Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 49

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360

USA > New York > Kings County > Brooklyn > Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y. > Part 49

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It remains for us now to speak of the architects, builders and dealers in real estate, to whom we are in- debted for this extraordinary growth and development of our material resources.

The rapid development, whose history we have sketched, has of necessity brought to the surface great numbers of persons and firms, who have found in it the opportunity for profitable employment, and, in many cases, for the acquisition of wealth. The directory for the year 1883-84 gives the names and addresses of 41 architects whose business is mostly in Kings county; of 325 real estate agents; of 21 dealers in builders' materials, besides 28 proprietors of stone yards, and a very considerable number of marble workers, who con- fine themselves to marble and tiling for public and private buildings; of 334 carpenters and builders and building firms; of 100 masons, who were also general builders; of 18 master plasterers and decorative plas- terers; of 264 master house painters, and of 212 mas- ter plumbers and gas-fitters. In all, there were 1,343 firms or persons who carried on business on their own account, who were engaged in pursuits connected with the erection and sale of public and private buildings.

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ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS AND REAL ESTATE AGENTS.

ployees, we shall have to add at least another thousand to the number. All this is irrespective of the furnish- ing of the houses and public buildings, as well as of the lumber trade and the work in hard woods, which is a distinct branch of the business. It would undoubtedly be a fair estimate to say, that, including the furnishing, at least 25,000 persons were directly connected with the building interests of this city, and that 100,000 more were dependent upon these.

The Architects of Brooklyn .- Let us take up some of these classes somewhat in detail, and thus gain a better idea of the growth of this interest within the past forty or fifty years. We will begin with the architects. The number of these was, in May, 1883, forty-one, and perhaps we should add to them the seventy-one surveyors, whose office is to lay out the city lots, the streets, etc., and to make plans for the sewers, water mains, etc., all adjuncts of building in the city. The number of these classes is not so large as it would be, if many of the master builders were not, or did not believe themselves to be, competent to make out complete plans for dwelling-honses. Gener- ally, it is only the larger and more costly dwellings- the banking and insurance honses, the finest buildings for offices, and the public or semi-public buildings, like churches, theatres, opera houses, hospitals, asy- Inms, etc., and the city or county buildings, together with the finest of the great warchouses and manufac- torics-for which the services of an arehitect are re- quired. It is safe to say that there was not, fifty years ago, sufficient business in the then village of Brooklyn to give full employment to cven one architect; in the rare instances in which architectural drawings were rc- quired, the services of a New York architect werc sought for. Even thirty years ago, the consolidated city (Brooklyn and Williamsburg) only supplied busi- ness for three or four, and even these supplemented their Brooklyn business by what they could obtain in New York city. They had, for the most part, offices in New York, and much of the drafting was done there. We have been unable to obtain the names of all those early architects, among them was Keller, whose plans possessed great merit; Field, who also maintained a very high position; both of these are now deccased; E. L. Roberts, who, though having an office in New York, and doing a large business there, was also the designer and architect of many of our finest churches. Other eminent New York architects came to Brooklyn, and made the designs for some of our finest buildings.

At the present time, the Brooklyn architects have a very high reputation. Some of them are officers of the American Institute of Architects, and nearly all take rank with architects of New York and other cities. The nanies of ROBERTS, who, though not now a resi- dent of Brooklyn, is still reckoned onc of its most skill- ful and successful architects; of the late RICHARD S.

HATFIELD, Vice-President of the Institute of Archi tects, and of his son, one of the ablest of our younger architects; of the two GLOVERS, of Montague street ; of WM. A. MUNDELL; of WILLIAM H. GAYLOR, who is a successful builder, as well as a fine architect (see Biography, page 580); of AMZI HILL, SAMUEL, CURTISS, THOMAS MERCEIN, JOHN MUMFORD, architect of the new Seney Hospital; FREDERICK WEBER, and DUD- LEY BLANCHARD, of the East District; THOS. F. HOUGI- TON; J. H. DOHERTY, office 280 Flatbush avenne, corner Prospect Place ; real estate ; established ten years ago above address; actively engaged in building, in neighborhood of Prospect Park ; of firm of J. Doherty & Son ; THEOBALD ENGELHARDT, 14 Fayette street, architect ; established 1877, in Brooklyn ; for- merly with father in the carpenter business ; had charge of the building of the school and gymnasium of the Williamsburgh Turn Verein ; among promi- nent buildings, erccted the new malt house of S. Lieb- mann's Sons, the dry goods store of H. Battermann, Broadway, Flushing and Graham avenne, Ilebrew Orphan Asylum, 384 and 386 MeDonongh street, M. May's Sanitary Abbatoir, Johnson avenue plank-road, etc. ; and a score of others of less note, though not, perhaps, of less ability, will occur to the minds of our readers.

The Dealers in Builders' Materials come next in logieal order. Of these, including the proprietors of stone yards, there are forty-nine in all. There were a few brick houses and possibly three or four stone ones in 1834, but the number then building was not sufficient to make it profitable for one man to give his whole time and capital to dealing in building mate- rials. In 1854, the amount of building was larger, and three or four dealers along the water front were receiving the brick from the Hudson River brick yards, the Philadelphia brick brought through the Morris Canal and by coasting vessels, the Westchester mar- ble, the Connecticut River brown stone, the Quincy granite and lumber from Maine, from Williamsport, Penn., from Albany and the north woods, and perhaps a little, also, from Michigan and Canada. The lumber dealers, it should be noticed, number now thirty-eight firms, in addition to the forty-nine already enumerated. But the building inercased very rapidly from that time forward. The number of new buildings ereeted annu- ally rose from 300 in 1855 to 3,539 in 1867, and 3,307 in 1868. In 1869 and 1870 the number exeecded 4,000, and continued very large till 1873. After this there was a lull, but in 1880 the number began to rise again, reached 1,989 in 1881, 2,376 in 1882, and will probably excced 4,000 in 1884. These are all new buildings, aside from repairs and building additional stories upon dwellings, of which a great deal is done every year. In 1868, of the 3,307 buildings erected, 375 were brown stone fronts, 775 brick (the two making only one-third of the whole); 1,915 were frame dwellings;

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HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

A.LITTLE

Hel Christian

there were also 3 stone, 7 briek and 9 frame church edifices, 1 brick school-house; 41 briek and 24 frame buildings for manufacturing purposes; 7 briek and 10 frame stores, and 140 buildings of a miscellaneous char- aeter. The total value of these buildings was stated at $3,315,200. In 1882, the fire limits had been ex- tended beyond Tompkins avenne on the east, and al- most to the Penny bridge on the south, and in the Eastern District to Graham avenue. We have before us the report of the Commissioner of Buildings of the buildings erected for the eleven months ending Novem- ber 30, 1881. There were 1,867 new buildings erected in these eleven months, and 1,939 in the whole twelve. Of these 1,867, 1.157 were of brick, 579 of them with brown stone fronts; 710 were frame, and of these 20 were erected in violation of the law within the fire limits. This was ahnost a reversal of the proportions of 1868, but the difference in cost was still more marked. The cost of the 1, 867 was $9,115,232, and of the whole number of buildings in the year 1881 (1,939) was $9,498,347. This increase of vahe was still more remarkable in 1882. There were 2,376 buildings erected, and the estimated cost was $10,386,263. In 1891, the rage for apartment houses had but just be-

gun; there were 339 dwellings intended for from two to four families. In 1882 the number had largely in- ereased, so that the 2,376 buildings of the year really represented more than 3,500 dwellings. In 1883, these buildings have been going np everywhere- On a sin- gle street (Bedford avenue) the number of apartments finished this year exceeds 500, while Nostrand avenue has nearly as many. These are all of fine briek, from fifty to eighty feet in depth and four or five stories high. The greater part have brown stone fronts. Of course, this immense impulse which the building trade has received creates a vast demand for building mate- rials. Some of the dealers are selling their fifty, eighty or a hundred million bricks, and lime and cement in proportion; the stone yards are turning out their hun- dreds of thousands of square feet of Ashlar, and their thousands of tons of foundation stones; and the lumber dealers are fast stripping the North and Northwest of their timber trees, one firm alone (CRoss, AUSTIN & Co.) having sold the last year 22,000,000 square feet of lumber. The leading honses in the line of

Builders' and Masons' Materials (aside from Inmber dealers) are: HI. S. CHRISTIAN, of South Brook- lyn: H. F. BrRRouans & Co., of the Eastern District;

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ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS AND REAL ESTATE AGENTS.

BEARD & KIMPLAND, HOBBY & LEEDS and JOHN MOR- TON & SONS, all of South Brooklyn; JOSEPH H. COL- YER, of Washington and Plymouth streets; WALTER T. KLOTS & BRO. and CHARLES H. REYNOLDS, both of the Eastern District.

H. S. CHRISTIAN, the well-known dealer in builders' mate- rials (whose portrait appears on the opposite page), was born in Farsund, Norway, December 4th, 1824, and is a son of Sea- ver and Martha (Thomas) Christian. His father was a ship- builder. Mr. Christian attended the schools of his native place until he had attained the age of fifteen, when he entered upon a seafaring life, which he pursued until he was twenty- two. There seems to have been no necessity for him to under- take the toils and suffer the dangers and deprivations of the sailor, but he chose the career from an innate liking for it, and to this day states that he is not sorry that he did, though his days and nights before the mast and on the quarter-deck are of the distant past. His father and mother having died, he made New York his home after he was seventeen years old, and, upon leaving the sea, he entered as a clerk the drug store now of Messrs. Schieffelin, located in William street, but then in John street, where he remained two years.

From that time on until 1863, Mr. Christian was employed by different firms in various branches of trade. September 1st, that year, he purchased the business of Hiram Travers, dealer in builders' materials, located on land owned by the Union Ferry Company, between Degraw and Sackett streets, Brooklyn, and five years later removed to his present loca- tion on Second street and Gowanus canal. He has been very successful, gradually increasing his trade, until he ranks with the leading dealers in his line in the city, employing a large number of men throughout the year.

In May, 1849, Mr. Christian married Elmira E. Stuart, a native of New York. They have resided in Brooklyn since the Spring of 1858, and have a home characterized by taste- fulness, elegance and comfort, at No. 251 President street.

Mr. Christian has been a member of the Masonic order since 1863, and has twice been master of his lodge. He is also a Knight Templar. For the past thirty-five years he has been connected with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and for twenty-five years a member of the First Place Methodist Episcopal Church. He has held all of the various offices of the organization in turn, and has long been an earnest laborer in the Sunday-school cause, having been Superintendent of the First Place Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school three years.

Politically, Mr. Christian, a former Whig, has been a re- publican since the organization of the party in 1856. Though not an office-seeker nor an active politician in the usual acceptation of the term, he takes a deep interest in all pub- lic affairs, desires the welfare of the whole people, and be- lieves it can be secured only by honest administration.

HORACE F. BURROUGHS (see portrait on following page), a successful and highly respectable business man of Brooklyn, was born in that city, Sept. 26th, 1828. His father, Thomas Burroughs, was born at Newtown, Queens county, L. I.

The subject of this sketch, having lost both of his parents when he was about four years of age, left Brooklyn when he was about six years old and went to reside on a farm at Quogue, in the town of South Hampton, L. I. Here he re- mained, attending school a portion of the time, until he was about sixteen years old. The young man conceived a great fondness for a seafaring life; accordingly, at the age of six-

teen, he shipped on board the bark Roanoke, then about sail- ing on a whaling voyage from Greenport, L. I., in 1844. It was a great undertaking for a boy of his age, but he courageously and determinedly encountered the dangers and privations of " a life on the ocean wave," and successfully made the voyage.

In their route, they stopped at the Azores, or Western Islands, Cape De Verde Islands, the Falkland Islands, off the coast of Patagonia, where the ship spent the season in catch- ing whales. On its return home, stopped at the Island of St. Helena.

This voyage occupied one year, and was highly success- ful. In 1845, he again shipped on board the Roanoke, on another whaling voyage, sailing from the same port.

The vessel doubled Cape Horn; sailed along the coast of Chili, stopping at the island of Juan Fernandez, famous as being the place of Alexander Selkirk's exile. From here the Roanoke sailed for the Sandwich Islands, where it remained two weeks, giving young Burroughs an opportunity to see much of those islands. Leaving there, the ship sailed for the coast of Kamtschatka, where was the principal whaling ground.

This was the extent of the voyage, the return home being over the same route. Reaching the Sandwich Islands, where they remained for a time, they then sailed for the Southern Pacific, stopping at many of its islands on the way. Again doubling Cape Horn, they pursued their way homewards, stopping at the Falkland Islands, Rio Janeiro and other ports, arriving safely at home in 1847, after an absence of two years.

Young Burroughs, it will thus be seen, spent three years in following the seas. Although it was a life of danger, adventure and hardship, it was one of interest and instruc- tion, imparting to him knowledge and experience of great practical value, which he could have learned in no other place or way.

The year after his return from his last voyage (1847), he spent in coasting between New York and Charleston, S. C. New York and Philadelphia, and New York and Boston; so that really he spent about four years in a seafaring life.

Leaving this, he commenced the carpenter business, at which he worked four years in Brooklyn and Newtown. This brings his life down to the year 1852, when he began the business of dealing in building material. To this business he has successfully devoted the last thirty-one years of his life, and he is still successfully engaged in it. His present place of business is at Nos. 2-14 Taylor street, and at Kent avenue, near Hooker street, and junction of Grand street and Metropolitan avenue, Newtown Creek.

It will thus be seen that Mr. Burroughs conducts a large and extensive business concern, one of the most important in Brooklyn.

The profitable and honorable manner in which he conducts his business, together with his promptitude and reliability, identifies him in a commendable degree with the rapidly growing interests of Brooklyn.

Mr. Burroughs was married in 1852, to Ann Maria Van Nostrand, of Brooklyn. There have been born to this mar- riage four children-two sons and two daughters-to wit: William Van Nostrand, Horace Franklin, Mary Louisa and Adele.

He is not a politician in any sense of the word, but always votes for whom he considers the best man, inaking fitness for office, honor and integrity in a candidate of higher im- portance than the party he belongs to. Mr. Burroughs is an attendant of Plymouth church.

On the whole, few men in the city of Brooklyn attend

836

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

BLITTLE

Hoo Burroughs

more closely to their own business than Mr. Burroughs. The results flowing from this industrious attention are suc- cess and prosperity.

JOHN MORTON .- William Morton (see portrait on opposite page), was one of two sons of a linen manufacturer of Ire- land, who came to America while yet young men. He lo- cated in Westchester county, N. Y., and there married Miss Chloe Teed, a native of the town of Somers. They had four children, one of whom was John Morton, the subject of this sketch, who was born in Somers, April 15th, 1814. When he was about four years old his father removed to Croton Landing, in the town of Cortlandt, where he for somne years plied his trade of weaver, later buying a farm in that vicinity, on which he lived until 1817, when he died, his wife surviving him only five years.

During the earher years of his boyhood young Morton assisted his father and attended the public school at Croton Landing. At the age of seventeen he entered the store of his brother, George Morton, at Croton Landing, as a clerk. Three years later he opened a store on his own account at the Furman dock, three miles above Croton Landing, where he remained in trade only about a year. In partnership with his brother, William Morton, he next established a store at Croton Landing, in which he a few years later bought his

brother's interest, continuing the business alone for about a year, when he sold out the enterprise, and, buying a sloop engaged in the transportation of brick from Croton to New York and Brooklyn. In the course of time his business in- creased, necessitating the purchase of a second sloop, and in 1852 Mr. Morton removed to Brooklyn, and, in partnership with John Jones, entered upon the sale of builders' materials at the foot of Amity street. Continuing in the same line, in company with John M. Canda, in 1853 he removed his busi- ness to the foot of l'acitic street.

In 1866, Messrs. Morton & Canda purchased the property on Carroll street and Gowanus canal, now owned by Messrs. Morton & Sons, and established a branch yard there under charge of Mr. Canda. In 1870, the entire business of the firm was removed to the last mentioned site, and, in 1872, Mr. Canda withdrew from the enterprise, and the firm of Mortou & Canda was succeeded by that of John Morton & Son, by the admission of Mr. Albert Morton to a partnership with his father. In 1878, John C. Morton, a younger son of the senior member of the firm, became interested in the business, and the style of the firm has since been John Morton & Sons. This business, which Mr. Morton began on a limited scale, has grown to be one of the largest of its kind in the city

Politically, Mr. Morton has been a life-long adherent to the principles of the Republican party, but he has never been in

ARCHITECTS, BUILDERS AND REAL ESTATE AGENTS.

837

John (Morton)

any ordinary sense a politician. In 1846, he was married to Adaline E. Clark, of Croton, Westchester county, N. Y., who died in 1879. He has two sons and two daughters living, and the family are highly respected.

The largest dealers in building stone are GILL, BAIRD & Co. (see page 803, chapter on Manufactures), HENRY KEMP, H. S. CHRISTIAN, the BINDREM BROTHERS, and the GARITY BROTHERS. These are all in the East- ern District. There are, also, in South Brooklyn, BURNS & JOHNSON, E. & J. CONKLIN, CURRAN & COOPER, THOMAS H. DIXON, JAMES MCDONALD, GEORGE SECKEY, JOHN W. MORAN, and JAMES MCPHERSON. NICHOLAS RYAN, 1,557 Smith street, sand and gravel; established 1859, at present location.

Lumber Dealers .- Among the leading houses are: CROSS, AUSTIN & Co., CHARLES E. ROGERS & CO., THE WHITE, POTTER & PAIGE MANUFACTURING CO., OSCAR F. HAWLEY, R. G. PHELPS & Co. (both of Kent av- enue), BEERS & RESSIGUIE, ALEXANDER & ELLIS, CHARLES G. COVERT'S SONS, HALSTED BROTHERS, HARDY & VOORHEES, JAMES D. LEARY, JACOB T. E. LITCHFIELD & Co., ROBERT A. ROBERTSON & Co., JULIAN Ross & SONS, JAMES WALL and ELBERT VENTY.

The Carpenters and Masons, who are also Builders, come next. " There were Kings before

Agamemnon," the poet tells us, and there were builders and masons and carpenters here when Brooklyn was yet a village, and they were considerably numerous in 1854, when the two cities were consolidated. Some of the most eminent of those who reared for themselves monuments in brick and mortar, in stone, in frame and lath and plaster, are gone to their rest, but a goodly number of the earlier representatives of the trade yet remain, though for the most part they have withdrawn from active participation in building, and in some cases, are busying themselves in dealing in real estate, either of their own or others' building.

Among those who have departed, we may name JACOB RAPELYE and the late DANIEL CHAUNCEY; and among the older living were Ex-Mayor BOOTH, JOHN FRENCH, MICHAEL CHAUNCEY, WILLIAM H. NOE, WIL- LIAM H. HAZZARD, THOMAS D. EADIE, and MAURICE FREEMAN (now Maurice Freeman's Sons, John J. & M. C., 286 and 288 Warren street, builders ; established, 1870, in Brooklyn, as Maurice Freeman & Son ; since changed to the above firm ; natives of Brook- lyn).

Of those now actually engaged in building operations, we may mention especially ELBERT SNEDEKER, BERN- ARD GALLAGHER, J. LINIKIN, JOHN D. ANDERSON, and GEORGE W. BROWN.

838

HISTORY OF KINGS COUNTY.

ELBERT SNEDEKER .- This geutlemau is, by birth, a Long Islander, born in the town of Oyster Bay, April 16, 1836. He comes of an old Dutch family, whose descendants may be found at various points on the Island. His father was a far- iner, and intended his son for the same occupation. When the lad was thirteen, the family removed to the township of Flushing, where there were better educational advantages, which he supplemented by several terms at the Jamaica Academy. Ilis education fitted him to enjoy a more active, adventurous life than a farm afforded, while his tastes natur- ally led him to a mechanical calling. Therefore, in his eiglitcenth year, he came to Brooklyn to learn the builders' trade, securing a position, and remaining for several years. During this time, he devoted his evenings and leisure hours to the study of architecture, in which he made such progress as to qualify himself to be an architect. Though he did not choose to make this his profession, it proved to be of the greatest advantage in his subsequent building operations. At the age of twenty-four, he began building by contract; one of the many who have contributed, in this way, to the city's material growth; one of the few who have been able to acquire and retain a competence. To be a successful builder, requires a rare combination of talents. Such an one needs to be systematic; a practical workman, familiar with the smallest details; able to oversee and direct large numbers of men; to exercise good judgment; to foresee and prepare; to be a skillful financier and good executive.

The eminence which Mr. Snedeker has attained in his avocation, proves him to possess abilities beyond the ordin- ary. Beginning poor and unknown, he has gradually won fortune and reputation. Churches and large buildings have been his specialty. His handiwork is to be seen in many parts of Brooklyn. He built the well-known Oriental Hotel at Manhattan Beach, by far the largest and finest at Coney Island. This immense structure was built in 90 working days, without accident or injury of any kind; a remarkable accomplishment, cousidering the number of men employed aud the hurry in its erection.

Mr. Snedcker was also one of the contractors for Mr. A. A. Low's building, the " Garfield," and of Morgan Hall, at Wil- liamstown, Mass., built for ex-Governor Morgan; also of the new Metropolitau Opera House, the largest building of the kind in New York city. Other similar undertakings testifiy to Mr. Snedeker's capabilities and reputation as a builder.

Now just in his prime, his past success justifies the predic- tion of a prosperous future. As occasion offers, he buys and builds on vacant lots for investment. Naturally retiring iu disposition, he is not one to thrust himself into notice; but his worth is known and esteemed by a large business acquaintance. When the Mechanics & Traders' Exchange was organized, Mr. Snedeker was one of the foremost in its formation, has since been prominent in its affairs, and now holds its presidency, having been elected to succeed ex- Mayor Howell. The financial institutions-the Commercial Bank and the Montauk Insurance Company-have chosen him in their respective Boards of Directors. In his domestic life, Mr. Snedeker is equally fortunate. He married Miss Paton, November 8th, 1858, who has been a devoted wife and mother. Three daughters and two sons have been born to them; the youngest son died when two years old; the eldest, a young man of great promise, at the age of twenty-three.

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Civil, political, professional and ecclesiastical history, and commercial and industrial record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y., Part 49

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909. Publication date: 1884 Publisher: New York : Munsell Number of Pages: 1360

Author: Stiles, Henry Reed, 1832-1909.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: New York : Munsell
Number of Pages: 1360