The Ridgewood Project

I recently moved to Ridgewood, Queens. 

We found this old brick townhouse in a neighborhood on the border of Queens and Brooklyn. It was first settled by a German community in the early 20th century, during which time these houses were constructed. The facades are all made of yellow brick. There are ones with front porches and ones that are three to four family apartment buildings, but ours is a two family, bay window townhouse. It turns out the same family owned this house since it was built. And now that we've started cleaning and uncovering the floors, we've unearthed artifacts that point to an older, more mythic city. Inside the walls, under the floors, in the corners of the rooms.