THE “SPITE WALL” OF CALDERVILLE (1919)
******************************************************************************************************************************** Brownstone Detectives investigates the history of our clients’ homes. The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations. Do you know the history of YOUR house? ******************************************************************************************************************************** We have all heard of the “spite house.” It is a type of building – constructed on an impossibly small piece of land – existing for a single purpose. That purpose? Spite. In 1919, Marcus Siegelman produced a variation on this theme. He built a spite “wall.” BAD WALLS MAKE BAD NEIGHBORS Sitting in his backyard one day, Siegelman watched as two holes began to appear through the brick wall at the end of his yard. That brick wall was the side of his neighbor’s house, and those holes were about 15 feet up from ground level. Small at first, they eventually grew to the shapes of a couple of large rectangles. Siegelman immediately had his suspicions, but he waited to see what would happen. Slowly, after they were made perfectly squared, into the new openings were installed a couple of sash windows. Siegelman, who lived at No. 1627 10th Avenue in what was known at the time as Calderville (but is referred to today as Windsor Terrace), was now suddenly at war with his neighbor, E. L. Morris, a former policeman who lived at No. 192 Windsor Place (the house behind his with the new windows). For Morris now had a perfect view into Siegelman’s backyard – and his home. […]
