March 25, 2008

House of the Day: 1208 Beverly Road

Two houses for the price of one! That's the sales pitch for 1208 Beverly Road. Located at the edge of Prospect Park South, the house is configured as two side-by-side residences. From the listing verbiage, one of the units "combines gorgeous original detail with the most tasteful modern improvement" while the other one presumably doesn't. For the asking price of $1,495,000, you get an impressive 4,617 square feet of space. For some reason, we're not totally loving the interiors of this place; it feels like something was lost in the reno. Nonetheless, having a six-bedroom rental certainly helps take the edge off those mortgage payments. The monthly rent is currently $3,300.
1208 Beverly Road [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark

March 19, 2008

LPC Designates Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park

As expected, yesterday the Landmarks Preservation Commission designated Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park in Victorian Flatbush a historic district. The designation covers 250 houses and is Brooklyn's 20th historic district. The areas, which include many houses in Arts and Crafts, Colonial Revival and Dutch Colonial Revival styles, were primarily built up by two local builders in the early 20th century. Flatbush Gardener has a couple of nice photos of houses in the area here and here. Not a moment too soon.
Victorian Flatbush Landmarking, in Drips and Drabs [Brownstoner]
Fiske Terrace/Midwood Park Designation Two Weeks Away [Brownstoner]
Photo from the LPC.

March 17, 2008

Victorian Flatbush Landmarking, in Drips and Drabs

While several micro-neighborhoods in the area collectively known as Victorian Flatbush have been designated historic districts, many others are unprotected and in danger of losing their rich history, according to an article in yesterday’s Times. The good news is that the LPC is almost certainly going to name Midwood Park and Fiske Terrace historic districts this week, which means they’ll join already landmarked Albemarle-Kenmore Terraces (designated in 1978), Prospect Park South (’79), and Ditmas Park (’81). Still, that leaves more than half of Victorian Flatbush—including Caton Park, West Midwood, Ditmas Park West, and Beverley Square West—unlandmarked, and many preservationists and residents are worried that unchecked development will result in the loss of those areas’ stunning collections of Victorian houses. “We don’t want the Manhattanization of Brooklyn,” says Ron Schweiger, who lives in Beverley Square West and is the Brooklyn borough historian. “We don’t want high-rises coming into residential areas. That’s why we want all of Victorian Flatbush to get historic district status.” (On a side note, the joke was on the Times writer who took one local blogger's renaming of her micronabe at face value. Hah!)
Peaked Roofs, Crossed Fingers [NY Times]
Fiske Terrace/Midwood Park Designation Two Weeks Away [Brownstoner]
Times Admits Past Errors: We Are Not All Ditmas Park [Flatbush Gardener]
Photo of Beverley Square West house by Flatbush Gardener.