翻译brownstones are being renovated as the middle classes---

你这句出自于2003年Business Week的An Inner-City Renaissance文章。

原句是：Despite the aftermath of September 11 and a sluggish economy, condos are still going up and brownstones are being renovated as the middle classes -- mostly minorities but also whites -- snap up houses that are cheap by Manhattan standards.

翻译：尽管911的余波仍在，经济也十分萧条，然而公寓的价格仍在上涨，以赤褐色砂石建造的别墅也被重新整修，原因是中等阶级（大多数是其他种族，但也有白人）抢购在曼哈顿地段还算便宜的房子。

希望回答对你有帮助。