"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