skip to main |
skip to sidebar
For those of you who pass by this colorful house on E. 19th St. between Cortelyou and Beverley and wonder what the story behind it is, this entry from America's Painted Ladies: The Ultimate Celebration of Our Victorians should answer a few questions.
217 East 19th Street
In 1989, Rose McGuiness and Nancy Franklin, the owners of this 1901 Colonial Revival home, which has been in several commercials and movies, asked San Francisco color consultant Bob Buckter for an elegant, dramatic color scheme. They wanted something sunny that wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb. The sculpted swan's neck pediment has been deftly picked out in a peachy six color scheme highlighted by cinnamon and melon, with a hearty sprinkling of gold leaf.
Merchant Will Ryan had paid a Mr. Ackerson to build the house at a cost of $10,000, plus $2,500 for the lot. Mahogany pillars in the parlor, polished oak walls in the dining room, and bird's-eye maple in the billiard room attest to Mr. Ryan's good taste and open pocketbook.
Rose McGuiness remarked, "The house makes me feel very happy when I look at it. My neighbor says she enjoys it more than I do because she sees it more than I do"- a good reminder of the social value of color and architecture.
Mr. Ackerson, of course, is T.B. Ackerson, who built all the houses on E. 19th St. between 1898 and 1901. Although he's probably better known around here as the namesake of T.B. Ackerson Wine Merchants on Cortelyou.
For those of you who pass by this colorful house on E. 19th St. between Cortelyou and Beverley and wonder what the story behind it is, this entry from America's Painted Ladies: The Ultimate Celebration of Our Victorians should answer a few questions.
2 comments:
This house is in Beverley Square East where there are still quite a few grand homes that rival their counterparts in Ditmas Park and Prospect Park South. TB Ackerson also developed more modest homes in Beverley Square West where he resided briefly before moving to first to Ocean Avenue and then Long Island.
If this is the same book I remember, 455 Marlborough Road in Ditmas Park West is also in the book.
Thomas Benton Ackerson was also responsible for most of the homes on the Argyle, Rugby and Marlborough blocks between Cortelyou and Beverly Roads in Beverley Square West.
Post a Comment