Working-class 19th century buildings along Vanderbilt Avenue designated as a historic district. On July 12, 2011, Landmarks voted to designate the Wallabout Historic District in the Clinton Hill area of Brooklyn. The new district encompasses approximately 55 buildings along a stretch of Vanderbilt Avenue between Myrtle and Park Avenues near the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The district’s name is derived from the Belgian Walloons who settled the area in the 17th century. The district is notable for its rare conglomeration of wood-framed dwellings constructed in the mid- 19th century which largely housed Brooklyn Navy Yard workers. The area was not considered prestigious, and the laborers and tradesmen who lived there constructed less-expensive wooden buildings, rather than the brick and stone architecture that characterized other Brooklyn neighborhoods developed in the same period. The district includes Greek Revival, Italianate, and Gothic Revival architecture.  (read more…)

Broad support voiced for extending Park Slope district, creating new district in Wallabout neighborhood, and protecting row of buildings in Crown Heights. On October 26, 2010, Landmarks considered designating three new Brooklyn historic districts. Landmarks held separate hearings on the proposed Park Slope Historic District Extension, the Wallabout Historic District, and the Park Place Historic District.

The proposed Park Slope extension would encompass 582 buildings located southwest of the original Park Slope Historic District. The district would be generally bounded by 7th and 15th Streets and Seventh and Eighth Avenues. It would also include some properties along Bartel-Pritchard Square and Prospect Park West. The proposed extension features a mix of rowhouses and apartment buildings, many dating to the 1880s, and other notable structures including two 19th century firehouses and the 1879 Ansonia Clock Factory. 7 CityLand 125 (Sept. 15, 2010). (read more…)