Discussion About Expanding the Fort Greene HD Begins

Last night the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Fort Greene Association answered questions about the proposed expansion of the Fort Greene Historic District. The expansion would extend the district onto Myrtle from Carlton to Vanderbilt, around Deklab and Ashland, and below Fulton Street over to Adelphi. Check out a map after the jump. The proposed district includes buildings like the yellow country house at 158 South Oxford, the co-op building 101 Lafayette, the New Centennial Baptist Church on Adelphi, and mixed-use buildings on Fulton, Lafayette and Fort Greene Place. Questions from the audience revealed mixed opinions about the proposal, with some residents urging for an even larger HD and others not wanting any sort of expansion. One audience member wondered if the LPC should correct its own inefficiencies before adding another historic district, a comment that was met with some applause. Others stressed the importance of the protection offered by historic districts, and the Clinton Hill Finger at 163 Washington Avenue was name-dropped more than once as an example of an out-of-context development. Both the FGA and Council Member Tish James spoke strongly in favor of expanding the district. Paul Palazzo, chair of FGA, said today, “It was a very productive meeting. Questions were answered and misconceptions corrected. It was clear that the community has many unanswered questions and we have asked that any further questions and comment about the HD Extension or Landmarks in general be sent to the FGA Landmarks Committee at landmarks@HistoricFortGreene.org”

Click through to see a map of the proposed district and hear what comes next in this process…
Editorial: Expanding the Fort Greene Historic District [Brownstoner]
The LPC told the audience that the next phase on the road to landmarking involves more community outreach. This meeting is only the beginning; the LPC still needs to gauge how interested residents are in having the expansion happen. Below is the map LPC showed to the community last night. There’s a small error to this map, it should include the east side of Ashland (#171 to 239… the west side wouldn’t be protected) and St. Felix from Fulton to Deklab.