The Brownstone

The Brownstone
Location	Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.

"Last week, a violent criminal infiltrated this Brownstone while I wasn't here. Hmm? How? You opened the door for him." — Holmes to Watson, "Details".

Brownstone carving.

The Brownstone is a residence located in New York City at 42 Stanford Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 11209. ("We Are Everyone") It is home to Holmes, Watson, Clyde and Bob. It was owned by Sherlock's father Morland until willed to Sherlock, who then willed it to Watson. ("The Visions of Norman P. Horowitz") The house has at least four floors, a basement, and a terrace on the roof. The roof has a view of the Queensboro Bridge and Manhattan, and is also where Sherlock keeps his bees. Its first appearance is in the Season One episode "Pilot".

Rooms

Basement

• Watson establishes an office in the basement and initially, nails the inside door shut so that it is only accessible by the outside door. ("When Your Number's Up") Holmes helps himself to Watson's office and establishes a small lab there. ("Ready or Not") He stores items in the basement such as his "box of swords". ("The Adventures of Ersatz Sobekneferu") There's also a motorcycle stored under the stairs.

First Floor

• The kitchen and Holmes' bedroom are on the first floor which has been referred to as the garden floor (plants can be seen outside the kitchen window). Watson is seen walking downstairs from the second floor to this floor. ("Enough Nemesis To Go Around") ("When Your Number's Up")
• Jamie Moriarty stayed in Holmes' bedroom. ("The Woman") Holmes and Tatiana are seen leaving his bedroom. ("Corpse de Ballet") The evidence wall and files of the case of Charlotte Konig and Zerakem are in Holmes' bedroom. ("A Study in Charlotte") Suffering from a concussion, Holmes throws a chair through his bedroom door, hallucinating that his mother May is burning inside. ("Hurt Me, Hurt You") To help battle post-concussion syndrome, Holmes uses a Victorian sensory deprivation chamber in his bedroom. ("Our Time Is Up")
• Holmes has a hiding place in the bricks of the hearth of his bedroom fireplace. He's hidden a file on Kitty. ("The Five Orange Pipz") He also hid a ring that belonged to his mother May there. ("Turn It Upside Down")
• Watson had the first floor remodelled after Holmes faked his death. Holmes' bedroom became the playroom of her son, Arthur. ("Their Last Bow")

Second (Ground) Floor

• The library and several work rooms are on the second floor which contains the main entrance. One of the work rooms usually contains metal racks with Holmes' locks. The phrenology bust "Angus" and the lighted brain are also in the library as is a framed stamp of the Imperial Jade Seal of China. ("Worth Several Cities")
• Holmes has hidden cameras inside of books in the library ("M.") but confirms they've been removed except for ones that monitor the front door. ("One Watson, One Holmes") He's hidden drugs in the book "A Library of Poetry and Song" by William Bryant. ("The Man With the Twisted Lip")
• Various weapons are hidden in the library. ("M.") A knife is hidden by the front door. ("On the Line")
• Watson had the ground floor remodelled after Holmes faked his death. ("Their Last Bow")

Third and Fourth (Top) Floor

• Workrooms and the media room are on the third floor.
• Watson's bedroom and the bathroom are on the fourth (top) floor. Watson observes honey dripping from the beehives on the rooftop when exiting the bathroom and heading to her bedroom. ("Pilot") It is possible that a workroom exists on the fourth floor.

Back Door

• Holmes is seen retrieving newspapers left at the back door. ("The Diabolical Kind") Holmes and Watson enter through the back door when Holmes suspects a bomb has been planted in the Brownstone. ("The Invisible Hand") It's revealed the door is on the first (garden) floor when an empty rum bottle is thrown through the door's window. ("How to Get a Head") Cassie sneaks into the Brownstone through the back door. ("Miss Understood")

Rooftop

• Holmes hides the letters from Moriarty in one of the beekeeping boxes on the roof. ("The Diabolical Kind") He's also used the rooftop for a variety of other purposes including testing explosives (using tennis balls) ("The Long Fuse"), watching movies ("A Controlled Descent") and recreating crime scenes. ("A View with a Room")

Location

• Although the Brownstone is in Brooklyn on the show, the outside of the building is shot in Harlem, New York City, with interiors shot at Silvercup Studios in Queens. The roof is a real rooftop in New York City and is located on a parking garage at the corner of 10th St & 44th Av.
• The Brownstone is also seen on W 121st Street (near the intersection with Malcolm X Blvd), just around the corner from "Owens Funeral Home" in Harlem. ("Wrong Side of the Road")

Trivia

• Detective Bell's first visit is in "The Long Fuse" while Captain Gregson's first visit is in "M.".
• Neighbors include Connie and her daughter Emmanuelle (who live two doors away) ("One Watson, One Holmes") and Trent Garby (next door at #9). ("A Study in Charlotte")