No. 295 Stratford Road – built on Flatbush farm land belonging to such old Dutch families as Rapaljie, Remsen. Polhemus, Hendrickse, Schoonmakers, Vanderveer, Bergen, and Lott, this Victorian detached wood-frame home was designed by architect Thomas Bennett and constructed by developer Stephen C. Halstead. In our research, we discovered the original architectural drawings which shed light on the initial layout of the property. Built in 1900-01, the house would go on to be owned by just three families within its first century. In addition to original photographs of members of the first two families, we discovered the “Red Book” of the housewife of the first family, which, maintained at the Center for Brooklyn History, tracked the finances of the household, allowing the family to track income and expenditures. We also identified a descendant of the second owner of the property who shared information and pictures for our book. The result of our investigation into No. 295 Stratford Road was a 70-page House History Book which told the story of this property’s land as well as its 118-year-old structure.
