WATCHING THE (HOUSE) DETECTIVES…
Have you ever wondered about the people who once lived in your house? Where did they sleep? How did they dress? Were they bankers, doctors, carpenters, engineers…? What were the hopes that encouraged them to go on and the secrets that kept them awake at night? Well, if you live at 738 Macon Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn – which is a decidedly very low probability – then you are privy to the answers to these questions. And more. Brownstone Detectives, an historical investigation team, published 738 Macon Street: The Story of a House, a 170-page full color coffee table book laying out the history of the brownstone house at that address. Published in 2014, it was their first book of many others to follow. Since then, they have gone on to publish more than 50 others for homeowners in Brooklyn and Manhattan. And they plan to expand soon to the remaining boroughs and eventually to the tri-state region. Their first book – like the many that have come after it – spanned the ownership of the house for many generations, including the ownership of the land that the house was built on back to the time of the original Dutch settlers. The story is revealed in a manner that seamlessly weaves the individual owners’ stories into one continuous and flowing narrative. Rich, colorful pictures, ancestral documents, newspaper clippings, and architectural records fill the almost 200-page hardbound document. FALLING INTO HISTORY… Brian Hartig, the chief Brownstone Detective, fell […]
BROWNSTONE DETECTIVES & SORDID HISTORY!
This week, the Brownstone Detectives were featured in an article in Brick Underground, entitled “Curious About Your Townhouse’s (maybe sordid) History? Call in a Detective!” For the story, Brian Hartig, lead historian for Brownstone Detectives, was interviewed as he discussed some of the more interesting (and strange) stories he’s uncovered while researching clients’s Brooklyn homes. From the first woman executed in an electric chair in the U.S. (she lived on Hancock Street), to the story about Brooklyn’s very own Boy Arsonist (who lived in Williamsburg and was known as the Boy Firebug), to one of Stuyvesant Heights’s baseball Hall of Famers (on Gates Avenue) – the stories are endless. As an “extra,” the Brick Underground article also features some exclusive Brownstone Detectives tips on how to go about doing research on your own home, revealing some of our most guarded sleuthing techniques!!! 😉 Follow @BrownstoneDetec ———————————————————————————————————————– The Brownstone Detectives The story you have just read was composed from extensive historical research conducted by The Brownstone Detectives. We perform in-depth investigations on the historic homes of our clients, and produce for them their very own House History Books. Our hardbound books contain an illustrated and colorful narrative timeline that will bring the history of any house to life. Contact us today to begin discovering the history of your home.
WHERE WAS THIS PICTURE TAKEN? (1924)
Calling all junior Brownstone Detectives! Today we have a mystery for you to solve! We invite you to come along with us as we grapple with another enigma – discerning the exact source and location of a common celluloid snapshot! EXAMINING THE EVIDENCE Have you ever come across an old family photograph and wondered when and where it was taken? You study the dog-eared snapshot and a few things immediately stand out: • A woman leans against an iron fence. • Behind her is a distinct-looking row of buildings. • A streetcar whizzes by in the background. Not much to go on, you decide, and so you think, “There must be thousands of places where this could have been taken!” And there are. But there are also many ways of whittling that list of places down and possibly even finding the exact spot where your family member (and the photographer) stood when that picture was taken. And all it really takes is a little deductive reasoning, my dear Watson! So, put on your junior Brownstone Detectives caps, set your brains to “quizzical,” and let’s go on an adventure together – through Brooklyn of the “Roaring ’20s”! ANALYZING THE CLUES First of all, we must analyze the clues we’ve listed above. Since this is a family member, we already have some background information about the woman in the picture. The woman is your great-grandmother, Sarah Bilson, and she was married to Harris Bilson. They had two kids, one of which was […]
GIVE THE GIFT OF BROOKLYN HISTORY…
We’ve all been there. Each holiday season, you have that one friend or family member on your list who challenges your abilities to find the perfect gift for them. They defy description. They have eclectic tastes. They don’t fit squarely into any box or category. In short – they’re very difficult to shop for. Well, if that person has an historic bent and lives in an historic Brooklyn home, then let the Brownstone Detectives help you this holiday season. We’ll build them a: BROWNSTONE DETECTIVESHOUSE HISTORY BOOK WHAT IS A HOUSE HISTORY BOOK? Our House History Books are home-grown bespoke Brooklyn creations, each telling the complete story of a single historic house or property. To build one, we perform original research on every aspect of a property and its former owners/residents, starting with the original land owners (the arrival of the Dutch) and ending with the current owners of the land and structure (your friend or family member). Then, we get to work on writing your book. WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR HOUSE HISTORY BOOK? • Colorful stories (Did intimate friends of Abraham Lincoln really own your house?), • Richly detailed maps (How did your neighborhood look when your house was built?), • Architectural drawings (Was that addition on the back of your house original?), • Photographs (What did your house look like on the inside in the 1950s?), • Interviews with former owners/residents (What stories are hidden within your home’s past?) • A well-researched, documented, and attributed 50-150 page narrative, […]
BROWNSTONE DETECTIVES IN THE “VOICE”
The Village Voice – the oldest and largest newspaper of its kind in the United States – recently wrote an excellent feature news story on Brownstone Detectives. Entitled THIS GUY WROTE A BOOK ABOUT HIS BROWNSTONE AND WANTS TO DO THE SAME FOR YOU, the article spotlights our latest book, “738 Macon Street: The Story of a House,” and zeroes in on the House History Books we write. Describing Brownstone Detectives as “a thriving research service that helps Brooklyn residents uncover the forgotten legacies of their adopted homes,” the article does a great job of detailing the work we do investigating and writing about Brooklyn’s history – one house at a time. To have the history of YOUR house investigated, CONTACT US today ! Follow @BrownstoneDetec ———————————————————————————————————————– The Brownstone Detectives The story you just read was composed from historical research performed by The Brownstone Detectives. Allow us to do an in-depth investigation of your house and its former owners and produce your very own House History Book. Your hardbound coffee table book will include an illustrated and colorful narrative timeline that will bring the history of your house to life. Contact us today.
