Rowhouse in Prospect Heights, c. 1890s
In this series, local architect and brownstone expert, Brendan Coburn, offers an in-depth look at everything you need to know about historic New York City rowhouses. Here we have a summary of a best case scenario renovation.
Front facade of Prospect Heights brownstone. Image credit, Rachael Stollar.
This is almost a perfect illustration of how building practices progressed over time and exemplifies the positive effects of proper long-term care. One of a row by the architect William Reynolds, the structure had very few framing problems, and the brick work – even on its South-facing garden façade – was in great condition. No waterproof coatings had been applied and it had definitely been re-pointed at least once before. That said, in some locations, minor mortar degradation was evident. As a result, the owner decided to go ahead and re-point the entire rear façade, at about $20K.
The only real structural issue we faced was a cast iron beam dividing the main house from a rear extension. Although its condition showed no signs of corrosion or cracking, our structural engineer determined that it was undersized. Additionally it was sitting on a brick pier that had fractured due to overloading. Our solution was to simply insert a new steel column next to the brick pier. Not only did this take the load off of the brick pier, but it also shortened the span of the iron beam, bringing the load on the beam back into an acceptable margin of error.
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