Brownstone Magic: Talking Townhouses with Brooklyn Agent Monica Breese

By Grace Cassidy Townhouse. Rowhouse. Brownstone. These architectural terms are often used interchangeably, but the buildings they describe are not exactly one and the same. As with visual elements of architecture and design, there’s a hierarchy at work, with townhouse at the top. A townhouse is a multi-story home that shares at least one wall with an adjacent home and has its own entrance. When these townhouses are in a similar and consistent style with the neighboring townhouses, they earn the right to be known as rowhouses. But only townhouses and rowhouses with a façade made from a specific type of sandstone may be called brownstones. So, to sum up: all brownstones and rowhouses are townhouses. But not all townhouses and rowhouses are brownstones. Upper West Side (Photo: Steve StrangUnsplash) And according to Douglas Elliman agent Monica Breese , all brownstones come from stone that isn’t brown. “The brownstone is actually pink when it’s first cut,” she said. In addition to representing homes as an agent, Breese also renovates townhouses, many of which are brownstones—and many of which are in Brooklyn. “I think it’s safe to say that when you think of Brooklyn, you are picturing a row of brownstones,” Breese said. Park Slope (Photo: Josh Wilburne, Unsplash) Brownstones became popular in the 1840s, during the building boom in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Built largely with sandstone from quarries in Connecticut’s Hartford Basin known as Portland Brownstone, New York brownstones offered a more economic architectural alternative to more costly limestone and granite structures. But their enduring charm and quintessential New York appeal goes beyond their iconic façades. “They have beautiful details,” Breese said. “Unique door hinges, knobs, mantels and stained-glass windows. They really have a magical look and feel.” As a specialist in gut renovations of historic residences, Breese strives to preserve these original characteristics alongside the updates and modern touches. Her renovation of a Queen Anne townhouse at 466 Greene Ave ., in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, exemplifies this approach. But she cautions aspiring townhouse rehabbers to be prepared for the idiosyncrasies of brownstones. Harlem (Photo: Rachel MartinUnsplash) “If you are restoring a brownstone, there are many things that you need to consider,” she said. “From the millwork and the façade to the plumbing and the electrical. Restoring the details can be very costly and finding missing pieces like the gargoyles that were once part of the decoration on the exterior steps can be very challenging.” And because many of these homes may have been built before 1900, finding a certificate of occupancy could range from difficult to impossible. But that’s all part of what makes this particular species of townhouse so precious. “Brooklyn brownstones have been woven into the fabric of the borough,” Breese said. “They create the memory and nostalgia of what Brooklyn truly is.” Explore your next move in Brooklyn.