brownstone

American  

[broun-stohn] / ˈbraʊnˌstoʊn /

noun

1. a reddish-brown sandstone, used extensively as a building material.

2. Also called brownstone front.  a building, especially a row house, fronted with this stone.

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adjective

1. Archaic. belonging or pertaining to the well-to-do class.

brownstone British  

/ ˈbraʊnˌstəʊn /

noun

1. a reddish-brown iron-rich sandstone used for building

2. a house built of or faced with this stone

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Etymology

Origin of brownstone

First recorded in 1830–40; brown + stone

Example Sentences

The result was a far cry from the dilapidated state the Carroll Gardens brownstone had been in when Harbour and Allen purchased it.

From MarketWatch

My favorite residence is our smallest—a floor in a Boston brownstone.

From The Wall Street Journal

For the architects, the descending bleachers constitute a “reverse stoop,” another monumentalized form, this time of the brownstone stoops that are the front-row seats to Harlem’s street life.

From The Wall Street Journal

She later had a “vision” of a Manhattan brownstone and was soon living in one thanks to Cornelius Vanderbilt.

From The Wall Street Journal

Black and openly gay, Hudson still lives in the Prospect Heights brownstone where she grew up.

From The Wall Street Journal