Click on Image for Larger Photos
 
ID: 53
Name: James R. Sparrow Company/now Forman's
Address: 185-195 Broadway, northeast corner Driggs Street
Block and Lot: Block: 2458 Lot: 1
Neighborhood: Williamsburg (Brooklyn)
Date: 1882
Architect:
Original Use: Commercial
Original Owner: James R. Sparrow
Foundry: Atlantic Iron Works
Style: Neo-Grec with Aesthetic Movement details
Other Information: James R. Sparrow and his son James R. Sparrow, Jr., were shoe manufacturers and dealers. Although massed in a rhythmic Italianate/Neo-Grec manner, the facade is ornamented with unusual calla lily details on the piers. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has held five public hearings on the designation of this building, in 1980, 1981, 1984, and twice in 1990, but no action has been taken on the proposed designation. There is a single cast-iron bay on Driggs Street.
Sources: Gayle, "Cast-Iron Architecture in Brooklyn," pp. 8-10; New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, 185-195 Broadway (hearing).
Status Update:
 
NY Metro Victorian Society of America