222 Columbia Heights ca. 1936 This mansion built in 1865 for the Cornell family stood at the end of Columbia Heights, the street overlooking the East River in Brooklyn Heights. By including at the left side of the composition an electric streetlight, an automobile, and a sliver of Manhattan’s skyline, Abbott documented not only the house but the passage of time. Although Brooklyn Heights was designated a historic district in 1965, the Cornell mansion was torn down and replaced in 1982 with a small apartment house. To meet landmark regulations, the new building conformed to the irregular contours of the mansion.

Peter C. Cornell House at 222 Columbia Heights, 1936. The Renaissance Revival home at no. 222 was constructed on a hill overlooking the bay at some point in the mid 19th century (tracking down a date for it is difficult). Named for its original owner, Peter Cornell, a Red Hook-born manufacturer of gun powder, the house was better known as the residence of Seth Low, the mayor of Brooklyn, later NYC mayor and president of Columbia University. The home was unfortunately demolished during the construction of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and Promenade in the 1950s. In 1980 a new home was constructed on the site. Replicating the general shape of the original building, this new structure was rendered in modern brown, glazed bricks and attempted its best at modern infill to the historic neighborhood. The rounded moldings of the facade have prompted some to refer to the home as the Tootsie Roll House.