Cronyn, William B., House
Also known as: House at 271 Ninth Street
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Rising three stories on Ninth Street in Brooklyn, this freestanding house was built in 1856-57 for William B. Cronyn, a prosperous Wall Street merchant who had bought four farm lots in 1854. Its dominant feature is a slate mansard roof with end pavilions, iron cresting, dormers and a central cupola with a clerestory, set off by a bracketed cornice. Three-sided bays flank a portico entrance, and the frame and brick walls are covered in smooth stucco. The site lay within the former Rem Adriance farm, subdivided for development from the 1840s. Cronyn's family sold the property in 1862. Daniel H. Gray, a sulphur refiner, lived there from 1879, and in 1898 Charles M. Higgins acquired it as headquarters for his India ink company, with a factory at the rear. The house is again a residence. It is regarded as a rare example of French Second Empire design among the area's rowhouses, symbolizing its first owner's prestige.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a fine and rare example of French Second Empire suburban residential architecture of the late 1850s, reflecting its original owner's prosperity. Most mid-nineteenth-century housing in this part of Brooklyn was rowhouses, so this large freestanding residence stands out. It also illustrates the area's development, including later commercial use as an ink factory headquarters.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82005030, listed June 3, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 271 9th St., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Brooklyn |
| Listed | June 3, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82005030 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 (specific dates 1856-57) |
| Architectural style | French Second Empire |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied; used again as a private residence after serving as an India ink company headquarters until the mid-twentieth century. Condition is listed as good, altered, on its original site. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.66987, -73.98731 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82005030.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8004780
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.