I - Brownstone Prep: A History
November 17 | 7:00-8:00pm
Park Slope Civic Council - 267 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Guest Speaker: Suzanne Spellen, Brooklyn Historian
Park Slope Civic Council - 267 6th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Guest Speaker: Suzanne Spellen, Brooklyn Historian
Home of the former Swedish Athletic Club, this 7,200 sqft building features many of the details used in turn of the century Park Slope Brooklyn. Historian, Suzanne Spellen takes us through the history of Park Slope and its buildings: the different areas of Park Slope (North, Central and South); who commissioned and built Brownstones; Brownstone or Limestone, what’s the difference; and why the sudden explosion of Brownstones in Park Slope in the 1880’s.
(BKLYNER article about workshop)
(BKLYNER article about workshop)
SUZANNE SPELLENBrooklyn Historian
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Suzanne learned to appreciate architecture and history by growing up in Gilbertsville, a historic village in upstate NY. After attending Yale University, where she majored in Afro-American studies and music, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in classical music. Her love of old houses led her to live in Bedford Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, Brooklyn, where she became interested in all things related to old house restoration, historic preservation and community building. She became a board member of the Crown Heights North Association (CNHA) and worked to gain landmark historic designation for that neighborhood. That led to advising others on the process and a new career in research and writing about historic preservation, architecture and history. Suzanne became a columnist for the popular blog Brownstoner.com under the pen name “Montrose Morris.” Her columns and community work make her one of the few experts on the architecture and history of Central Brooklyn. She is often called on to give lectures, walking tours and conduct research for many organizations and causes. In 2012, Suzanne left Brooklyn for Troy, NY. She has added writing about Troy’s fascinating history and architecture in her blog "spellenoftroy.com". She is a board member of the Troy Community Land Bank, and a member of an advisory committee for the 2016 Comprehensive Plan for Troy, which will be used to guide the city’s development for the next 25 years. Suzanne is the co-author of The Fallen Heroes of September 11th: The Wall of Remembrance at Coney Island, (2011). She is currently working on a series of books on Brooklyn neighborhoods for Brownstoner Books. The first one – on Bedford Stuyvesant, will be available as a free e-book Fall 2016.
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