Ditmas Park Victorian to Be Developed Into Seven-Story Apartment Building
Ditmas Park is losing an iconic standalone Victorian, to be replaced by a seven-story apartment building. The freestanding single family at 631 East 18 Street is a classic example of the neighborhood’s traditional residential crop. Owned by the same family for decades, no record of sale has yet appeared in public records, but a tax…
Ditmas Park is losing an iconic standalone Victorian, to be replaced by a seven-story apartment building.
The freestanding single family at 631 East 18 Street is a classic example of the neighborhood’s traditional residential crop. Owned by the same family for decades, no record of sale has yet appeared in public records, but a tax lien sale certificate was filed in August with the Department of Finance, NY YIMBY reported.
AÂ developer and architect are planning a new building, according to a filing with the Department of Buildings. Plans call for 35 units, a community facility, parking lot, and open recreation area on its bottom floors, with apartments starting on the second floor.
Developer Oleg Krasnitsky and Sheesphead Bay-based architect Zproekt will be able to build an additional 4,000 square feet due to area R7A inclusionary housing zoning, in exchange for making seven units affordable, YIMBY said. The application calls for a total of 23,983 square feet of residential space.
No application for a demo permit has been filed.
Besides being contrastingly sandwiched between two hulking apartment buildings, 631 East 18th Street is also unusual for the area in that it is not protected by either low-density zoning nor is it landmarked.
Neighboring Flatbush and East Flatbush also contain Victorians, as well as apartment buildings and smaller standalone homes. For better or worse, the loss of historic wood frame Victorians is a relatively rare occurrence in Ditmas compared with Flatbush and East Flatbush, where such development happens frequently and without much comment.
Indeed, Ditmas Park feels so bucolic and suburban, HBO’s Brooklyn-set series Girls used it as a stand-in for Iowa in its past season.
[Source: NYYÂ | Photos: PropertyShark (top) and Google Maps]
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It’s incredible to see the old photos of what this house used to look like, and sad to see what it’s become. I walk by it every day, and it is a total dump. I’d usually never condone tearing down an old Victorian, but I think this one is unsalvageable – it’s an eyesore for the neighborhood (and also unsafe) and I’m looking forward to seeing it replaced by something that adds value to the area rather than detracts from it, which is what the current version of this home does.
SCRATCH THAT (is there no way to delete a comment???). I now realize this is on the corner of Foster, not Newkirk. The one on the corner of Newkirk is an eye sore 🙂 Not really sure about this one.
It’s incredible to see the old photos of what this house used to look like, and sad to see what it’s become. I walk by it every day, and it is a total dump. I’d usually never condone tearing down an old Victorian, but I think this one is unsalvageable – it’s an eyesore for the neighborhood (and also unsafe) and I’m looking forward to seeing it replaced by something that adds value to the area rather than detracts from it, which is what the current version of this home does.
SCRATCH THAT (is there no way to delete a comment???). I now realize this is on the corner of Foster, not Newkirk. The one on the corner of Newkirk is an eye sore 🙂 Not really sure about this one.