brownstone front, n. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

brownstone front n.

[their brownstone houses]

1. (US) meton., an aristocrat, a member of the upper classes who lives in such a building.

[1875		T. Yelverton Teresina in America n.p.: In New York [...] most men’s ambition is to live in a house with a ‘brown stone front’].
1883		Daily News 10 Oct. in Ware (1909) 50/1: In New York politics, efforts are sometimes made to bring about what are called the primary elections in July, because in that month, as it is said, ‘the brown stone fronts are out of town.’.
1904		C. Connors Bowery Life [ebook] A guy wot's hungry can't eat de cover off a book, kin he, an’ if he's out uv work how is a brown-stone front goin’ ter put him next?
[1903		A.H. Lewis Boss 165: When you do get th’ stuff, don’t go to buildin’ brownstone fronts, an’ buyin’ trottin’ horses].
[1911		S. Ford Torchy 264: Say, you talk about the East Side double deckers; but they’re brownstone fronts compared to some of these corporation shacks across the meadows!].

2. (US short order, also brownstone mansion) in catering use, as a play on sense 1.

(a) corned beef hash.

1886

N.Y. Dispatch 1 Aug. 7/6: ‘Hold on,’ said the customer. ‘I guess I’ll have corned beef hash instead.’ ‘Blockade that two in a bowl,’ shouted the waiter; ‘make it brown stone front.‘.

(b) steak.

1886		Marion (OH) Daily Star 22 Nov. 3/3: In the better class of restaurants ‘a brown stone front’ means porterhouse steak, while ‘double brown stone’ is porterhouse for two.
1887		‘Dict. of Diningroom Sl.’ in Brooklyn Daily Eagle 3 July 13: ‘Brown stone front’ is another name for porter house steak.
1897		L.A. Times 9 Apr. 5: ‘Wake up,’ he cried, ‘one brown stone front, side of a funeral; two Irish lemons with all clothes on; plate of punk; an easy smear of axle grease and draw one in the dark, cap it all off with a farmer’s alliance.’.

1908

Commercial (Union City, TN) 22 May 5/1: ‘Brownstone front.’ Baked pork and beans [...] ‘Brownstone mansion with white wings.’ Ham and eggs.

In phrases

put on a brownstone front (v.)

(US) .

1922

(ref. to 1870s) N.Y. Times 10 Apr. 14/2: Time was, even no later than the ’70s, when ‘to put on a brownstone front’, in the slang of that day, was to assume the exterior apearance in clothes and manners of [...] leaders in society, finance and mercantile pursuits.