98 South Oxford Street, Fort Greene, Brooklyn
98 South Oxford Street, Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Before the work, the home had a dreary facade, but after, it features lovely details.The Historic Properties Fund helps improves facades of historic homes, like 98 South Oxford in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Built circa 1850 in the transitional Greek Revival/Italianate style, it sits on an eclectic block dominated by brownstone structures and is a contributing building to the Fort Greene National Register Historic District, just outside the boundaries of the City-designated historic district in Fort Greene. Unlike properties in City-designated historic districts, changes to buildings in National Register historic districts are not publicly regulated unless state or federal financing is involved, so the owners weren’t legally bound to historic preservation objectives.
With a $130,000 loan from the Historic Properties Fund and a strong desire to restore their property appropriately, the owners chose new cedar clapboards over aluminum siding, along with a restored cornice and repaired roof and drainage systems. The restoration also included new windows and frames, porch structure, Corinthian columns, railings, balusters, floor and ceiling boards, and stairs—all wooden. Even the sidewalk is new! This work inspired the next-door neighbors to restore their building as well.
