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| Architect George Pool Chappell with his first wife, Hester Louisa Candee Chappell |
George Pool Chappell was born in 1857 in the then Bedford section of
Brooklyn NY. When I first moved to Bedford Stuyvesant it was George
Chappell's 1888 First AMEZ Church ( Tompkins Avenue Congregational
Church) on MacDonough Street and Tompkins Avenue that caught my
attention. The campanile was Bedford Stuyvesant's own venetian tower I
thought to myself. Tompkins Avenue Congregational Church AKA Dr.
Meredith House was one of the largest protestant sanctuaries in the
country. I often wonder how such a young architect at the time got such
a large commission. I think it has a bit has to do with Chappell living
across the street from the church site at the time.
About two years ago I got my own commission to do renovation work on a
beautiful landmarked George P. Chappell house on Dean Street. While surveying that
house I began to respect this very smart Victorian architect. I
wanted to know more about him his works, what kind of man was he... The good news is that we know
much of his Brooklyn works
(look here) the bad news is we know nothing about this mystery man except he was very respected and a stand-up citizen of Brooklyn .
According to Suzanne Spellen (aka Montrose Morris on brownstoner.com)
Chappell appears in Brooklyn directories in 1878. We know nothing about
his education or possible
apprenticeships or training. We do know that he was extremely talented,
and prolific. Most of his work was done in what is now Crown Heights
North, Bedford Stuyvesant, and Park Slope, along with a lesser amount
of work in Clinton Hill and other neighborhoods. He is listed in the
census as living in Bedford Stuyvesant, on Monroe Street, when he was
23, with his mother and grandmother, and he is listed as a builder.
Later in life, he moved to Crown Heights North, and lived on St. Marks
Avenue, at least in the beginning of the 20th century. As more and more
areas become landmarked, or at least researched, more Chappell buildings
are being re-discovered and credited to him. Chappell should be name Mr
Dean Street of Mr. Crown Heights. Most of the ohh ahhh buildings in
that neighborhood are done by Chappell.
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Tompkins Avenue Congregational
Church b.1888 G.P. Chappell Architect
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I want to focus on the George P. Chappell buildings in the Proposed but
not landmarked Bedford Historic District. According to a tour I
attended with Guru Andrew Dolkart, architect George Chappell earliest buildings in
this Bedford area are 76 and 78 Halsey built sometime before 1885.
Chappell was one of the first architects to not use the typical Neo-Grec
house designs in Bedford. Chappell's 76 and 78 Halsey Street is done
in the simple Romanesque Revival Style which added some spice to this
area.
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| 78 and 76 Halsey Street George Chappell Architect built around 1883 |
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| Front elevation of 76 Halsey Street George Chappell Architect |
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| 78 and 76 Halsey Street George Chappell Architect built around 1883 |
In 1886 Chappell out did himself in Bedford with the house he designed
at 194 Hancock Street for Louis Gibbins. 194 Hancock Street uses
Renaissance-inspired forms and details, which tend to exhibit a more
elegant handling of materials and ornament. The current owners have
done a great deal of work restore this house back to its original glory.
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| 194 Hancock Street b.1887 G.P. Chappell architect/ original owner Louis Gibbins |
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| 194 Hancock Street b.1887 G.P. Chappell architect/ original owner Louis Gibbins |
1887 was a busy year for Chappell in Bedford District with the building
of nine house being designed and built. 60 Macon Street Done in a
classic Chappell style using a large bay front done in brick with a boat
cut brownstone base. Oriels on the side to give this place great light
and garden views.
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| 60 Macon Street b.1887 G.P. Chappell architect/ Built by Arnold Wagner |
Chappell will be very surprise today to learn that many of
his houses are now on the market for a million dollars here in Bedford, Crown Heights North and Park Slope. This group at 271 - 279 Jefferson was built
for developer Susanna and Walter Russell who built much of the
Proposed Bedford District. We see from
Prudential Douglas Elliman
photos that Chappell's signature fret, woodwork and stain glass are
still intact in 271 Jefferson.
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| 271 -279 B. 1887 G.P. Chappell Architect; S.E.C. Russell Builder/Developer |
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The last group of Chappell 1887 homes in
Bedford are probably his most famous but not because of the
architecture but due to Spike Lee movie Crooklyn filmed at 7 Arlington
Place. 1 - 7 Arlington Place are some of my favorite but somewhat
simple homes done by Chappell. The end two houses, which are united by
continuous sills and moldings, also share rusticated stone first floors
and denticulated moldings. The two middle houses share similar
brownstone facades with stone trim, identical cornices, and continuous
moldings, all four houses remain well preserved.
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| 1 - 7 Arlington Pl /B. 1887 G.P. Chappell Architect; Horace Russell Builder/Developer |
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| 1 - 7 Arlington Pl from Halsey Street G.P. Chappell Architect 1887 |
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| George Pool Chappell with his second wife, Clare Chase Chappell, his
daughter, Marjorie Halstead, and his 2 grandchildren, Hester and Berrian
Halstead. |
Finally the Macon. This is Chappell's largest residential building in
the Bedford District. Chappell really took advantage of the curved
intersection of Macon and Arlington Place. This grand apartment was
built sometime in the 1890s most likely after the World Columbian
Exposition in Chicago in the classical style of the White City. This
building was built to compete with other high end flats such as the
Alhambra and the Renaissance all within the same area. George P.
Chappell has many other buildings in Bedford Stuyvesant but I wanted to
focus on the proposed landmarked buildings.
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| 1890s The Macon George P. Chappell Architect |
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| George Pool Chappell at work… |
Chappell worked over fifty years building much of Bedford, Stuyvesant
Heights, Crown Heights North, Clinton Hill and Park Slope. George Pool
Chappell died in June 1933.
To learn more about George Pool Chappell please join us tomorrow for a
MAS Crown Heights North Walking tour: http://mas.org/tours/
