Learning Places Spring 2016 SITE REPORT Vinegar Hill

Transcription

1 Learning Places Spring 2016 SITE REPORT Vinegar Hill Abigail Everhart INTRODUCTION On April 6th our class visited the historical site of Vinegar Hill for the 3rd time. While we already knew the area well we took a different approach this time. Diving into the specifics on this trip helped us better understand the significance of the different structures of the buildings and roads.

2 PRE-VISIT REFLECTION While we have visited this area many times before I am excited to see what our Professors have in store for us. I m hoping to have more time to sketch, even though I am horrible at it, to allow myself to gain more skills. We have studied the different building structures and roadways so I m interested in learning what this trip will teach us. SITE DOCUMENTATION (photos/sketches) While this picture doesn t show much of the Vinegar Hill area, it shows our class working very hard to sketch the area in which Professor Montgomery and Professor Almeida chose. In the background you are able to see the types of buildings this area possesses as well as the industrial aspect. You can see that this area is both residential as well as commercial.

3 This is a picture of a building on Gold street. It also is the building we were asked to sketch. We can tell that it is used for both commercial and residential purposes. Connected to this building are 4 identical buildings. We discussed that this is probably because when it was sold, whoever bought it bought the entire lot and decided to connect all the buildings together making them look the same. There are many similar buildings that we believe took the same approach. While my artistic skills are subpar, this is a sketch of the building above on Gold street. It was difficult for me to portray the correct dimensions as well as texture of the building but I believe it still comes across as the same building! The only difference between this building and the ones it is connected to is that at the bottom of this there is some sort of store or office. The other buildings that are attached seem to be mainly residential due to the stoops that they possess.

4 This picture on the left is of the building that we first sketched as a group. It is located on Hudson Street in Vinegar Hill. It is the shortest of the buildings we focused on during our trip and seems to have a more obvious storefront. We tried focusing on the details of the building and compared it to the ones surrounding it. It may have been owned by the same owner as the building to its left. I m not completely convinced it was owned by the same person as the building to its right due to the difference in height. The picture on the right is my attempt at sketching the picture above on Hudson Street. I tried focusing on the detail of this building and the different artistic elements including the design on the moldings at the very top. I found the color interesting as well and was wondering if it had since been retouched and painted.

5 This picture is of the last building we sketched. We focused on the area with the white trim on the windows. As you can see it is obviously a very nice building, most definitely a residential due to the stoop and multiple stories. This building I believe shows the Greek Revival aspect of the neighborhood well. As you can see in this picture at the very top of the front door it has what is called a pediment. While it is not as extravagant as most Greek Revival architecture it still possesses that aspect of it. This is my sketch of the building above. While it is again not the greatest sketch I tried to emphasize the capitol above the door. I added the downstairs windows as well and tried to show the amount of small sections that each window has. What I failed to show on my sketches is

6 the kind of brick work each building has. This particular bond is called the stretching bond. This is a picture of a home in Vinegar Hill. I took this picture to show the detail on the front door. It is very unique and has what is called a capital at the very top of the door. I also love the two different colors of blue against the red brick as well as the the design of the railing. QUALITATIVE SITE OBSERVATIONS 1. Neighborhood / Street Character a. Residential b. Cobblestone streets c. Apartments on top of businesses d. Greek Revival architecture 2. Vitality of Neighborhood a. General Description i. Quiet, quaint, secluded b. Pedestrian Activity

7 i. Little activity ii. Occasional person coming out of apartment or store c. Vehicular Traffic i. Occasional vehicle ii. Trucks for delivery 3. Age of Buildings (provide evidence for prediction) a. Greek Revival i. Pediments ii. Capitals 4. Relationship Between Buildings a. Close together b. Similar buildings next to each other i. Shows bought together same architect 5. Building Details a. Many contain different brick types (flemish, common and running) b. Wood siding c. Modern buildings farther south of Navy Yards d. Pediments and Capitals 6. Relationship to the Waterfront a. Walking distance to waterfront b. Brooklyn Bridge park extremely accessible 7. Other Observations a. Atmosphere seems unlike NYC/Brooklyn b. Has a mix of old and new characteristics QUANTITATIVE DATA for Area of Study Subject Street Names Street Width Data Hudson, Plymouth, Sands, York, Gold, Harrison Aly, Evans, Water Approximately 30 feet

8 Street Pavement Asphalt, Cobblestone Building Heights Building Widths (Window Bays) Building Types/Uses Empty Lots / Gardens Shops / Restaurants Short, unlike usual NYC buildings Usually 3 window length Residential, Some businesses Pop-up playgrounds near schools, occasional backyards/front yards Some restaurants, some retail Industrial Shops Next to Navy Yard, Boorum & Pease Company QUESTIONS to Research Further QUESTIONS: 1. When did the Greek Revival theme begin? 2. How were lots bought? 3. Why was Greek Revival so prominent in Vinegar Hill? RESEARCH METHOD/SOURCE FOR EACH QUESTION ABOVE: 1. When did the Greek Revival theme begin? a. Public archives b. See where architects were originally from c. ny.com/1998/04/vinegar hill brooklyn/ 2. How were lots bought?

9 a. Public archives see how much went for b. Auction 3. Why was Greek Revival so prominent in Vinegar Hill? a. Kings County census b. SUMMARY / POST VISIT REFLECTION This trip was definitely the most informative. I learned a lot about the greek revival era and how it impacted the development of Brooklyn, specifically Vinegar Hill. I like that on this trip we focused more on the similarities and differences between the buildings and how the Greek Revival characteristics impacted the neighborhood.