Rendering of Approved 352-360 Clermont Ave. Image Credit: Landmarks and CWB Architects

New rowhouses in Fort Greene will feature curb cuts and garages. On September 10, 2019, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered and voted to approve a Certificate of Appropriateness to construct five new four-story rowhouses at 352-360 Clermont Avenue in the Fort Greene Historic District in Brooklyn. The site is currently used as a one story garage and parking lot. Brendan Coburn of CWB Architects presented on behalf of the applicant.

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Houses on the west side of the proposed East 25th Street Historic District. Image Credit: LPC

The proposed designation received strong support from block residents and the Community Board. On September 22, 2020, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the Proposed East 25th Street Historic District. The East 25th Street Historic District consists of 56 row houses on both sides of East 25th Street between Clarendon Road and Avenue D in Flatbush, Brooklyn. The historic district consists of the houses between 314 – 378 East 25th Street. (more…)

Rendering of 39 South Elliot Place. Image Credit: R.A. Max Studio.

Materials and proportions identified for criticism in proposal to build limestone-clad rowhouse on narrow vacant lot. On May 24, 2016, the Landmarks Preservation Commission considered an application to construct a new building on a vacant lot at 39 South Elliott Place in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Historic District. The mid-block lot was once occupied, but the building was demolished prior to the district’s 1978 designation. The new building will be used for residential purposes. (more…)

Google Street View of 434 Vanderbilt Avenue

“White knight” owner stepped in to rehabilitate 1866 townhouse after building fell into disrepair. On June 5, 2012, Landmarks approved a proposal to dismantle and reconstruct the deteriorating facade of an 1866 Second-Empire building at 434 Vanderbilt Avenue in the Fort Greene Historic District. In addition to rebuilding the front facade, the proposal included plans to build a rear metal deck on top of an existing one-story extension. The owner also plans to replace the windows on the rear facade with glass entry doors to the deck. The work at the rear would be partially visible from street vantages.

According to Landmarks staff member Joshua Speakman, prior to 2006 a former owner performed illegal work on the home, which included replacing the roof, windows, and historic dormers. Subsequent owners took steps to repair and stabilize the dilapidated structure, which included installing temporary steel (more…)

Neighborhood had originally been surveyed for designation in the 1970s. At its September 19th meeting, Landmarks held a hearing on the proposed Proposed Crown Heights North Historic District. The district, on land that was once part of the Lefferts family’s large holdings, had originally been surveyed in the 1970s along with the Fort Greene and Park Slope historic districts. An upper-class suburb in the 1870s, several free-standing Victorian homes still remain in the neighborhood. Following the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge, developers built residential Neo-Grecian row houses to accommodate the expanding community. Near the turn of the century, Queen Anne and Neo- Romanesque styles began to predominate, which then gave way to the Renaissance Revival style. In the 1920s, Crown Heights became a haven for immigrant communities, and apartment buildings in the Tudor, Art-Deco, and Mediterranean styles were added. The district incorporates the individually landmarked Imperial Apartments. The proposal was calendared in June 2006. 3 CityLand 93 (July 15, 2006).

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, who grew up in Crown Heights, spoke at the hearing in favor of designation. He noted that it was the first hearing on a proposed Brooklyn Historic district since Vinegar Hill, designated in 1997, and that he hoped to attend more hearings on Brooklyn designations. City Council Members Letitia James and Albert Vann also urged designation, with James promising to preserve affordable housing within the district. (more…)