222 Columbia Heights ca. 1936

This mansion built in 1865 for the Cornell family stood at the end of Columbia Heights, the street overlooking the East River in Brooklyn Heights. By including at the left side of the composition an electric streetlight, an automobile, and a sliver of Manhattan’s skyline, Abbott documented not only the house but the passage of time. Although Brooklyn Heights was designated a historic district in 1965, the Cornell mansion was torn down and replaced in 1982 with a small apartment house. To meet landmark regulations, the new building conformed to the irregular contours of the mansion.