{"id":1183,"date":"2014-01-19T17:39:56","date_gmt":"2014-01-19T21:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mindfulwalker.com\/?p=1183"},"modified":"2021-07-07T09:54:44","modified_gmt":"2021-07-07T14:54:44","slug":"art-deco-jazz-in-brooklyn-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mindfulwalker.com\/wordpress\/explore-new-york\/art-deco-jazz-in-brooklyn-heights","title":{"rendered":"Art Deco Jazz in Brooklyn Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"

Naomi Fatouros, one of three children of architect H.I. Feldman, once wrote that her father \u201chad no pretensions about being artistic.\u201d Still, architects and builders had high regard for Feldman for creating building plans that minimized construction costs and that provided renters and buyers with good views and high-quality apartment layouts, she said in the letter to The City Review<\/em><\/a>. Whatever the merits of each of the thousands of buildings that Hyman Isaac Feldman designed in the New York metropolitan region, The Cranlyn certainly exemplifies artistic beauty and style. This Brooklyn Heights building at 80 Cranberry St., like various high-rises Feldman also designed on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx early in his career, is a handsome Art Deco structure.<\/p>\n

Walking Brooklyn Heights, I was particularly delighted to explore this building and several others with David Thompson, an expert on Art Deco and a friend who shares the wonder and inspiration of this style from all over the world on his blog, Art Deco Buildings<\/a>. As with so many Art Deco structures, The Cranlyn rewards you the closer you look at it (which is a problem for many people who fly by in their walking). Built in 1931, it has what the AIA Guide to New York City<\/em> calls \u201cjazzy brickwork\u201d in eye-catching bands and some dazzling features on the front and entrance and in the foyer.<\/p>\n

In a city of constant change like New York, one especially appreciates survivors of a long history such as the Cranlyn building and hopes it will endure. It\u2019s both a witness to a certain era of amazing design and a continual living entity as its residents\u2019 home now. As a young architect, Feldman \u2013 who went on to design more than 4,000 apartment houses and commercial buildings in a career that lasted until the 1970s \u2013 rightfully earned praise for this building. He received the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce\u2019s first award for best apartment house design in 1932, according to a bio in a New York Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) report. During some of the later decades of the 20th century, the owners didn\u2019t keep the building in tip-top shape. Fortunately, in recent years, the owner has performed restorative work, as the Brooklyn Heights Blog notes<\/a>. The building lies within the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, which affords it some protections from the LPC. Hopefully, too, the recent work augurs well for this Art Deco high-rise to reach its 100th birthday in 2031 well cared for. An appreciative look at it certainly reinforces why this matters.<\/p>\n