Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Commercial building
Address: 1391 Bedford Avenue, corner St. Marks Avenue
Neighborhood: Crown Heights North
Year Built: Unknown
Architectural Style: early 20th century showroom
Architect: Unknown
Landmarked: No

The story: This long bricked up building has had an interesting history. It was built in the early 20th century as an automobile showroom for one of the many car companies that once lined Bedford Avenue from Empire Boulevard to Gates Avenue. Before the “Big Three” car manufacturers absorbed or obliterated most of the smaller companies, there were dozens of car companies with full showrooms along Bedford, as well as a multitude of garages, service stations, and other car related businesses. Bedford was known as Automobile Row from the ‘teens until the 1950’s.

Many of these car companies, and even the garages, were attractive buildings, the most prominent remainder being the landmarked Studebaker Building, at Sterling and Bedford, which is now housing. This building is strategically situated in a triangular plot of land right before Rogers and Bedford Avenues merge into Bedford, and therefore has three walls facing a street: on Rogers, Bedford, and St. Marks. Large display windows once allowed passers-by and shoppers an unprecedented view of the merchandise, perhaps on both floors, or else sales offices and showroom space for smaller products were to be had on that floor. It’s a prime location. In 1930, the space was taken over by the Motor Vehicle Department, listed by the New York Times as a new branch that would be handing out license plates and taking vehicle registrations.

The branch didn’t last very long, perhaps the Depression prevented the office from being as busy as needed to be to stay open, so by 1944, the space was a Banner Dairy Store, one of several in Brooklyn. During the War, they were one of many stores that collecting recycled paper and metal to be used in the war effort.

Banner Dairy went the way of the DMV, and by 1969, the building was now a popular and established event space called the Bellrose Ballroom. Aside from parties and events, it was used by Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm for political rallies and press conferences, and there are Times entries for her events in both 1969 and 1972. The Ballroom eventually lost the building for taxes in 1983. The building was sealed by the city, and bought by the Washington Temple, a nearby church, for $55K. They have long intended to develop housing on the site, but no plans exist at this time. A Google satellite view shows damage to the roof, but the building seems to be sound. As a Crown Heights resident, I hope the Temple, or someone else, puts it to good use. It sits at the far end of Grant Square, an area that should once again become a vibrant cultural and entertainment hub, with restaurants, stores, and other amenities. This building could be a vital part of that renaissance.


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. There are very luxurious car showrooms in central London. In a city where one needs bank financing to buy a nice pair of shoes, I cannot imagine the prices on the swank machines in the swank showrooms there.
    Once we see swank automobile showrooms reappear on Bedford Avenue then we will know the bell at the end of the cycle is about to ring.

  2. MM dishes out plenty of dessert and candy, now she wants us to eat our broccoli too.
    This may have been a nice building once. I like the elliptical arcade. Not sure what was happening once upon a time on the second floor because it has been too altered to tell from the photo. Probably big tall steel windows like ones on the Love Lane Garages. I’m sure it was a perfectly stylish and polished auto showroom when Brooklyn was young.
    There are still plenty of car dealerships in the city. my favorite is the Mercedes dealer on Park Avenue in Midtown.

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