House at 183 Argyle Road

This historic Neo-Tudor Revival-style home was designed by John J. Petit in 1907. The half-timber style, popular centuries before in England, was making a comeback there in the early twentieth century as well as on this side of the Atlantic. The house was built for Herbert F. Krantz, a wealthy inventor and head of Krantz Manufacturing Company. The Argyle Rd. house is one of a couple hundred single-family homes in the Prospect Park South Historic District, a residential subdivision designed for the upper class in the early twentieth century.

John J. Petit was an architect in the firm Kirby, Petit & Green. The half-timbering and stucco exterior of the 183 Argyle Rd. house are just decorative elements and not structural. Petit designed other distinctive houses in this historic district, including the Japanese House at 131 Buckingham Rd. (also a Clio entry) and a Mediterranean/ Spanish Revival house. He enjoyed creating designs highlighting house styles from different cultures and time periods.

Hubert F. Krantz and his family lived in their new home at 183 Argyle Rd. Before the house was built, the family lived at 610-11th St. in Brooklyn. The H. Krantz Manufacturing Company sold electrical supplies and was in Brooklyn at 160-7th St. By 1910, the 47-year-old was still an employer in the electric switchboard manufacturing industry. He and his wife of 13 years, Meta L. (age 35), were German natives and emigrated to the U.S. in 1874. The three Krantz children - Margurite (12), Hubert (K., 11), and Herrman (3) - were New York natives and lived with their parents. Two servants - Fannie Marks (18) and George C. Jaurejurbury (65) - also lived in the home.

Hubert F. operated an amateur radio station with the call signal 2APU by 1916. The three Krantz children still lived in the Argyle Rd. House with their parents in 1920, along with Jeannette (21), the wife of Hubert [K.], an architect. Marguerite graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1919; Hubert K. was a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recent graduate. Mary O'Brien (22) and Marguerite Crooke (43) were the family's servants. The elder son, Hubert K., and Jeannette moved out of his father's home by 1926 and were living in Rockville Centre on Long Island. By 1930, the younger Krantz son, Hermann, was living in Scarsdale, N.Y., in the home of his married sister, Marguerite, and her husband, Emilio Iverson. The Hubert F. Krantz family did not appear on the 1930 U.S. census records. By 1932, he and Meta were living in West Palm Beach, Florida; ironically, their new home was on another Argyle Rd.

By 1928, a man named Sigsbie Gutter lived at 183 Argyle Rd.; he owned the home by 1930. Sigsbie (45) was a retail jeweler and shared the house with his wife, Gertrude (41), and four daughters: Helene L. (20), Beatrice C. (16), Marjory V. (12), and Lucille C. (11). Mary Cole (24), a domestic servant who was born in Ireland, also lived in the home, which was valued at $35,000. Sigsbie and his family moved to a rented apartment a few blocks away by 1940 at 45 Parade Place, a six-story building built in 1931. The 1940 residents of the Argyle Rd. house are unknown.

Beta Theta Pi. Members of Beta Theta Pi in New York City and Vicinity. New York, NY. James T. Brown, 1925.

Dolkart, Andrew S. NRHP Nomination of Prospect Park South Historic District, Brooklyn, N.Y. National Register. Washington, DC. National Park Service, 1979.

Maddison, Isabel. Bryn Mawr College Calendar, Register of Alumnae and Former Students, 1922. Bryn Mawr, PA. Bryn Mawr College, 1922.

New York Supreme Court. Record of Appeal: The application of Sadie Zeitlan,...and Sigsbie Gutter...trustees of the Estate of Philip Zeitlan, deceased. Appellate Division, Second Department. July 15th 1927.

R. L. Polk & Co. Polk's Rockville Centre (Incorporated Village) Directory 1926-1927. New York, NY. R. L. Polk & Co., 1926.

R. L. Polk & Co. Polk's West Palm Beach (Florida) Directory 1932. Jacksonville, FL. R. L. Polk & Co., 1932.

Spellen, Suzanne. Building of the Day: 183 Argyle Road, Brownstoner. March 17th 2011. Accessed February 25th 2022. https://www.brownstoner.com/architecture/building-of-the-259/.

Spellen, Suzanne. Going Medieval in Prospect Park South, Brownstoner. June 6th 2019. Accessed February 25th 2022. https://www.brownstoner.com/architecture/prospect-park-south-flatbush-brooklyn-183-argyle-road-john-petit/.

StreetEasy. Building: 45 Parade Place. Brooklyn, NY, StreetEasy. January 1st 2022. Accessed March 1st 2022. https://streeteasy.com/building/45-parade-place-brooklyn.

U.S. Census. Household of Hubert F. Krantz at 183 Argyle Rd., Brooklyn, N.Y., dwelling 119, family 126. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1910.

U.S. Census. Household of Hubert F. Krantz at 183 Argyle Rd., Brooklyn, N.Y., dwelling 40, family 44. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1920.

U.S. Census. Household of Emilio Iverson at 14 Chesterfield, Scarsdale, Westchester Co., N.Y. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1930.

U.S. Census. Household of Sigsbie Gutter at 183 Argyle Rd., Brooklyn, N.Y., dwelling 56, family 56. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1930.

U.S. Census. Household of Sigsbie Gutter at 45 Parade Place, Brooklyn, N.Y., dwelling 4. Washington, DC. U.S. Government, 1940.

U.S. Department of Commerce. Bureau of Navigation Radio Service. Radio Stations of the United States. Washington, DC. Government Printing Office, 1916.

Upington, George. Upington's Business Directory of Brooklyn. Brooklyn, NY. Brooklyn Directory Office, 1904.