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Throughout colonial America, the rowhouse was seen as the "proper" way to build a sturdy city house (since it was how British cities were constructed). By the 1870s this style of housing fell out of favor in New England and the South (and never much caught on in the Midwest and West). By the 1920s, as I said, it basically had fallen out of favor everywhere but Philadelphia and Baltimore.
NYC has some post post-1920 row houses. Here's some in Queens. These may be postwar:
But maybe today the modern Townhouse is the reincarnation.
True, but for most Americans, referring to the 19th century grand houses as "townhouses" is confusing. Whereas nearly everyone gets the right mental picture when you say rowhouse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nei
NYC has some post post-1920 row houses. Here's some in Queens. These may be postwar:
I was referring more to the phase where they stopped being the dominant form of architecture. Here in Pittsburgh, it mostly stopped by 1910, but we have somedistinctivelaterstyles as well.
New York City might be unique in that the row houses got phased out in favor of denser architecture (apartment buildings) becoming dominant. I suspect many were lost, especially in Manhattan.
New York City might be unique in that the row houses got phased out in favor of denser architecture (apartment buildings) becoming dominant. I suspect many were lost, especially in Manhattan.
While I can definitely see that being the case in Manhattan, it does seem that Brooklyn (and perhaps Queens) is still dominated by single-family, attached housing.
While I can definitely see that being the case in Manhattan, it does seem that Brooklyn (and perhaps Queens) is still dominated by single-family, attached housing.
I was thinking of Manhattan, but much of the West Bronx is similar. Some sections of Brooklyn and Queens have lots of big apartment buildings, but you're probably right the dominant housing stock is attached. Maybe not single-family attached, because stuff like this:
isn't mostly not single family, but two family. Most of the rowhouses are subdivided. Often, the bottom two floors are one unit, top two units another. These would have been more common in Manhattan if housing demand weren't so high.
Census is down, otherwise could give exact figures.
In Britain, townhouse meant a big city house owned by the aristocracy (as opposed to their country house), while the term "terraced house" was used for other attached buildings. In the U.S. context modern "townhouse" development has sort of made the term useless for its original meaning, so I consider calling everything (even big ones like this) rowhouses.
That's fair. I will sometimes use the term "townhouse" for those that were built by rich people to be their city houses, akin to the original meaning. I'm specifically referring to the type on Embassy Row. I think the current use of townhouse to refer to rowhouse is simply an attempt to make them seem fancy and thus sell them. As I kid, I called them rowhouses and nothing else.
Sometimes people call the big townhouses "brownstones" even here in DC, but that's a specific type of material, so it shouldn't be abused. I've been told DC has a few brownstones, but they're pretty rare.
I live in a second-story walk-up in an attached building. I don't think I can call it a row house since I'm not convinced it was ever a single-family home (or anything but an apartment building). It was more likely a crappy building churned out to house the residents of Shaw. However, some of the houses on this block (attached) are homes. I also have friends who live in townhouses converted to apartments like you see in New York. It definitely confuses me, but they're nice homes.
Sometimes people call the big townhouses "brownstones" even here in DC, but that's a specific type of material, so it shouldn't be abused. I've been told DC has a few brownstones, but they're pretty rare. .
I agree, it does irk me a bit when people misuse the term "brownstone," and it tends to be real estate agents, since it has a luxurious connotation. Not that DC doesn't have a lot of spectacular brick townhouses, but they definitely aren't brownstones.
The only cities where you'll see actual neighborhoods of extensive brownstone architecture are Boston, New York (especially) and Philadelphia. There are also some brownstones neighborhoods in Northern New Jersey, such as in Hoboken and Jersey City.
I agree, it does irk me a bit when people misuse the term "brownstone," and it tends to be real estate agents, since it has a luxurious connotation. Not that DC doesn't have a lot of spectacular brick townhouses, but they definitely aren't brownstones.
The only cities where you'll see actual neighborhoods of extensive brownstone architecture are Boston, New York (especially) and Philadelphia. There are also some brownstones neighborhoods in Northern New Jersey, such as in Hoboken and Jersey City.
Mt. Vernon in Baltimore is a brownstone neighborhood.
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