☞ BESPOKE: Harlem Brownstone Stained Glass

Stained glass windows are always one of the first things that get replaced since they are hard to get repair so we are alway on a look out for houses that still have them. On Sugar Hill, the rows of well preserved homes surprisingly have many of their originals windows intact. The photos are of the West 146th Street, between St. Nicholas Avenue and Convent Avenue. The top and last photo show similar patterns for the homes was probably constructed by the same builder. The second photo shows some smaller stained glass examples on the top window of an intricate oriel bay window. Mostly associate with the Victorians, these windows often were used as a privacy screen that let light inside a home and also happen to be quite beautiful to look at. For those remodeling their brownstones, stained glass is a great way to frame a window in bathrooms or those facing a back alley since they obstruct the view but still provide light. On a final note, the above buildings are made of true limestone so they were quite expensive to build at the turn of the last century. The closest subway to the above block is the A,B,C,D on 145th Street. Photos by Ulysses