Why this Blog Exists

To make the case for expanding the Park Slope Historic District

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Brick-faced Neo-Grec

The Neo-Grec style emerged in the 1870s-1880s as a reaction to the earlier Italianate style. Whereas the Italianate style was characterized by more naturalistic forms such as the rounded, cave-like entrance, the Neo-Grec style reverted to the square doorway that had characterized the even earlier Greek Revival style. The naturalistic, plant-like carving on the brackets supporting the Italianate door hood gave way to machine-made, geometric incisions around the Neo-Grec doorway and windows. Another Neo-Grec innovation was the full-height, two-sided projecting bay, which allowed larger windows to bring more light into the interior. The Neo-Grec houses below, in Berkeley Place between 6th & 7th Avenues in the Park Slope Historic district, are brick with brownstone trim and were begun in 1886.


158-156-154 Berkeley Place - Park Slope Historic District

Neo-Grec houses are very common all over Park Slope. The row below is nearly identical to the row above and stands in Garfield Place, between 6th & 7th Avenues, outside the current historic district:

165-167-169 Garfield Place - unprotected

Below is another example of the common brick-with-brownstone-trim neo-Grec style in Park Slope. These are from 7th Street between 6th & 7th Avenues. Like the houses above, the ones below exhibit a distinctive fan-shaped detail at the upper corners of the windows:

420-418-416 7th Street - unprotected

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