Red Hook Pentecostal Holiness Church at 110 Wolcott St. in Red Hook, Brooklyn. This building was originally built in 1900 by the Episcopalian Christ Church for its Red Hook Mission. It was designed by Scottish architect brothers William James Audsley and George Ashdown Audsley. In the 1970s, the building was sold to the Pentecostal Church.
This brownstone on Ninth Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is one of a row of four houses designed by architect Charles Pierrepont Henry Gilbert in 1887. The four houses all measure 17.83 feet (5.4m) wide by 45 feet (13.7m) long, but all are different. No. 344 is the only one to retain its original details, and is still a one-family home. It was originally owned by a gravel and sand merchant named Michael Fitzsimmons. Between 1902 and 1913, it was occupied by the European Conservatory of Music, later called the Manhattan Conservatory.
C.P.H. Gilbert was born in 1861. Little is known of his early life or training, but eventually he wound up designing mining towns in Arizona and Colorado, where he also learned trick riding and shooting. He returned to New York City in 1883. These four houses were his first Brooklyn commissions. He later designed numerous mansions and townhouses in Park Slope, especially on Carroll St. and Montgomery Place. He also had many clients among Manhattan's elite, including F.W. Woolworth.
His Brooklyn buildings were eclectic in design, as opposed to his Manhattan projects. This New York Times feature says, "Whereas Gilbert's Manhattan mansions are all about good taste and sober politesse, his Brooklyn work tends toward a rugby scrum: the houses tangle and tussle with one another like cats and dogs in a burlap bag. He left no diary, no notes, no thoughts on design, no hint as to whether he later regretted his Brooklyn work, or looked on it with affection."
The drawing in process, pencil drawing and inked. . .
Info on this house and C.P.H. Gilbert:
NY Times: Brooklyn Streetscapes C.P.H. Gilbert-The Wild Years
Brownstoner: Building of the Day: 340-344 9th Street, a Study in Change in Park Slope
It's been a long while since I've been to a live figure drawing session. Last weekend, I made it to a Draw-A-Thon fundraiser at the Art And Design High School. Mostly quick sketches. These aren't masterpieces, but it was good to be back at it.
Another NY icon disappearing. Probably. The Kellogg's Diner is a Williamsburg landmark, anchoring the corner of Metropolitan Ave. and Union Ave., right by the Metropolitan subway entrance. It operated 24/7, and so was a particular fixture for the late-night Williamsburg crowd.
It's been there since the 1940s. It's uncertain exactly when it was founded, and by whom, but it the initial business had shuttered by the 1970s, when it was purchased by a trio of Greek immigrant brothers who renovated and expanded it to the current restaurant. They sold the business to fellow immigrants in 2013.
Unfortunately, it's now in bankruptcy. The owner died suddenly in 2018, and his widow took over. However, it struggled to make ends meet, especially during the pandemic, and is now being operated by a bankruptcy trustee while a buyer is sought. The asking price is $2.5 million. So, maybe someone will buy it and continue its operations as it was.
Initial pencil sketch
Intermediate ink stage
Here's an interesting history of Greek diners in New York, including Kellogg's: Bedford and Bowery.com
Return of the Jedi is not my favorite Star Wars. I kinda hate the Ewoks, but they are fun to draw. And speeder bikes are one of my favorite Star Wars vehicles, and it is the 40th anniversary of Return of the Jedi. So here's that Ewok on a speeder bike from Return of the Jedi. Happy Star Wars Day!
