Franz Joseph Berlenbach Jr. (1825 – 15 February 1895) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

who specialized in designing

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

es. He acted as a consultant for architectural designs for the Archdiocese of Brooklyn,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and the Sisters of the Order of St. Dominic. He is also known simply as F.J. Berlenbach.Design and Construction
, Description and Analysis, F. J. Berlenbach House.

Biography

Born in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, Berlenbach Jr. was the oldest son of his

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

immigrant father and builder/carpenter, Franz Joseph Berlenbach Sr., who was born in Pfalz,

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. After living in

, the Berlenbach family moved to Williamsburgh, Brooklyn,

Collins, Linda
New Landmark in Williamsburg
Brooklyn Space, ''The Brooklyn Eagle''. in 1863. They settled in a house presently known as the "F. J. Berlenbach House" (or "the Berlenbach House"), which was erected in 1887 by Berlenbach Jr. and Berlenbach Sr. using the Queen-Anne style of design. They lived in this home until 1899. The house, located at 174 Meserole Street, Brooklyn, New York,Neighborhood Preservation Center
F.J. Berlenbach House
was owned by Berlenbach Sr.City Planning Commission, June 23, 2004/Calendar No.15 N 040463 HKK
.tom fletcher's new york architecture images and notes

The

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the Government of New York City, New York City agency charged with administering the city's Historic preservation, Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting Ne ...

designated this house a landmark on May 11, 2004. New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
Landmarks Preservation Commission Designates Two Rare Survivors
. Finbar RCC Benson Av B19 St jeh

Professional life

For a time, Berlenbach Jr. worked for the architectural designing firm of

James Renwick Jr James Renwick Jr. (November 11, 1818 – June 23, 1895) was an American architect known for designing churches and museums. He designed the Smithsonian Institution Building in Washington, D.C., and St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. ''The ...

in 1880. He opened his own company in 1885, an office in 260 Graham Avenue. In partnership with father, Franz Joseph Berlenbach Sr., both engaged primarily in the building of tenements and small residential houses in Williamsburg, New York. Berlenbach Jr. became involved in designing Roman Catholic churches, specializing in the Romanesque style although also created designs influenced by

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

later on. His architectural creations included St. Finbar Church, the Assumption Church, St. Joseph Church, the Blessed Sacrament Church, the St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, the St. Matthias Roman Catholic Parish, and the Parish Hall ("Institute") of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria NY (1909). For the Dominican congregation, Berlenbach Jr. accepted jobs from Convent of the Order of St. Dominic in 1889, the Annunciation School in 1892, the Convent of the Church of the Annunciation in 1889,Waite, Thomas L
Mixing Restoration and Homesteading
''New York Times'', September 6, 1987 and the St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church during the mid-1890s.St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church
''The Founding of St. Sebastian's''
. and Visitation Monastery, Bay Ridge Brooklyn, completed in 1913.

References

External links

of the F.J. Berlenbach House, from nyc-architecture.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Berlenbach, Franz J. Jr. 1825 births 1895 deaths Architects from Milwaukee Architects from New York City American people of German descent American ecclesiastical architects Architects of Roman Catholic churches Defunct architecture firms based in New York City