A Brooklyn Brownstone With History

I never knew Jane,Thor and Mushroom but I really miss them.

I was a colleague of Jane's at Chapin but only in her later years. I was thrilled to see this story with photos of the young Jane working so lovingly in her home. She was a brilliant teacher and loved by her students and faculty. She will be missed. Thank you for this glimpse into her home life.

What a lovely article, thank you NY Times this is why I subscribe. Prior to this I read an article in the Real Estate section about a single mother feeling fortunate to find a two-bedroom in Battery Park City with a rent of "just" $5485 a month. That's great for those who can afford it but the sad reality is that New York has changed and not for the better when regular New Yorkers are priced out of the city. We moved to a small New England town to raise our children partly due to the lack of affordable housing in New York, but the city will always have my heart. I'm looking forward to looking at the Rindens' scrapbook online.

Mrs Rinden was a gem, my favorite English teacher and will be greatly missed. This story is a lovely homage to her life. Thank you for celebrating her life this way.

Ah.... a five bedroom brown stone in NYC on a teacher's salary. Seems a reasonable expectation.

My wife and I renovated a brownstone at 373 Union back in the early 70's and knew Thor and Jane and often traded ideas and labor. It is such a pleasure to see the photos of the finished product and know how much love and work went into a beautiful home. Those were exciting and fulfilling times. Really appreciate the article.

I really love this. I believe renovating would not be a good idea. It is it's own museum in a way and filled with love!

Great house. Great story Get that journal published, I’ll buy a copy

Bravo & Kudos...

Fantastic. The Rinden couple clearly lived a rich and full life---it's evidenced in every room of that stunning home.

Bittersweet.

I hope whoever buys it appreciates its recent history and doesn't make drastic changes.

I wish we could see the outside, too.

I am an archivist for the local history collection at the Brooklyn Public Library, and I wonder where the scrapbook and other renovation documentation will go if the new buyers do not want it. It would be wonderful to make it available to researchers at a public institution. The playbills could also go to an archival collection, and I'm sure many other such items in this beautiful home.

This touched me right where I live: at home. My house is one which I worked with my husband (and 2 young children at the time we bought it) and totally restored and transformed it throughout. It took years of constant hard work. It is really a "handmade" home. Every aspect reflects our hearts and souls and our combined artistic talents. We are living here now over 17 years and every year there are new elements added and expanded since we also have a large piece of land and a magicial forest outside our back door. Old fruit trees and a large garden has nourished our lives, our love, and has brought us a joy that is not to be found in hiring a decorater at any price. It reflects our lives, our spirits, and our family through the years. Our children are grown and come home whenever they have time to refresh themselves in the love they grew up in. This is truly a labor of love! We have very large kitchen windows. Endless sky before me. Mountains around. Castles in the distance. I can see Hungary on a clear day. I loved it the first moment I saw it. I knew what it could be and what it would be. Its not far from a major city. Best of both worlds. We hope it will stay in our family for generations even if its used only as a summer home and on vacations and holidays. So much love and so many memories here. Its ours now and its more than a dream come true. I was born NYC and never thought I'd one day live in paradise! I do, and I feel so blessed. The Hills Are Alive!

I love this story and wish I could see the entire journal combined with pictures of all the rooms today. they seem to have done a great job of renovation.