By the start of the 19th century, the urbanization of Brooklyn was happening at a breakneck pace. What had once been quiet Dutch farming villages was now a thriving area. Brooklyn Heights was the first incorporated village in the original city of Brooklyn. In the 1820s the prevailing architectural style was the elegant but simple wood-frame Federal style home. The entire neighborhood, starting with a couple of dozen homes in the 1810s and growing exponentially, was built in wood. Given the strong historic preservation ethic and legal protections that were enacted in this neighborhood during the mid 20th century, many of the older homes that had made it until then, still stand today. This walk will take you past some of Brooklyn’s oldest and most well preserved wood-frame homes. 🏠 It was inspired and informed by the excellent work done by The Wooden House Project!

Built in the early 1820s by John Rodgers who was a cooper, this corner structure is one of the older buildings in the neighborhood. Though its wood-frame structure can not currently be be seen, it is prominently displayed in the 1922 photograph. This building housed the architectural offices of John A. Roebling’s Sons Company during the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. It was also the location of a well-loved veterinary office from 1959 to 2012 called the Heights Veterinary Hospital.