The Broadway Brownstones
Mar 17th, 2008 by rlsorbe
Another high-end development, the
Broadway Brownstones, are about two weeks away from completion. Located across the way from the Washington Elementary School, this 7-unit residential “New York style” brownstone project was sold out before construction began in October of 2006. The design behind the Brownstones was initiated by the architect
Stephen Sparn’s influence from the East Coast.
Frequenting Manhattan at least once a month, Sparn is strongly influenced by the diversity of Manhattan’s architecture. Through walking the NYC streets and taking many photographs of their Brownstones, he was able to bring a NYC influenced design to Broadway. According to Stephen, “The Broadway Brownstones are my Colorado interpretation of this great, historic building typology. They are designed to be traditional on the first two stories and then intentionally look like an addition on the third floor to allow a more contemporary expression and allow more solid glass walls to facilitate bringing in the great views of the foothills (vs.. the ‘punched window openings’ of the more traditional style).”
Our Boulder Brownstones are a simplification of the Brownstone vernacular that use different materials (cast stone – limestone and brick) versus the true Brownstone which uses indigenous stone quarried from upstate New York. Our Brownstones are only three stories tall, while the traditional Brownstones in NYC are generally about four to five stories tall. Similar the Brownstones of NYC, they are both a “transit oriented” type of development that works with major transit corridors and are in walk-able neighborhoods.
The Broadway Brownstones are a loose interpretation of NYC, but if you want to see some great NYC Brownstones, Sparn recommends checking out 95th street between 5th Avenue and Lexington in NYC, as well as those located in the Upper West Side. He also recommends checking out this site to see photos of NYC Brownstones: New York Architecture Images.
I think bringing the Brownstone concept into Boulder is a good idea, and links some of the New Urbanism movement ideas together with design achievements of our more traditional past. Work/live spaces, walk-able neighborhoods, accessibility to pubic transportation, and densification along transit corridors are all positive use of our space. Plus, much of our Boulder population is originally from the east coast, so the design influence of this development creates a sense of home with modern Colorado distinction.
I’m honestly speechless… Isn’t the idea of vernacular and place an early lesson in any school of architecture?
Building a replica in a completely foreign environment with the expectation that it will function as the original (this is not 95th & Lex) is as logical as building a Greek Revivalist home for the production of Platonic philosophies.
Let’s be honest and admit when things are done for the novelty’s sake, much like when New York was replicated in Las Vegas…
I might also suggest a lesson in New Urbanism if that was also the intent.
I’m not so much opposed to the attempt at bringing an outside socio-architectural influence to Boulder (although I doubt there will be much opportunity for a game of stickball in the middle of Broadway). These just seem to fall short of being anything interesting, they’re just kind of “there.” I’d be interested to know if the purchasers that bought these sight-unseen were Boulder residents or people from somewhere else that thought a brownstone in the heart of Boulder, Co sounded quaint.
I personally find the Brownstones refreshing. I am tired of much of the other new architecture that I see in Boulder. Boulder architecture is either neo-victorian, contemporary, colorado mountain or that stuff on Canyon that is totally boring. Why does architecture have to always look like the building next door? This building looks like it is built to last and only time will tell weather this building is enduring. Evidently the real estate market liked it.