Brooklyn City Railroad Company Building

The five-story brick building on the corner of Old Fulton and Furman Streets was built from 1860 to 1861 as the office of the Brooklyn City Railroad Company. The firm operated horse-drawn streetcars beginning in 1854 and later trolleys. The first line connected the Fulton Ferry from Manhattan to the stagecoach stables on Marcy Avenue in Brooklyn, travelling along Fulton Street and Myrtle Avenue. By the mid-1870s, there were 12 streetcar lines in Brooklyn. The building was deemed a New York City Landmark in 1973 for its architecture and for its association with the increase in traffic from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The structure was renovated from 1973 to 1974 into residences.

Before this building was constructed for Brooklyn City Railroad Company, the land was the site of the house of William Furman, a Kings County judge (1808-1823) and trustee of the Village of Brooklyn. In 1827, he became a member of the New York State Legislature and President of Brooklyn Fire Insurance Company. Furman moved to Brooklyn after the American Revolution and established his residence here by 1800. The house was on Old Ferry Road (now Fulton Street) in front of the stairs leading to Fulton Ferry. Formerly at the water's edge, fill has extended the land into the East River, and Furman Street (named for William) was cut through to Fulton Street. Judge Furman died in 1852 at age 87.

The Brooklyn City Railroad Company building was designed in the French Second Empire style and was constructed from 1860 to 1861. The five-story brick building is edged in granite quoins. Cast iron piers with large windows mark the street level. The upper floors have single windows near the corners and a pair of double windows in between, all with granite enframements. The overhanging cornice completes the main facade. There is a secondary entrance on the longer facade facing Furman Street.

Brooklyn City Railroad Company was incorporated in 1853; its President in 1858 was A.P. Stanton. Its early horse-drawn cars ran on rails to avoid the bumpy ride experienced on most streets in the omnibus vehicles of the era. On an 1874 map of routes, there were 42 miles of streetcar lines along 12 lines in Brooklyn, all beginning from the Fulton Ferry. The company included an ad on the map, touting the glass of the streetcars as a place for paid advertisements (see the image below). To inquire about placing an ad, the company's Advertising Bureau was at 8 and 10 Fulton Street (the building in this Clio entry). The company charged 5 cents per day for ads, for each panel or place, for one month; the daily rate went down for longer ad periods, down to 2 cents for one year. For large signs placed on the ends of cars, the rates were 5 cents per day.

By 1865, Brooklyn City Railroad Company operated about 50 percent of Brooklyn's streetcar lines. All of the streetcar lines in Brooklyn carried a total of over 21 million passengers in 1864; 16 million of those passengers rode the Brooklyn City Railroad cars. Fares were 5 cents per person in 1865, although the companies sought permission from the city to raise fares (it was denied). Streetcar rides in Brooklyn still cost five cents per person in 1897. To make rides more affordable for the frequent commuter of limited means, the railroad committee of the common council suggested offering six rides for 25 cents. Several more companies operated streetcars in Brooklyn by then, including the Brooklyn Heights Railroad Company and the newly formed East River and Atlantic Avenue Railroad Company. Brooklyn City Railroad Company spent over $6 million by the 1890s to convert its horse-powered cars to electric streetcars.

Before renovation into apartments in the early 1970s, the building was a factory for Berglas Manufacturing Company. The architect for the residential reuse of the building was David C. Morton. The elevator building currently holds 11 co-op apartments, studios to two-bedroom. The 40 by 91-foot building features views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Skyline and is located less than 500 feet from the Fulton Ferry landing to Manhattan.

Anonymous. "Paudeen's Successor - The President of the Brooklyn City Railroad Company." Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn) March 22nd 1858. 2-2.

Anonymous. "The Application of the City Railroad Companied to the Legislature for Increase of Fares." Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn) February 16th 1865. 2-2.

Anonymous. "City Railroad Fare Again." Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn) March 9th 1865. 2-2.

Anonymous. "Miles of Streets for P.H. Flynn, Aldermanic Committee Reports in Favor of His New Railroad." Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn) November 29th 1897. 1-1.

Anonymous. "$2,000,000 Dispute to Go to a Referee." Brooklyn Daily Eagle (Brooklyn) Ma7 23rd 1901. 2-2.

Blanc, J. Building-Structure Inventory Form for Brooklyn City and Newtown Railroad Company Building, Brooklyn, N.Y.. Albany, NY. New York State Historic Trust, Office of Parks and Recreation, ca. 1974.

Compass. Building: Brooklyn City Railroad Company, Compass. January 1st 2022. Accessed January 5th 2022. https://www.compass.com/building/brooklyn-city-railroad-company-buil-brooklyn-ny/282504368358506341/.

NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. Landmark Designation Report LP-0718, Brooklyn City Railroad Company Building, February 20, 1973. New York, NY. New York City Government, 1973.

Whitehouse, Maribeth. Brooklyn City Railroad Company Building, Historic Marker Database. June 16th 2016. Accessed January 2nd 2022. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=35109.