyond. The height of the original building need to be set back from the facade by a further 8 feet.
As a brownstone owner I can tell you gentrification have saved these buildings, ours was built at the late 1800 by a Dutch women. The conditions of the building was only hints of ghost of its original glory. We have spent Ms to restore it structurally and salvage whatever we could. I believe some people do not realizing the amount of research we do, the investment it takes to restore these buildings and to modernize the internal infrastructure. 😓
I appreciate the history & culture lesson. One thing I noticed that there was no discussion about the density of the areas with these brownstones, which are often in the mid rise, high-er density categories than the traditional sing family house. Since this video was more about the material and history rather than design, interior layout or other livability attributes (aside from poor durability & efficiency), it’s hard to draw a conclusion. My own biases says that smaller, affordable buildings for locals is better than high density, massive structures that only corporations can build & own. Allowing an iterative growth of density would be a decent compromise, where a modern multi family building of 5-7 floors could replace two brownstones while keeping some proportion & scale of the context of the area, allowing local independent developers and operators to be part of the neighborhood.
One of the biggest problems with replacing ANY of the brownstones with high-density housing is in the example you showed. It's hideous. There are many historical examples of high-density housing which is beautiful and/or charming, but that's not what will get built. Until that's addressed no one will champion replacing brownstones.
9:29 it’s very simple. Build beautiful again! All these modernist eyesores are ruining the charm and character of what made NYC so unique. Why should only rich people in beautiful neighborhoods with traditional styles of architecture while us regulars have to settle for glorified commie blocks?
I have seen brownstones in various places, the South End of Boston, the upper west side, and parts of DC. I'm surprised to learn I agree with Edith Warton. These buildings are dark and dreary, and the zero lot line construction has to be a light challenge in the interior soace eben with the large windows.
Replacing the brownstones will not save the world nor will it save New York or that neighborhood- however preservation and celebration of that area will save that neighborhood and it will help preserve New York - and with this mindset- it will help with providing a demonstrated strategy for housing that does work
I think they could do historical recreations, salvage and reuse materials. And make these building more efficient. If need more housing make sure the any new building maintains the characteristics, especially the exterior architecture, reuse as much possible. History isn't just the past, it's a living history.
Dude, you need to stop. Brownstones Do Not equal wealth and sophistication, nor are they mostly 1-2 family homes, nor are they unique to Brooklyn. There are also plenty of Brownstones in Harlem, many are 4 family, and some are even SRO's where you just rent a room and share the kitchen and bathroom with strangers. Others are empty, boarded up, or occupied by squatters and (otherwise) homeless people. A one family Brownstone in a good neighbor isn't cheap, and they do fit the image you're describing, but there's s whole variety.
If I had the money and lived in Manhattan, I'd demolish three old townhouses and build a mansion that resembled the Gilded Age mansions right across from Central Park.
It used to be 50,000 individual, but now many have had adjoining walls pierced, and units combined. Gentrification has replaced working class tenancies. Poor people cannot afford to live in New York.
I love brownstones in Harlem and Brooklyn…but when you were priced out of Manhattan gentrification began in Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights and Clinton Hill…pushed brown people out…won’t say anything negative…
They are beautiful but if I ever got my hands on one that was crumbling, I would try to modernize it OUTSIDE and IN! It's a waste of money to keep "preserving" a crumbling building that 3 or 4 families could move into right away and pay rent.
I would only add that Brooklyn History is the early history of this country. Stoop is a dutch word reflecting the layers of immigrants to the USA, even before it was the USA. To edit this rich history is to edit American history... leave the brownstone intact, leave the neighborhoods in tack.
Dutch New Amsterdam 1624-1664 later British New York then the 1880s Gilded Age when New York City was build by German and Italian immigrants who build these Brownstones. Are you Dutch ? While *stoop* is a Dutch word meaning staircase whelter one step or more the present day Dutchies would say it's sidewalk or pavement.
hopefully they won't do what happened here in Ireland, we had some of the best preserved Georgian citiscape in europe all built by Irish craftsmen but some of it had been allowed to become slumlord property eventually the need for proper affordable housing became undeniable - bonus Dublin got lots of healthy, modern Irish Free State Moderne(Irish Art Deco) housing by architect Herbert Simms
Conclusion is totally misguided. Brownstone neighborhoods are some of the densest in the city. Look to Queens and areas south of brownstone brooklyn for density gains. We do not need to destroy the fabric of the city.
There was no internet. Builders back then had PRIDE in their craft and took the time to build them right bc they valued things that LASTED. Noways everything is disposable and cheaply constructed. Such a shame, so much WASTE
Why the clicking noise as if using a remote to change pictures. Really bad production choice for an otherwise excellent video. Seriously distracting and very much ruined my experience of this work.
the Brownstones are here to stay but not the people. The endless regulation-with a new one devised each week- will drive out the people who cannot afford to make the changes; that is to say, the working class people who have occupied these homes for generations.
These are not problems. NYC Gov needs to leave brownstones alone. If they are in historic districts, don't touch them. These brownstones went from rich to poor people and back to rich people. I see no problem with that. The rich were displaced by poor people. And now the poor people are displaced by rich people. It's a market cycle. I don't see why the City Gov should forcibly take down single family homes that give character to a neighborhood and put up huge low-income apartment buildings and overpopulate an area. This is what happened in the 50s and 60s and those apartment buildings and inhabitants destroyed neighborhoods throughout the city. From upper Manhattan to Brooklyn to the Bronx. This was evident in the 70s and 80s when NYC was rocked with crime and quality of life issues. You are seeing something similar today on a smaller scale with the influx of illegal immigrants and NYC taking over housing to house them. These areas are experiencing high crime and quality of life issues.
The rich weren't displaced. They left because the city during that time was bankrupt opportunities where drying up and they moved to the suburbs. They had the ability to do that while everybody else had to deal with it and the blight that came. I agree that you shouldn't tear them down though. But acting like people with money are the victims of anything especially when during the time period you speak of urban renwal was the governments idea of revitalizing "underdeveloped" areas that ended up displacing those people into those ugly apartment buildings you speak of. Then the rich left and you got the 70s 80s and early 90s nyc.
BS, we do not need to destroy history for more housing in the city. We need more jobs in the suburbs. We can build a strip mall with a thousand car parking lot, but not an office park???? BS
Fantastic video, I believe architecture found in the old world will make a comeback. We are all sick of being told glass boxes are luxury living
Thanks for the comment! Yes I agree, modern buildings that use older facades blend more easily into neighborhoods (and look better too!)
It will never happen.We don't have architects, we have kids who can only draw squares and rectangles. They lack imagination
Erik, you're a go-getter and modern real-estate man; therefore, I'm glad you love the old architecture and the world that gave birth to it! The tower apartments (each a full floor) in the Sherry Netherland are wonderful! A rule of elegant apartments/homes: one never sees a bathroom or kitchen or bedroom when he walks into a home. Best wishes and good luck, Erik.
@@harrisonbrown512 A rule of elegant apartments/homes: one never sees a bathroom or kitchen or bedroom when he walks into a home. I very much like your scholarship, my young friend! Best wishes.
It breaks my heart thinking about how we used to build cities that looked like this, and now we just build boring glass boxes over and over again...
We don't just build glass buildings, a lot of what we build are cement poured on an empty lot.
Omg!!!! This man is beyond stunning!!! I want to put my face next to the arch of his foot!!!!
That's Capitalism. As demand increases, cost skyrockets with: materials, space, labor, etc.
@TheAirlock yes!!! The most beautiful part of a man!!!!!! His feet!!!
@TheAirlock it's corruption lol. That is all
I will own a brownstone one day
I will develop modern day brownstones one day and sell them like hotcakes
and then a migrant will rob you in front of it
U don't, they expensive af
Same here
In 1988 we bought a Brownstone in Brooklyn Heights, New York at the time the Brownstone was not exactly cheap however today our home is worth millions.
Renovations, Landmark Commission, maintenance are a tremendous expense.
We LOVE our home, our neighborhood.
I just finished watching your video on the history of Brownstones, and I have to say-it was amazing! I loved how you broke down the history in a way that was so easy to follow but still packed with fascinating details. The visuals were spot-on, and I especially enjoyed the history of the quarry that supplied the stone materials. The connection with the stoops and what was going on with the maintenance of the streets and sidewalks at the time period of construction is interesting. It’s clear you put a lot of effort into this, and it really paid off. Thanks for teaching me something new and making it so enjoyable!
This comment reads like it was written by Chat GPT
Great video, the fact that so much of brooklyn looks the way it does because of one quarry makes something vast feel a lot more small-scale
Thank you for your comment! I loved your Madrid video, keep up the good work!
Its such a small piece of Brooklyn 😂
Brownstone is absolutely beautiful. They should continue using it.
Bedford Stuyvesant has beautiful brownstones with big backyards. Could you do Harlem’s next ? Would be interesting to see the difference
A trend I have seen in Montreal (similar extensive missing middle and gentrification of said housing) is to add a few stories on top, set back a bit to not disturb the street facades. I haven’t seen it as much in NYC, but hopefully it catches on! More apartments in historic districts without damaging the existing buildings would be amazing.
Most brownstones aren't strong enough to support much additional weight, and replacing the existing structural masonry with a steel frame all while preserving the Landmarked facade is a lengthy and expensive process. When you consider the large setbacks and low heights required to keep penthouse extentions invisible from the street, they rarely pencil out from a developer's point of view.
Unfortunately, that means brownstone penthouses are pretty much exclusively on the roofs of single family homes owned by exceptionally wealthy people.
@@jimbo1637to second, this added floors are happening in some neighborhoods in NYC. Like Soho. But as mentioned it's very expensive and not necessarily affordable housing
Omg!!!! This man is beyond stunning!!! I want to put my face next to the arch of his foot!!!!
@@aerolynx33 i need this white man's feet next to my face!!!!
Genius
I love Brooklyn because of the browstone buildings. This vid was nicely done, subscribed at the first vid I saw from your channel.
Loving your channel. While Brooklyn has brownstones, Queens has tudors. Next video perhaps? 🤔😁
I lived in Brooklyn for 5 years. I moved away because I have a family and I needed to buy a large spacious home. However, I'm still nostalgic to my time that I lived in Brooklyn and I am fascinated by the history
Of course is a 👃 living in Brooklyn 😂
@@TwainBjealous?
What's interesting about the Nimby point at the end is that these rowhome communities where you find brownstones would be considered very high density development in most American towns. How I wish it were the norm to build this way.
I agree. Replacing single-family zoning with higher density rowhomes and townhouses would certainly help make cities more accessible and affordable. NYC is a whole different beast ...
Here’s your answer - you preserve architectural heritage while aggressively developing new housing in underutilized areas, like Gowanus or other parts of the city that were once industrial districts. Additionally, pair that with a robust and reliable transit network, and you will alleviate the housing crisis while protecting precious architectural marvels such as brownstones. And yes, EVERY brownstone deserves to be saved.
so true
This is kind of already happening in Gowanus. But one thing that is starting to come up there are environmental issues caused by the neighborhood being so industrial for such a long time. I think the canal is cleaner than it had been -- when I first moved to Brooklyn 15 years ago, it was commonly known as the Lavender Lake, and on a hot day, emited an odor one could smell for miles around -- but, I'm pretty sure, is still a superfund site.
Could add a few new floors to brownstones
@@greenmachine5600 actually you can't. NYC zoning restricts you to only being able to add a few hundred sq feet. Many owners extend their ground floor into their garden and some at this as a 3/4 floor on top.
There is no way to put in elevators as there is no space for elevators on the lower floors.
I grew up in Gowanus - it was both solid working class and middle class. I never saw any homeless, any drug use or alcoholism, and I was next to the warehouses bordering the docks. There were many nondescript houses which could be replaced but, please, not for wrong-for-the-neighborhood ugly modern flat metallic rectangles that only architects love.@greenmachine5600
I dream of buying one of those 😍😭
I'd be devastated to see these architectural gems demolished, i have never been to New York and these houses would be one of the first things i'd check out if i ever go there, they are historic and iconic!
❤Love Our Paid Off Brownstone In Bushwick, Brooklyn NY🍂🗽🍁🌆💞The Architecture In Parkslope, Borough Hall, Strivers Row, BedStuy Are Timeless & Classic!!
This is a well made and fascinating!!!!! ☮️💟😊
We have essentially the same situation in Australia, especially Melbourne and Sydney, though your brownstones are our Victorian terrace houses. Terrible ventilation, barely any insulation, but beautiful, cultural icons, and the most expensive places to live in thanks to white-collar gentrifiers from the 70s onwards. Awesome video by the way, keen for more!
Crazy how we used to actually build houses for people to live in.
Love to see a video on Victorian Houses, and Queen Ann styles!
Really well done. Thanks for no weird background music
Are the walls separating the units brick, or are they regular walls, made from wood frame drywall etc?
Bronx born but moved out in the 80's. Not on topic but when I build my first Bastion in D&D it will be a New York style brownstone set in Waterdeep. I really enjoyed this video. Keep up the good work.
Interesting that the DOD and Dept. of Veterans Affairs chart 2:53 lists Vietnam casualties at 90,220 while Wikipedia quotes 58,220.
Brown was the post-Civil War color preference ?
With war profits the Gilded Age was born.
On a subjective note during sunrise and sunset the stone appears golden brown.
I think the true solution that we are missing is that we really only have a few cities that are dense. NYC is expensive because its one of a few in America. We need more cities building housing like Chicago, NYC, Boston, Philadelphia built
uhhh, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia are not known for their dynamic growth. Neither is NYC for that matter. Where is all the money coming from to build these ornate structures? How are you going to have family growth when every brownstone is divided into micro units? The solution to demand is more supply, not good vibes and self-congratulatory ideas. The echo chamber of the North East and the West Coast needs to be taken down.
@@bhalps Brownstones are only expensive because there's a limited supply. Structurally, they're brick boxes party walls, extremely cheap to build when you build them in a row. And when the structure is cheap, you can afford a nice facade.
Also, for what's it's worth, many people actually prefer the brick faced townhouses to brownstones aesthetically even though they're cheaper to build and maintain.
@@bhalps I think you're missing my point. We need more major cities that are true viable destinations. The price pressure on those cities is high because they are unique in the US. They aren't scarred and criss crossed with highways like a Kansas City
@@jimbo1637 lol, no, you are so wrong, they are expensive as can be. I'm in construction and land.. They don't really stand the test of time structurally, they just look quaint. A modern brownstone isn't a real brownstone either. Why the materials are vastly different. Concrete is cheaper, cast concrete is way cheaper, steel and glass are way cheaper, wood is even cheaper than that. God bless if you don't get it.
@@stephendunn4073 Dude these are inert cities you cite. Cities are already destinations. "The price pressure is high because they are unique" - you're proving my point, they don't have enough of an item (housing supply) in the cities to meet the demand (demand) of all the people. Wax poetic all you want. Solution, build more housing to meet demand. Not a solution, wax poetic about architecture that is from a bygone guided age.
Thank you! All my life I've wondered what those gorgeous stoops are all about and now, finally, at seventy-six, I know.
Brownstones are narrow* so the delivery and servant's entrance are placed under the stoop to the sub-basement.
The front entrance or stoop date from New Amsterdam (Dutch New York) 1624-1664. Later, during the 1880s with cheap German immigrant skilled masons it took the form we see today.
Besides being above the trash having a raised first floor entrance offered some privacy from pedestrian traffic on the sidewalk.
* the narrowness of Brownstones also dates back to New Amsterdam when for pragmatic reasons lot sizes were 25 ft. by 50 ft. with a 50 foot backyard. Thus, putting a doorway under the staircase allowed more sub--basement window space facing the street and an area for garbage cans.
@ Cool. Thank you for that.
Very educational! As a native Brooklynite, who grew up a *brick* building in Ocean Hill/Brownsville, my take on brownstones is that *they are so narrow* ! Yes, they're considered elite in 'hoods like Bk hts, Pk Slope, and Clinton Hills, but unless you inhabit the entire building, you're living in a horizontally *narrow* space!
If you have the whole building, you have more *vertical* space, but it's still all *narrow* !!!
The narrowness of NYC buildings dates back to Dutch New Amsterdam 1624-1664 when for pragmatic reasons building lots were around 25 ft. width x 50 ft. depth with a 50 foot backyard. Plus, the maximum span of wooden floor joists were twenty-five feet.
Voltaire once wrote: "All that is very well, but let us cultivate our brownstones" ... paraphrasing slightly....
They're not usually "1-2 family"
They were usually 3-4 family. Now that rich yuppies are purchasing them they're being converted into 1 family. (I lived in one as a kid in Carroll Gardens Brooklyn.) In the old days entire families lived in a brown stone. In mine it was.. My grandma (garden) Aunt/Uncle (parlor) Us (3rd fl) Aunt (4th fl)
I enjoyed your video. Thanks.
One reason a lot of brownstones are replacing brownstone with a matching cement is at the brownstone quarries are not what they used to be and the cost of brownstone is quite high.
01:15 Looks like Henry Street, Brroklyn.
Never knew about the horses 🥲but Edith Wharton can eat her words! My Brooklyn strolls won't be the same now
Poop runs downhill.
Interesting info and great pictures, but the annoying clicking sound effect makes this hard to watch..
Thank you for the comment, I really do appreciate the feedback. FWIW I do plan to tone down the sound effects a bit on the next one!
Yo I agree it was so annoying to the max and so cringe
The area above the steps aren’t called “porches”, but stoops. I think porches are usually enclosed.
An easy answer to the redevelopment question is to allow up to 15% of the brownstones in a particular neighbourhood hood to be redeveloped. The new building must keep the facade of the original structure and any floors that extend beyond. The height of the original building need to be set back from the facade by a further 8 feet.
As a brownstone owner I can tell you gentrification have saved these buildings, ours was built at the late 1800 by a Dutch women. The conditions of the building was only hints of ghost of its original glory. We have spent Ms to restore it structurally and salvage whatever we could. I believe some people do not realizing the amount of research we do, the investment it takes to restore these buildings and to modernize the internal infrastructure. 😓
I have always wondered about The Brownstone.
I appreciate the history & culture lesson. One thing I noticed that there was no discussion about the density of the areas with these brownstones, which are often in the mid rise, high-er density categories than the traditional sing family house.
Since this video was more about the material and history rather than design, interior layout or other livability attributes (aside from poor durability & efficiency), it’s hard to draw a conclusion. My own biases says that smaller, affordable buildings for locals is better than high density, massive structures that only corporations can build & own. Allowing an iterative growth of density would be a decent compromise, where a modern multi family building of 5-7 floors could replace two brownstones while keeping some proportion & scale of the context of the area, allowing local independent developers and operators to be part of the neighborhood.
❤Brooklyn Heights & Cobble Hill Is Magnificent
It's Medina Sandstone. A lot of it came from Western New York and was carried by canal boat on the Erie Canal and down the Hudson River to NYC.
One of the biggest problems with replacing ANY of the brownstones with high-density housing is in the example you showed. It's hideous.
There are many historical examples of high-density housing which is beautiful and/or charming, but that's not what will get built. Until that's addressed no one will champion replacing brownstones.
Very interesting. The only thing is, when a photo appears on the screen, the sound of the photo appearing is very loud and annoying 😉
gracias.
I loved the transparency; I, too, live in Clinton Hill and am part of the problem. LOL
Good video.
9:29 it’s very simple. Build beautiful again! All these modernist eyesores are ruining the charm and character of what made NYC so unique. Why should only rich people in beautiful neighborhoods with traditional styles of architecture while us regulars have to settle for glorified commie blocks?
My dream is to buy a brownstone!!😍
build more brownstones
and art deco building too
I have seen brownstones in various places, the South End of Boston, the upper west side, and parts of DC. I'm surprised to learn I agree with Edith Warton. These buildings are dark and dreary, and the zero lot line construction has to be a light challenge in the interior soace eben with the large windows.
I went to Pratt
Enjoyed Your Presentation. 💚 Grmn Mnrty in Grmny.
Those buildings are beautiful but the prices are simply insane.
Writing from rural Uruguay.
Replacing the brownstones will not save the world nor will it save New York or that neighborhood- however preservation and celebration of that area will save that neighborhood and it will help preserve New York - and with this mindset- it will help with providing a demonstrated strategy for housing that does work
I think they could do historical recreations, salvage and reuse materials. And make these building more efficient. If need more housing make sure the any new building maintains the characteristics, especially the exterior architecture, reuse as much possible. History isn't just the past, it's a living history.
You can put a dishwasher and washer/dryer in ANYTHING, including an RV. Who told you the lie that Brownstones lack appliances?
Brownstones are unique lookin' & probably even relaxed, tbqh.
Good video. I grew up in B’klyn, nothin else is like those old brownstowns. I just wish you hadn’t used the word “iconic”.
Dude, you need to stop. Brownstones Do Not equal wealth and sophistication, nor are they mostly 1-2 family homes, nor are they unique to Brooklyn.
There are also plenty of Brownstones in Harlem, many are 4 family, and some are even SRO's where you just rent a room and share the kitchen and bathroom with strangers. Others are empty, boarded up, or occupied by squatters and (otherwise) homeless people.
A one family Brownstone in a good neighbor isn't cheap, and they do fit the image you're describing, but there's s whole variety.
Sadly brownstones and historic preservation are also what make NYC so expensive.
Biggie even called it "The Hill".
I have a crush on this guy ❤
Wish I could own one in my lifetime I was born to late 😢 maybe ill get rich in the future
If I had the money and lived in Manhattan, I'd demolish three old townhouses and build a mansion that resembled the Gilded Age mansions right across from Central Park.
I haven't been inside a brownstone in over 30 years. I never understood the inside. It's like a maze.
It used to be 50,000 individual, but now many have had adjoining walls pierced, and units combined. Gentrification has replaced working class tenancies. Poor people cannot afford to live in New York.
Trautschold strikes again
Cute and smart ❤
Brownstones look beautiful
Modern buildings = UGLY
I love brownstones in Harlem and Brooklyn…but when you were priced out of Manhattan gentrification began in Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights and Clinton Hill…pushed brown people out…won’t say anything negative…
Preserve your historic architecture! Once it is gone it is gone forever... and modern architecture is garbage.
They are beautiful but if I ever got my hands on one that was crumbling, I would try to modernize it OUTSIDE and IN! It's a waste of money to keep "preserving" a crumbling building that 3 or 4 families could move into right away and pay rent.
Brownstones are interesting and unique, today housing is so generic and boring, it has ZERO character unlike brownstones or otherwise.
That clicking sound is annoying! in what's supposed to be an informative video. Clicked out at 2:39 mark sorry babe
Repping book club I see
Omg!!!! This man is beyond stunning!!! I want to put my face next to the arch of his foot!!!!
I would only add that Brooklyn History is the early history of this country. Stoop is a dutch word reflecting the layers of immigrants to the USA, even before it was the USA. To edit this rich history is to edit American history... leave the brownstone intact, leave the neighborhoods in tack.
Dutch New Amsterdam 1624-1664 later British New York then the 1880s Gilded Age when New York City was build by German and Italian immigrants who build these Brownstones.
Are you Dutch ?
While *stoop* is a Dutch word meaning staircase whelter one step or more the present day Dutchies would say it's sidewalk or pavement.
hopefully they won't do what happened here in Ireland, we had some of the best preserved Georgian citiscape in europe all built by Irish craftsmen but some of it had been allowed to become slumlord property
eventually the need for proper affordable housing became undeniable - bonus Dublin got lots of healthy, modern Irish Free State Moderne(Irish Art Deco) housing by architect Herbert Simms
Jojo Lorenzo!!!!!!❤🎉
Nero Wolfe!
How come you're not shirtless in this?
Preserve the brownstones, build pencil towers on top of them. Win win!
yep especially art deco tower
Damn all the clicking noise 😢🥹🥹😫😫😫😕😕😕😕
Part 2: 100 years from now, Projects are highly sought after. Once poor and broken down demand a high monthly rent of $25,000!
i'm not from us but if i have the money, i will build brownstones as there are no such thing here.
Does anyone else find that clicking noise between the pictures unnecessary and annoying? Just me?
I live in a BedStuy brownstone. It’s beautiful but definitely has its flaws.
You know how old the stone is? Really? Like you were there when it was dug up? Cool! 😮😅
Conclusion is totally misguided. Brownstone neighborhoods are some of the densest in the city. Look to Queens and areas south of brownstone brooklyn for density gains. We do not need to destroy the fabric of the city.
To the narrator: But are you really a New Yorker? Where were you born? Where did you grow up?
There was no internet. Builders back then had PRIDE in their craft and took the time to build them right bc they valued things that LASTED. Noways everything is disposable and cheaply constructed. Such a shame, so much WASTE
This video is like a game of 3 Truths And A Lie 😂😂😂😂
Why the clicking noise as if using a remote to change pictures. Really bad production choice for an otherwise excellent video. Seriously distracting and very much ruined my experience of this work.
Why can’t they turn the brown stones into affordable housing??! Remodel them and have affordable living co-ops between 2-3 families.
the Brownstones are here to stay but not the people. The endless regulation-with a new one devised each week- will drive out the people who cannot afford to make the changes; that is to say, the working class people who have occupied these homes for generations.
These are not problems. NYC Gov needs to leave brownstones alone. If they are in historic districts, don't touch them. These brownstones went from rich to poor people and back to rich people. I see no problem with that. The rich were displaced by poor people. And now the poor people are displaced by rich people. It's a market cycle. I don't see why the City Gov should forcibly take down single family homes that give character to a neighborhood and put up huge low-income apartment buildings and overpopulate an area. This is what happened in the 50s and 60s and those apartment buildings and inhabitants destroyed neighborhoods throughout the city. From upper Manhattan to Brooklyn to the Bronx. This was evident in the 70s and 80s when NYC was rocked with crime and quality of life issues.
You are seeing something similar today on a smaller scale with the influx of illegal immigrants and NYC taking over housing to house them. These areas are experiencing high crime and quality of life issues.
The rich weren't displaced. They left because the city during that time was bankrupt opportunities where drying up and they moved to the suburbs. They had the ability to do that while everybody else had to deal with it and the blight that came. I agree that you shouldn't tear them down though. But acting like people with money are the victims of anything especially when during the time period you speak of urban renwal was the governments idea of revitalizing "underdeveloped" areas that ended up displacing those people into those ugly apartment buildings you speak of. Then the rich left and you got the 70s 80s and early 90s nyc.
Tartaria
keep the facades but renovate the interiors to modern taste, that's my answer!
I’d like to continue to watch this but can’t tolerate all that clicking!
Keep the first floors as a regular brownstone and build apartment buildings on top of
BS, we do not need to destroy history for more housing in the city. We need more jobs in the suburbs.
We can build a strip mall with a thousand car parking lot, but not an office park???? BS