Angel Guardian Home, Main Building
The landmark highlights the history of social services in Brooklyn. On November 10, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted to designate the Angel Guardian Home as an individual landmark. The Angel Guardian Home, located at 6301 12th Avenue in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, is a former orphanage operated by the Sisters of Mercy. It is the first individual landmark in Dyker Heights.
The highlight in red show the portion of the entire lot that has been designated. Image Credit: LPC
The former orphanage encompasses the entire 12th Avenue frontage between 63rd and 64th Streets, and is composed of four original, completely intact buildings: a central administration building, a nursery building, a reception and intake building, and a laundry building. However, only a portion of the block that covers the main building has been designated. The main building is the focus of the designation because other portions of the full block lot are being developed by multiple developers, and Landmarks thought it more important to at least preserve the main building. For CityLand’s prior coverage, click here.
The building was built in 1899 by George H. Streeting in an Ecclesiastical Beaux-Arts style. The four story building features carved limestone door surrounds, segmental arched and round-arched windows, ornamental copper cornices, limestone quions, carved wreaths and foliate motifs. It originally served as an orphanage, then used to house unwed mothers and their children in the mid-twentieth century. Later, the complex was used as a senior center.
Landmarks Chair Sarah Carroll stated, “The Angel Guardian Home, the first landmark in Dyker Heights, is a highly prominent building that is both architecturally and historically significant. The combination of its sophisticated architectural style, its grand presence within the neighborhood, and its historic importance as a social services institution in Brooklyn distinguishes the Angel Guardian Home.”
Kelly Carroll, Director of Advocacy and Community Outreach at the Historic Districts Council stated, “The Historic Districts Council thanks the Landmarks Preservation Commission for acting to designate the first landmark in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. We advocated for the designation of the entire Angel Guardian campus since 2017, when the sale of the property was announced, fearing demolition. We now understand that the Mercy Building will be demolished for development because it was left out of the landmark boundary, which is a significant loss. This building is absolutely meritorious, as it shares the same architecture and history as the main building, which will be preserved.”
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the CityLaw fellow and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)
Thank you Landmarks Preservation Commission for designating ANGEL GUARDIAN HOME as an individual landmark. As a home to many orphans, myself included, it needs to be recognized.
As Kelly Carroll mentioned, the home is architecturally and historically significant and should be remembered.
We all thank you for landmarketing this property, but we wanted something for our community and neighbors to be there. Not a Jewish School. We were hoping for assistant living, for the seniors that don’t have to leave there neighborhood.