Herman Behr Mansion
Encyclopedia
The Herman Behr Mansion is a notable building located in Brooklyn, New York. Constructed in 1888-89 to a design of Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman
, it has been described as "the city's finest Romanesque Revival
house".
and golfer Max.
The Behr family eventually moved upstate, and in 1919 the Behr mansion was substantially expanded and became the Hotel Palm, and was a brothel for some time thereafter. It became a Franciscan brothers' residence in 1961, in conjunction with their operation of St. Francis College. It was converted into rental apartments in 1977. In 2008, the building exchanged hands for $10,980,000.
The story that Xaviera Hollander's brothel was in the Behr House is an urban legend. It was in an apartment building at 73rd Street and York Avenue, according to her book, "The Happy Hooker."
and rockfaced sandstone
with crazy animal ornament reminiscent of modern, violent comic books -- grimacing lizards, lions and dragons."
The house was originally three stories high, not including the basement and attic. A six-story extension, not much higher than the original building, was added to the rear of the property in 1919 when it became the Palm Hotel.
The first floor of the mansion is finished in undressed sandstone, with the exception of the 1919 extension. The rest of the exterior is constructed of Belleville
brownstone
with a brick terra cotta facing. The entrance is accessed by a broad stone staircase, flanked by two semicircular towers or bays which rise to the height of the third floor where they each form a separate balcony. A third balcony on the second floor runs between the two. Each of the bays features three large bay windows per floor. Above and between the bays, on the third floor, are two semicircular windows, surmounted by a single rectangular window in a gable
, which in turn is flanked by two tall chimneys. The roof itself is steeply sloped, gabled and tiled. The bays at the front of the building are echoed by a third, smaller ground floor bay in the center of the building in Henry Street.
The entranceway opens upon a lobby finished in mahogany
and containing a small library and a fireplace of Scotch sandstone with an "intricately carved" mantelpiece. In the building's original layout, to the right of the lobby lay a large drawing room, two thirds of the building deep, finished in polished mahogany, with a panelled ceiling of white and gold. To the rear of the drawing room, separated by sliding doors, was the dining room, finished in oak
and with a red Numidia
n marble
fireplace with a carved oak mantelpiece. The library, which directly faced the building's entrance, was finished in cherrywood
, with a domed roof of white and gold, the latter color predominating.
To the left of the entrance, running the length of the building on the Henry St. side, was the parlor, culminating at the rear in the servants' dressing room, pantries, and a staircase leading to the kitchen in the basement. The basement level also included a billiard room, butler's room, servants' sittingroom and laundry. The second floor contained bedrooms, a dressing room and bathroom. The woodwork in the bedrooms was finished in enamelled ivory, and the mantels in onyx
. The third floor contained a chamber hall and several smaller rooms. In the attic was a studio, storage space and servants' quarters.
Frank Freeman
Frank Freeman was a Canadian-American architect based in Brooklyn, New York. A leading exponent of the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style who later adopted Neoclassicism, Freeman has been called "Brooklyn's greatest architect"...
, it has been described as "the city's finest Romanesque Revival
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
house".
History
The mansion has had quite a colorful history. It was originally designed by leading Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman for industrialist Herman Behr, an abrasives manufacturer and the father of tennis player Karl BehrKarl Behr
Karl Howell Behr was an American tennis player and banker. He was also a survivor of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.-Personal life:...
and golfer Max.
The Behr family eventually moved upstate, and in 1919 the Behr mansion was substantially expanded and became the Hotel Palm, and was a brothel for some time thereafter. It became a Franciscan brothers' residence in 1961, in conjunction with their operation of St. Francis College. It was converted into rental apartments in 1977. In 2008, the building exchanged hands for $10,980,000.
The story that Xaviera Hollander's brothel was in the Behr House is an urban legend. It was in an apartment building at 73rd Street and York Avenue, according to her book, "The Happy Hooker."
Description
The Herman Behr Mansion has been hailed as "the city's finest Romanesque Revival house" and "one of the great masterpieces of Romanesque Revival design in New York City." It has been described as "one of the real treats of Brooklyn Heights, a Romanesque color-fantasy of salmon brick, terra cottaTerra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
and rockfaced sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
with crazy animal ornament reminiscent of modern, violent comic books -- grimacing lizards, lions and dragons."
The house was originally three stories high, not including the basement and attic. A six-story extension, not much higher than the original building, was added to the rear of the property in 1919 when it became the Palm Hotel.
The first floor of the mansion is finished in undressed sandstone, with the exception of the 1919 extension. The rest of the exterior is constructed of Belleville
Belleville, New Jersey
Belleville is a Township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 35,926.-History:...
brownstone
Brownstone
Brownstone is a brown Triassic or Jurassic sandstone which was once a popular building material. The term is also used in the United States to refer to a terraced house clad in this material.-Types:-Apostle Island brownstone:...
with a brick terra cotta facing. The entrance is accessed by a broad stone staircase, flanked by two semicircular towers or bays which rise to the height of the third floor where they each form a separate balcony. A third balcony on the second floor runs between the two. Each of the bays features three large bay windows per floor. Above and between the bays, on the third floor, are two semicircular windows, surmounted by a single rectangular window in a gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
, which in turn is flanked by two tall chimneys. The roof itself is steeply sloped, gabled and tiled. The bays at the front of the building are echoed by a third, smaller ground floor bay in the center of the building in Henry Street.
The entranceway opens upon a lobby finished in mahogany
Mahogany
The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored hardwood. It is a native American word originally used for the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Indian or Cuban mahogany....
and containing a small library and a fireplace of Scotch sandstone with an "intricately carved" mantelpiece. In the building's original layout, to the right of the lobby lay a large drawing room, two thirds of the building deep, finished in polished mahogany, with a panelled ceiling of white and gold. To the rear of the drawing room, separated by sliding doors, was the dining room, finished in oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and with a red Numidia
Numidia
Numidia was an ancient Berber kingdom in part of present-day Eastern Algeria and Western Tunisia in North Africa. It is known today as the Chawi-land, the land of the Chawi people , the direct descendants of the historical Numidians or the Massyles The kingdom began as a sovereign state and later...
n marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
fireplace with a carved oak mantelpiece. The library, which directly faced the building's entrance, was finished in cherrywood
Cherrywood
Cherrywood is one of Dublin's newest suburbs, withhin Loughlinstown, and bordering Rathmichael, to the south east of the city, in the County of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown...
, with a domed roof of white and gold, the latter color predominating.
To the left of the entrance, running the length of the building on the Henry St. side, was the parlor, culminating at the rear in the servants' dressing room, pantries, and a staircase leading to the kitchen in the basement. The basement level also included a billiard room, butler's room, servants' sittingroom and laundry. The second floor contained bedrooms, a dressing room and bathroom. The woodwork in the bedrooms was finished in enamelled ivory, and the mantels in onyx
Onyx
Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...
. The third floor contained a chamber hall and several smaller rooms. In the attic was a studio, storage space and servants' quarters.