The residential structures in New York depict the tale of the city's illustrious past. 2. BROWNSTONES: These structures are appropriately titled since they were constructed in the preceding century out of brown sandstone. They are well-built and remain popular because they are reminiscent of the past.
There are three main types of Brownstones: Five-story walk-ups with no basement, five stories high; seven-story walk-ups with one floor underground; and nine-story apartment buildings with basement levels. There are also a few ten-story buildings but they are rare.
Brownstones range from about 400 square feet (37 m2) to more than 5,000 square feet (460 m2). A few larger buildings have been known to be built with multiple units on each floor as well as multiple floors inside the building. But most people will say that a Brownstone is a single-family home.
There are many streets in New York City that are named after British royalty or nobility. One such street is called "Brownstone Street." It is located in Brooklyn and it is only one block long. The house numbers start at 498 and go up sequentially. So, number 500-503 are located on this street as well.
These structures were very popular between 1820 and 1890.
Many homes in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, for example, are made of brick but have concrete masonry veneer to seem like true stone. In the outlying boroughs, there are also several brick townhouses with brownstone-built stoops. These are often found on streets that were developed before city laws required house fronts to be set back from the sidewalk, so they provide a view from the street of the interior yards.
The most famous brownstone building in New York is No. 13 Gramercy Park, which is estimated to be between 1820 and 1825. It is three stories high and has 36 windows and nine doors opening onto the brownstone stoop. Inside are six rooms over two floors, with ceilings heightening up to 9 feet. The property was sold by Henry Brevoort to Thomas Addis Emmet as a wedding present in 1835. After Emmet's death, the house was willed to his daughter, who married a wealthy man named John Jacob Astor III. They lived there until their deaths 10 years apart. The last private owner was an insurance company executive who had it painted white inside and out. He died in 1919 at age 65. Since then, No. 13 has been used as a community center and art gallery.
Brownstones are formed when layers of hard rock (such as shale or limestone) are exposed to heat and pressure over time.
Lower Manhattan was greatly extended by landfill, and now tourists may learn about much of New York City's early history by visiting these Lower Manhattan sites. During the construction of a new federal office building in 1991, the buried bones of around 400 Africans from the city's colonial past were discovered here. The remains dated back to 1677, when the first slave trade license was issued by the colony of New York.
Some of the oldest buildings in America are located in Lower Manhattan. A few of them remain today: the First Presbyterian Church, built in 1735; the Second Presbyterian Church, built in 1872; and the Fifth Avenue Methodist Church, built in 1892. These churches show the growing importance of education in New York after its state constitution was revised in 1777 to guarantee religious freedom.
The site where the World Trade Center stood before it collapsed in September 2001 is covered with construction debris. But inside this rubble are evidence of what went on above ground during the last days of the towers. Rescue workers found documents, phones, computers, and files that provide insight into how people planned for their deaths in the event of an airplane crash.
Also in 2001, archaeologists made a surprising discovery while excavating part of the site of the former United States Mint. They found a cannon ball that had been shot from the deck of the USS Constitution, the largest ship in the American navy.
In many ways, Queensbridge's structures are identical to other government-built housing developments of the time. They're a weathered grayish brown that's showing signs of disintegration and weathering. The brick used for construction was imported from Germany and Austria and has a high lime content which makes it hardy against heat and humidity. The townhouse style buildings feature three floors with an attic space above and usually include one or two bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms. There's also a small front yard and a larger back yard with a garage.
These houses were designed by different architects who each had their own unique vision for what a house should look like. Most were inspired by the English country cottage style but some included such innovations as electric lights and heating systems. No two houses are exactly the same because they are custom built to meet the needs of its owners.
After World War II, millions of Americans moved into the suburbs. Many of these new households needed affordable housing so developers turned to existing towns and cities where there was a shortage of homes. This is why you'll often find large numbers of apartment buildings in Queensbridge even though it's classified as a town.
The suburban lifestyle offered people the opportunity to have their own yards and leave their office jobs behind them every day.
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