Historic Facade Restoration Completed At 177-179 Columbia Heights

By on March 9, 2012 7:04 pm in Brooklyn History, Landmark Preservation

The meticulous facade restoration at 177-179 Columbia Heights—where residents discovered lavish ornamentation adorning the first two floors of the 29-unit co-op building, comprising fruit, flowers and mythical creatures, dating back to 1920—has been completed.

Six months and some $300,000 later, “It feels wonderful to have finally finished the restoration,” says Joe Levine, the resident who spearheaded the facade’s research after its discovery. He received an award for the project from the Brooklyn Heights Association in February.

Read all about the process of the restoration in a highly detailed story in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle here.

(Photos below: Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

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  • Nick A

    i happened to walk by it last night and it looks absolutely beautiful.

  • Heightsman

    It looks great. I live down the street. I got to know….is that a $10k+ assessment per unit? How do you get all the tenants to comply? Just curious…..

  • stuart

    It’s expensive to maintain property no matter where you live.
    We have had big assessments in our building too. And all we have are plain bricks.
    This work turned out great, it really adds a lot to the building.

  • Orange Oscar

    Gorgeous! I hope someone was able to offset that cost though, maybe a grant or donation. Just the same, it’s beautiful.

  • Sue

    Simply magnificent! I lived at 177 from 1976-1988 before it went co-op. Back then some of us always knew that the building’s facade was a work of art. So, thanks Joe.

  • lori

    This was discovered several years ago when work was being done on the outside of the building. All work was stopped and it took several years before the funding could be put in place and restorers could be found who could deal with this type of restoration. Once the work began, it proceeded well.

  • Anna B

    I’ve been admiring this work the last couple of months! It turned out great. Expensive!! but great.

  • GHB

    Nice job, but how much longer does the building have to keep the restoration company’s ad in front of the building?

  • Wrennie

    I remember looking at an apartment for sale in that building about 3 years ago, and having that fear about the potential for assessments. It looks beautiful, but I’m glad I wasn’t involved in paying for it. =)