In the 1880s, the old Lorenz Hufnagle property was sold off in lots and built over with little frame houses like this.
Later, when Island Avenue became a commercial district, the little frame houses were replaced by storefronts and apartment buildings—except this one, which survived almost unaltered. At some point it was sheathed in diamond asbestos-cement shingles, which are nearly perfectly preserved. It would probably cost a fortune to remove them because of the asbestos, but in this stable state they pose no danger.(1)
Footnotes
- Even this company that sells professional asbestos testing and inspection advises homeowners with asbestos shingles, “If the asbestos materials are in good condition, leave them alone.” (↩)
