Building Inventory Research Assignment, Due Monday, October 6th

BUILDING INVENTORY

An inventory is list of things, usually a type of property, such as items in a store.  A building inventory is a list of the types of buildings in your neighborhood.  You will be doing a building inventory of your neighborhood as well as creating an accompanying photo document of one of your neighborhood’s blocks. 

I.  STEP ONE, IN CLASS:  How old are the buildings in my neighborhood?

1. Log on to the following link:

http://bklynr.com/block-by-block-brooklyns-past-and-present/

2. Find your neighborhood.  Look at the color of the buildings and compare that color to the date graph at the lower right hand corner. 

3.  Move your curser over the buildings in your neighborhood.  The address of the building and the date it was built will appear in the upper right-hand corner.

4.  Answer the following questions:

How old is your home?

How old are the buildings on your block?

What is the oldest building in your neighborhood? Where is it?

What is the newest building in your neighborhood? Where is it?

What is the age of most of the buildings in your neighborhood?

Now come up with 3 research questions about your neighborhood based on your data?

CONJECTURE:

Looking at our timeline, and using your prior knowledge of your neighborhood, can you make an educated guess as to why the oldest buildings might have been built when they were? As to why the newest buildings might have been built when they were?  About where they are located?

II. STEP TWO, IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD:  What kinds of building are in my neighborhood?

Choose a section of your neighborhood to investigate.  Or choose two sections!  That’s up to you, but each section must include at least a 5 x5 block area. 

Where did you walk? ________________________________________________________

INVENTORY OF RESIDENCES

Which types of residences are in your neighborhood?

res·i·dence n  the house, apartment, or other dwelling in which somebody lives

CIRCLE All THAT APPLY TO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

1.    ROW HOUSES:

FAÇADES (the Façade is the Face of the building):   

• Brownstone              (painted or unpainted)
• Brick               (painted and unpainted)
• Limestone
• Aluminum siding

Average # of floors:             _____________________

Stoops                                    Y                     N

Gates                                      Y                     N

Ornamentation?                  Y                     N

If yes, describe: 

2.  LARGE APARTMENT BUILDINGS:

• Brick
• Glass and steel

Average # of floors:  ___________________________

Ornamentation?

If yes, describe:

Were these apartments:

• Built to be apartments                                         Y                     N
• Renovated Industrial buildings                          Y                     N
• Renovated commercial buildings                       Y                     N
• Renovated municipal or religious bldgs           Y                     N

4.  INDIVIDUAL HOUSES

• Wood
• Brick
• Stone

Average # of floors ________________________________

Front yards?                       Y         N

Porches?                              Y         N

Steps?                                   Y         N

Gates?                                   Y         N

Ornamentation?                 Y         N

If yes, describe:

CONJECTURE:

Which types of residences are most prevalent (widely occurring) in your neighborhood? Looking at our timeline, and using your prior knowledge of your neighborhood, can you make an educated guess about why these building were built when they were? About where they are located?

COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS                   

COMMERICAL

• Where located?
• Mom-and-Pop                                   Y                     N
• Big Box Store                                   Y                     N

INDUSTRIAL

• Where located?
• In use as a factory today?              Y                     N

CONJECTURE

Why might these commercial and/or industrial buildings be located where they are in your neighborhood?  When was the average date the commercial and/or residential buildings were built?  Looking at our class timeline, can you make an educated guess as to why they were built at this time?