In a message dated 8/11/04 11:15:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [log in to unmask] writes: "The neighbourhood was thought remote, and the house was built in a ghastly greenish-yellow stone that the younger architects were beginning to employ as a protest against the brownstone of which the uniform hue coated New York like a cold chocolate sauce; but the plumbing was perfect." Serpentine, I'd guess. A big deposit on the cliffs along the Hudson at Hoboken. I doubt that this is serpentinite. For one thing, it is primarily green; when used for tiles and monuments it is called Verde Antique. Also, this material is quite expensive. I've seen some greenish-yellow sandstones used as dimension stone. In fact, good old "Ohio" sandstone (Berea Sandstone) has a greenish cast to it. I wouldn't use the term "ghastly " to describe them, but than I may not have the dramatic talents of somebody with the first name "Edith." Perish the thought... Steve Stokowski Stone Products Consultants Building Products Microscopy 10 Clark St., Ste. A Ashland, Mass. 01721-2145 508-881-6364 (ph. & fax) http://members.aol.com/crushstone/petro.htm