Learning Places Spring 2016

SITE REPORT Vinegar Hill

Abigail Everhart

04.06.2016

INTRODUCTION

On April 6th our class visited the historical site of Vinegar Hill for the 3rd time. While we already knew 

the area well we took a different approach this time. Diving into the specifics on this trip helped us 

better understand the significance of the different structures of the buildings and roads. 

PRE-VISIT REFLECTION  While we have visited this area many times before I am excited to see what our Professors have in store for us.  I’m hoping to have more time to sketch, even though I am horrible at it, to allow myself to gain more skills.  We have studied the different building structures and roadways so I’m interested in learning what this trip will teach us.   

SITE DOCUMENTATION (photos/sketches)

While this picture doesn’t show much of the Vinegar Hill area, it shows our class working very hard to sketch the area in which Professor Montgomery and Professor Almeida chose. In the

background you are able to see the types of buildings this area possesses as well as the industrial aspect. You can see that this area is both residential as well as commercial.

 

This is a picture of a building on 

Gold street.  It also is the 

building we were asked to 

sketch.  We can tell that it is 

used for both commercial and 

residential purposes.  Connected 

to this building are 4 identical 

buildings.  We discussed that this 

is probably because when it was 

sold, whoever bought it bought 

the entire lot and decided to 

connect all the buildings 

together making them look the same.  There are many similar buildings that we believe took the same approach.  

While my artistic skills are subpar, this is a sketch of the 

building above on Gold street.  It was difficult for me to 

portray the correct dimensions as well as texture of the 

building but I believe it still comes across as the same 

building! The only difference between this building and 

the ones it is connected to is that at the bottom of this 

there is some sort of store or office.  The other buildings 

that are attached seem to be mainly residential due to 

the stoops that they possess.  

 

 

This picture on the left is of the building that we first sketched as

a group. It is located on Hudson Street in Vinegar Hill. It is the

shortest of the buildings we focused on during our trip and seems

to have a more obvious storefront. We tried focusing on the

details of the building and compared it to the ones surrounding it.

It may have been owned by the same owner as the building to its

left. I’m not completely convinced it was owned by the same

person as the building to its right due to the difference in height.

 

 

The picture on the right is my attempt at

sketching the picture above on Hudson Street. I

tried focusing on the detail of this building and the

different artistic elements including the design on

the moldings at the very top. I found the color

interesting as well and was wondering if it had

since been retouched and painted.

 

This picture is of the last building we sketched. 

We focused on the area with the white trim on the 

windows.  As you can see it is obviously a very nice 

building, most definitely a residential due to the 

stoop and multiple stories.  This building I believe 

shows the Greek Revival aspect of the 

neighborhood well.  As you can see in this picture 

at the very top of the front door it has what is 

called a pediment.  While it is not as extravagant 

as most Greek Revival architecture it still 

possesses that aspect of it.  

 

This is my sketch of the building above.

While it is again not the greatest sketch I

tried to emphasize the capitol above the

door. I added the downstairs windows as

well and tried to show the amount of

small sections that each window has.

What I failed to show on my sketches is

the kind of brick work each building has. This particular bond is called the

stretching bond.

This is a picture of a home in Vinegar Hill. I

took this picture to show the detail on the

front door. It is very unique and has what is

called a capital at the very top of the door. I

also love the two different colors of blue

against the red brick as well as the the

design of the railing.

QUALITATIVE SITE OBSERVATIONS

1. Neighborhood / Street Character 

a. Residential  

b. Cobblestone streets 

c. Apartments on top of businesses 

d. Greek Revival architecture  

2. Vitality of Neighborhood 

a. General Description 

i. Quiet, quaint, secluded  

b. Pedestrian Activity 

i. Little activity  

ii. Occasional person coming out of apartment or store  

c. Vehicular Traffic 

i. Occasional vehicle 

ii. Trucks for delivery  

3. Age of Buildings (provide evidence for prediction)  

a. Greek Revival 

i. Pediments  

ii. Capitals  

4. Relationship Between Buildings 

a. Close together 

b. Similar buildings next to each other  

i. Shows bought together ­ same architect  

5. Building Details 

a. Many contain different brick types (flemish, common and running) 

b. Wood siding  

c. Modern buildings farther south of Navy Yards  

d. Pediments and Capitals  

6. Relationship to the Waterfront 

a. Walking distance to waterfront 

b. Brooklyn Bridge park extremely accessible  

7. Other Observations 

a. Atmosphere seems unlike NYC/Brooklyn  

b. Has a mix of old and new characteristics  

 

QUANTITATIVE DATA for Area of Study

Subject Data

Street Names Hudson, Plymouth, Sands, York, Gold, Harrison Aly, Evans, Water

Street Width  Approximately 30 feet

Street Pavement  Asphalt, Cobblestone

Building Heights  Short, unlike usual NYC buildings

Building Widths (Window Bays) 

Usually 3 window length

Building Types/Uses  Residential, Some businesses

Empty Lots / Gardens Pop-up playgrounds near schools, occasional backyards/front yards

Shops / Restaurants  Some restaurants, some retail

Industrial Shops  Next to Navy Yard, Boorum & Pease Company

 

 

 

 

 

QUESTIONS to Research Further

QUESTIONS: 

1. When did the Greek Revival theme begin?  

2. How were lots bought?   

3. Why was Greek Revival so prominent in Vinegar Hill?  

RESEARCH METHOD/SOURCE FOR EACH QUESTION ABOVE: 

1. When did the Greek Revival theme begin?   

a. Public archives  

b. See where architects were originally from  

c. http://forgotten­ny.com/1998/04/vinegar­hill­brooklyn/ 

2. How were lots bought?  

a. Public archives ­ see how much went for 

b. Auction  

3. Why was Greek Revival so prominent in Vinegar Hill? 

a. Kings County census  

b. http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/RHI105210/36047 

SUMMARY / POST VISIT REFLECTION

This trip was definitely the most informative.  I learned a lot about the greek revival era and how it 

impacted the development of Brooklyn, specifically Vinegar Hill.  I like that on this trip we focused 

more on the similarities and differences between the buildings and how the Greek Revival 

characteristics impacted the neighborhood.