I took a walk from Williamsburg, up the Humboldt Street spine into Greenpoint, enjoying one of the rare clear fall days in December. Pictures from this walk will show up on a variety of FNY pages soon. About 50 years ago, the “tin men” of aluminum siding companies descended on “the Point” and homeowners snapped up the goods, completely blandifying the streetscape.
In the photo above, you see what 50 Diamond Street looked like before it was aluminum-sided. The level of detail on the exterior is striking and I’d love to see what a color image would look like. From the shelter above the entrance, the window lintels, and the roofline detail, it’s plain that great care went into the design. However, much of it was woodwork that was susceptible to fire. No doubt, if it wasn’t constantly painted, rot would set in. Later owners just found it expedient to chuck all this detailing, and protect the outside with aluminum insulation. The building became safer, but much more boring.
Note the elaborate ironworked fence. Many buildings around Greenpoint have retained these ornamental railings and gates, but have allowed them to rust considerably. I got a great many photos of these, which I will share soon.
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12/10/18
1 comment
Many buildings in the city that were aluminum sided had previously been sided with asphalt fake brick in the 40s. This was a quick and economical way to improve structures that had been neglected during the Depression. By the 70s this siding had become worn and looked dated and was replaced with aluminum.