St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Greenpoint Reformed Church, 119-125, 122-124, and 139-151 Milton Street

155 Milton Street, Theobold Engelhardt, 1891-92
138 Milton Street, Thomas C. Smith, 1866-67
Thomas C. Smith, 1876
Theobold Engelhardt, 1889
Thomas C. Smith, 1894

Milton Street between Franklin Street and Manhattan Avenue is one of the neighborhood’s most picturesque blocks, with rows of houses designed in the neo-Classical, Queen Anne and Italianate styles. The block features two lovely churches: St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran and Greenpoint Reformed Church. St. John’s was built in the German neo-Gothic style of brick with terra-cotta ornament. It features a flying buttress at its western corner, lancet windows and a plaque above the central arched window carved with the church’s name in German. Its architect, Theobold Engelhardt, also designed numbers 122 and 124 across the street, the latter of which now serves as the St. John’s parish house. Designed in the Queen Anne style as near twins, their rich brownstone and ironwork details differ slightly, lending visual interest and dimension. The Greenpoint Reformed Church was originally the Greek Revival home of Thomas C. Smith, owner of the Union Porcelain Works and a local architect/ builder. On this block, Smith is also responsible for numbers 119-125 and 139-151, which is a particularly distinctive row with arched, recessed loggias at the third floors. Each site is located within the Greenpoint Historic District, and the State and National Register Historic District boundaries.

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