In the Brooklyn Eagle this week, Kristin Leahy, manager of the National Guard Bureau Cultural Resources Program, sought to clarify the federal government’s role in the potential preservation of Admiral’s Row:

The buildings along Admiral’s Row are both eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places individually and as a historic district. Because of this, the process stipulated within the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) will require the National Guard Bureau to consider the effects to the individual buildings and the district as a whole that will result from the proposed property transfer. Any outcome to the buildings both individually and as a district, however, will be determined during the NHPA process. The NHPA process does not mandate preservation of any number of buildings because they are deemed eligible for listing on the National Register. Rather, the law requires the Federal agency involved to consider the effects of their actions and evaluate viable alternatives.

Bottom line: A full tear-down is far from a done-deal but there’s nothing stopping the Guard from imposing a death sentence on Admiral’s Row. An article in the most recent issue of The Brooklyn Paper quotes Leahy saying, There is no telling [what the outcome will be]. We have to sit down with both parties and try to come up with a compromise.
Real Estate Round-Up [Brooklyn Eagle]
Battle Lines Drawn Over ‘Row’ Future [Brooklyn Paper]
Admiral’s Row: The Projected Costs of Preservation [Brownstoner]
Admiral’s Row: “Extremely High Level of Historic Integrity” [Brownstoner]
Image from Brit in Brooklyn