Sunday, March 15, 2009

Bricks and Brownstone

A bit of background...

Since I was young I always knew I wanted to own an old rowhouse. Long before I could even think of getting a house I went to The Strand bookstore in NYC and purchased the definitive rowhouse bible
Bricks and Brownstone: The New York Rowhouse 1783-1929 by Charles Lockwood. Some of you may have seen Charles Lockwood's appearance on This Old House's Brooklyn Brownstone Project. This book put me over the edge. I poured over every page, every word, every photo. For me it's the ultimate in real estate porn. Droolworthy. So, if old homes and particularly brick, brownstone or limestone townhouses tickle your fancy do yourself a favor and go get this book.

Thanks Mr. Lockwood!

2 comments:

chateaudelu said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog! I have a great rowhouse manual from the Nat'l Trust for Historic Preservation in my hometown of Philadelphia. Shoot me an email and I'll send you a PDF version, you'll love it.

Mrs. Limestone said...

I have this book too (two copies actually since one was a gift to me). Its a great book although I still can't figure out what architectural style my house is. :)

A ton of the photos and the houses he refers to are in my area so thats a big bonus too.