295 East 139th Street

Mott Haven | built 1873

The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.

Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.

1874
Samuel Briggs's two-story house is standing on East 139th Street by 1874
The Landmarks Preservation Commission's report records that this small house was put up for Samuel Briggs at some point before 1874. Only two stories tall, it sits noticeably lower than the taller houses to its east, and its first-floor windows are much larger than those on the floor above. Segmental arches cap the doorway and every window, and a paneled roof cornice rests on four ornamental brackets.
“This two story house was built for Samuel Briggs some time before 1874. It appears extremely low, by contrast with its neighbors to the east.”
Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission
1969
July 29
Landmarks report finds the Briggs house's lower cornices damaged but praises its proportions
When the Mott Haven Historic District was designated on July 29, 1969, the commission noted that the cornices over the first-floor window lintels and the doorway had been damaged, while those on the second floor survived intact. Despite the house's small size, the report judged it pleasing thanks to its good proportions.
“The cornices of the window lintels at the first floor and that of the doorway have been damaged, but those at the second floor are still intact.”
Source: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission

Nearby