Then and Now: The Mansions on Ocean and Newkirk

These mansions on Ocean Ave at Newkirk are iconic, and not for a good reason. One has been meticulously preserved, and the other has fallen into disrepair. According to Brownstoner, these homes were built in 1898 by an architect named George Palliser, who created many of the homes in the historic sections of Bridgeport, CT. Brownster calls them the “Brush house” and “Van Ness” house after their original owners, and it’s unfortunate that the house with the cooler name is not as well preserved. The daughter of the Brush family lived with her husband (Mr. Van Ness) and family next door , and Palliser designed the homes to complement each other. They have a lot more differences than they used to.

The mansions on Ocean Ave at Newkirk in 2019, known as the Brush House and the Van Ness House. There’s now a construction barrier around the Van Ness House (on the right).

This postcard from circa 1900 shows the Brush and Van Ness homes shortly after they were built. Ocean Ave is unrecognizable as a dirt road.

This photo, from the other angle, was published in a 1908 scrapbook by a member of the Ditmas family, Charles Andrew Ditmas. Back then, cameras were new-fangled technology that only rich people like the Ditmases could afford.

The Brush House lookin’ good in 2019, holding down the southeast corner of the Ditmas Park Historic District.

The Van Ness House is in such disrepair that gray clouds hang over it even on sunny days (just kidding, I took these photos on different days).

More Then and Now photos…