LIFE IN A HARLEM TOWNHOUSE (1910)
Brownstone Detectives investigates the history of our clients’ homes.
The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations.
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No. 65 W. 119th St. in Harlem was owned by Alfred L. Silberstein, whose family brought him to the United States from German when he was three years old. He founded Griffon Cutlery Works. He lived in the brownstone with his wife, 5 children, 3 servants, & his mother-in-law, for roughly 20 years.
The family brownstone, according to an ad from the period, was a “three story, high stoop basement dwelling, with extension, butler’s pantry, 10 rooms and two baths, handsomely finished; electric light and parquet floors.”
Silberstein would advertise the townhouse for sale a few years later at a value of $20K (although he would take $16K).
By 1920 Silberstein was living in one of the new apartment houses in Manhattan located at No. 600 West 157th Street. At this point, he was an importer of cutlery.
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Brownstone Detectives is a property research agency. Our mission is to research, document, and save the histories of our clients’ historic properties. From this research, we produce our celebrated House History Books. Each book is fully cited, featuring detailed narratives and colorful graphics, and is designed to bring the history of any house to life. Contact us today to begin discovering the history of your home.
