THE PAINTED LADY OF SACKETT STREET (1958)
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?
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Houses as old as the historic brownstones of New York City have had a lot of time to experience change – change of ownership, change of status, as well as physical change.
Much of that change often occurs on the inside of these buildings as their occupancy type changes. The most prevalent change of this type that occurs over time is the change of a property from a single family house to a mutiple dwelling or boarding house.
Just outside the Cobble Hill Historic District, sits a much-altered brownstone on Sackett Street between Court and Clinton Streets, No. 275. Constructed pre-1855 as a one-family house it would experience many change over the years.
Its original address was No. 160. Its original owner appears to have been William H Perry, a stock broker on Wall Street. By the 1860s, the Forsyth family lived in the Sackett Street rowhouse. Orlando Forsyth was a jeweler who, in the 1840s, had had a showroom on Fulton Street at No. 99.
The house would begin taking boarders in the 1870s, continuing at least through most of the 20th century.
THE LADY GETS A FACELIFT
At face, however, the physical changes of No. 275 seem to be the most striking. While, in its original state, it resembled its partner, No. 277, next door, it began its change somewhere near the beginning of the 1900s. Around that time it lost its cornice and – much like it other neighbor at No. 273, a stable – was modified.
The property’s ca. 1940 tax photograph showed the altered facade; by this time, the stable next door had become a door & sash company.
In 1965, the owner, Joseph Teresa, was featured in the Brooklyn World-Telegraph in a story about owners who were modernizing their brownstones.
About 10 years before, he had painted his house himself. He “put red and white paint over the architectural detail as well as the bricks, creating an eye-stopping collection of geometrical patterns.
The new facade not only caught the attention of his neighbors, it proved popular outside of the neighborhood, as well.
“It was a way of passing the time,” he explained, with becoming pride. “While I was painting it I thought I might as well do it with a design. Before I was through I had 14 designs. I think it is beautiful.”
In 1967, Teresa conveyed the property to Tommaso & Lorenza Pizzuto who held it through 1979, at which point they conveyed it to Toby Stark and Trudy Crisafulli.
By the 1980s, the color splashes had been painted over, possibly with a painted stucco, and a door with window panes added.
Stark and Crisafulli around this time conveyed the property to Bernard & Judith Kaminker.
By the second decade of the 21st century, the stucco and paint had been removed, the facade altered near the roof, and the brick contruction revealed again.
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Brownstone Detectives is an historic property research agency. Our mission is to document and save the histories of our clients’ homes. From our research, we produce our celebrated House History Books and House History Reports. Contact us today to begin discovering the history of your home.
