More than 50 people showed up on Wednesday night to learn more about the effort to landmark Prospect Heights. Wedged in between the historic districts of Park Slope, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Crown Heights (see map—click to enlarge), Prospect Heights remains particularly vulnerable to losing its considerable collection of historic structures. One reason is the neighborhood’s relative lack of density: it’s very underbuilt compared to what the zoning laws currently allow. In the past couple of year’s, we’ve chronicled a couple of the buildings that have already paid the ultimate price, 528 Bergen Street (before and after) and 330 Park Place. At Wednesday’s meeting, reps from Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, the Municipal Art Society and the Historic Districts Council spoke, respectively, to both the threat from development, the quality of the architectural stock and landmarking’s positive impact on property values. Then Mary Beth Betts, director of research for the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), delivered the money shot: “[Prospect Heights] is at the top of the list of [potential historic] districts that we’re looking at.” Given the number of areas clamoring for face time with the LPC, that must have come as welcome news for the pro-preservation crowd. Next step: Getting Bob Tierney out for a walking tour. Meanwhile, Community Board 8 has commissioned a study to help it evaluate whether a rezoning (read: downzoning) may be in order. More on that later.
Promising Prospects for Prospect Heights Historic Designation [AY Report]
Growing Momentum for P’spect Heights Landmarking [Brownstoner]