Saturday, March 3, 2012

Bringing Elegance Back to Upper Warren Street

The same source that told Gossips that 834 Warren Street was not in imminent danger of being repurposed as a transitional housing facility also provided some information about the house next door: 824 Warren Street.

This classic Greek Revival mansion has been purchased by Thomas Payne, an architect from Toronto, who plans to restore the building to its original splendor. The unfortunate 20th-century additions at the back of the house will be demolished, all five fireplaces in the house will  be restored, and, it is hoped, the original fanlight will be found and reinstalled or, if it no longer exists, reproduced. Maybe, too, we can rest assured that the gracious old trees in the yard won't be cut down.  

8 comments:

  1. Can't wait for this transformation after 20 years of watching the deterioration, and yes please save the trees - great shade in the summer while walking down Warren.

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  2. Jennifer--I have it on good authority that the trees are staying . . . although they may be pruned.

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  3. Wonderful news! It's such a lovely building!

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  4. This is such wonderful news.What a perfect Steward Mr.Payne will be.This is such a beautiful house and tree filled yard.I went to an auction that was held there a few years back,and they let me explore the original house.It's really amazing.The owner said he had the fan light.I hope so.
    This house and the Presbyterian Church's east yard on
    Warren are both such great examples of what beauty a tree filled side yard does not just for the property,but the whole surrounding area,that everyone enjoys.
    I hope that this will be a consideration for
    not filling up the originally tree filled north yard of the Historic Methodist Episcopal Church 1854/now Youth center,with that brick mass, proposed Senior Extention at the South Gateway into our City on 23B/9G.

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  5. I think that's the building where my childhood dentist was located, in the back. I don't recall his office as being in an "unfortunate 20th-century addition," but maybe. This is wonderful news.

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  6. The Village School was there in the mid-to-late 90s and may have added something. This was the little home-school program that was run by Lynn "Miss Bunny" Carr in collaboration with John Barnes of Hawthorne Valley. It was a great program, but the transition to charter school, despite getting one of the first charters in NYS, didn't go well. But I'm so glad that the house will be restored.

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  7. It's been confirmed! They do have the original fanlight, and it will be returned to its proper place in the pediment.

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  8. After years of looking from my yard into the dark, empty windows of the house, I am so excited for the renovations to begin! It'll be wonderful to see the life breathed back into a long-neglected home!

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