Old New York

Old New York, 1929

The rising cost of property in Manhattan during the 1840s and 1850s caused developers to modify the design of the traditional Federal or Greek Revival row houses. They created a style of building for almost all private houses called brownstones, after the facades of sandstone imported from nearby New Jersey -- stone which would turn a dark brown color after exposure to the elements.

In the 1930s hundreds of these buildings were demolished for the contruction of office space, and their very existence was threatened. Today, ownership of a "brownstone" is considered a mark of affluence; a far cry from the 19th century reaction to the design as being cramped and disorganized.