Building of the Day: 1313 Bedford Avenue

The BOTD is a no-frills look at interesting structures of all types and from all neighborhoods. There will be old, new, important, forgotten, public, private, good and bad. Whatever strikes our fancy. We hope you enjoy.

Address:1313 Bedford Avenue, between Atlantic Ave. and Pacific St.
Name: S. Brooklyn 7th Day Adventist Church, formerly Medical Society of the County of Kings
Neighborhood: Crown Heights North
Year Built: 1903
Architectural Style: Colonial Revival
Architects: D. Everett Wald and R.M. Cranford
Landmarked: No

Why chosen: Located directly across the street from the 23rd Regiment Bedford Armory, (which casts a crenelated shadow here) the Medical Society of the County of Kings building is almost lost in the streetscape. Which is too bad, because it’s a nice piece of civic architecture. It sits at the northern edge of Grant Square, where Rogers and Bedford Avenues meet, at the turn of the 20th century, the center of social and civic life in the Bedford/St. Marks District. The Medical Society of the County of Kings was founded in 1822 by six Brooklyn doctors who met at a tavern on Pineapple Street, with the purpose of establishing and upholding high standards in doctors and medical care, and to advocate for its members and patients. By 1890, the Society’s headquarters was at 356 Bridge St, in Downtown Brooklyn, in a space they had long outgrown, with not enough room for their growing library, or their rising membership. The plans for this building were revealed at their annual meeting in 1899, and the building was finished by 1903. In addition to a 2nd fl. Library which occupies the entire floor, the Society’s building also included a large auditorium, offices, meeting rooms, and a custodian’s apartment. The Society was still located here in 1976, but sold the building in 1986 to the 7th Day Adventists. The large windows of the auditorium, located at the rear of the building, can be seen from Atlantic Ave. The front windows have been almost entirely filled in, robbing the facade of the grandeur that can be seen in the 1899 rendering, although the rest of the building is remarkably preserved.

From the History of the Medical Society of the County of Kings, 1899