ARCHITECTURE: THE ROMANTIC MYTH OF THE STOOP

Everyone has a romantic idea of the classic brownstone stoop but Brick Underground via Gothamist reveals that the beautiful townhouse structure might have been created originally in the 1800s for a more functional purpose.  Stoop apparently comes from the Dutch word for stairs but were basically made to elevate the entrance from all of the horse manure that piled on the streets because cars were not invented yet and animal labor was the ubiquitous transportation mode of the day. Another theory was that the side stair portals provided a more discreet servant entrance which would also make sense for the upper class families living in these urban row houses.   Nowadays people just like to use them as additional outdoor space to enjoy nice weather but architects never really had this in mind when creating the famous New York City homes.  More on Brick Underground: LINK