Brown Stones
A Brief History of the Boston Brownstone
Winston Churchill once called Commonwealth avenue Òthe most beautiful street in the worldÓ. Boston's Back Bay is steeped in history. Its streets are some of many in Boston that are lined with one of the city's most iconic architectural structures, the brownstone.
Many people dream of owning a brownstone. They are beautifully unique dwellings that are aesthetically held in an era that represents America's fascination with contemporary romanesque, renaissance, and neo-grec styles. Today, they are as much a representation of affluence, style, and architecture, as they were over 100 years ago.
Their elegance and symbolism often prompts many questions. For instance, what is brownstone? What is this material and where does it come from? Why did architects and contractors start using it to construct town houses and row housing? Why does a Boston brownstone look the way it does? Who is responsible for its appearance? Why isn't brownstone used as much as it once was 100 years ago?
What is brownstone?
Brownstone is a sedimentary rock that is granular and porous, and is classified as a Triassic sandstone. The Triassic period is the geological time between 251 and 199 million years ago. It is the first period of the Mesozoic Era following the Permian, the last geological period of the Paleozoic Era.
Where does it come from?
During the Triassic period, large deposits of sandstone were made along the present-day Connecticut River Valley running through Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Its abundance, low mining cost, visual appeal, and proximity to Baltimore, Boston, and New York City make it easy to see why it was being used as a building material in these areas.