Building of the Day: 9401-9421 Wogan Terrace

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Row houses
Address: 9401-9421, 9402-9420 Wogan Terrace
Cross Streets: Off 94th Street, between 5th Avenue and Fort Hamilton Parkway
Neighborhood: Bay Ridge
Year Built: 1927-28
Architectural Style: Neo-Tudor cottages
Architect: Unknown
Landmarked: No

The story: Bay Ridge is full of little cul-de-sacs, one block streets and alleyways. A few of them are remnants of old streets cut off by more recent development, or by the highways and parkways that run through the neighborhood. Some, like Wogan Terrace, were created by developers who built this neighborhood up in the teens, twenties and even later. A friend of mine, a long-time Brownstoner reader, brought this block to my attention. And what a find it is.

The cul-de-sac was created in the heart of a plot of land faced by 94th Street, 5th Avenue, Fort Hamilton Parkway and 95th Street. Most of the streets had place names given to them when this community was part of the independent town of New Utrecht, so when it was added to the city grid, Washington Avenue became 94th Street and Lafayette Street became 95th. Fort Hamilton Parkway was still an Avenue then. This block, as of 1916, had a few row houses, and a few remaining wood-framed farm houses and outbuildings.

The largest bit of development by 1916 was a row of brick two story houses that date from between 1905 and 1910. The cul-de-sac was cut at the end of the row, and the developer built 20 houses, ten on each side. The end houses, numbers 9420 and 9421 are laid out lengthwise, in order to close off the end of the row. Today, apartment buildings are behind this delightful little street. The last insurance map I have access to dates from 1916, and the houses have not yet been built. The first real estate listings on this block begin in 1928.

From all indications, it seems that Wogan Terrace is named for Tom Wogan, a very popular and populist politician from Bay Ridge. He was a headliner in Brooklyn politics for decades, beginning around 1902. By the late 1920s, when Wogan Terrace was developed, he was the Democratic District Leader from this Assembly District. He and his political allies ruled this part of Brooklyn for decades. Naming the street for him was probably a great honor for him, and didn’t hurt the developer’s chances in the neighborhood, either.

The houses are very cute, a wonderful little group of small Tudor cottages. According to the ads, they were one family houses with six rooms and a bath. They had oak floors, tiled kitchens and bath, a built-in shower, and all of the latest conveniences. They also have garages, all lined up on an alley adjacent to the block. In 1928, the houses were selling for $11,000, although in this early ad, the developer was willing to let them go for $9,750.

The houses were built as one family homes, but no sooner than they were purchased, the Great Depression hit. The next few years show a lot of the houses offering rooms to rent. The going rate was a “large sunny room” for $6 a month. One house, 9408, may have been totally rental rooms, as it was always advertising different rooms, some with a parking space and separate entrance. They wanted $4 a month for that one in 1932. Rooms in houses in Brooklyn Heights, without parking spaces, were going for $3-$8 a month. Times were tough.

The most interesting houses, architecturally speaking, are the two end houses at the back of the cul-de-sac. Like a small brownstone, they measure 14.33×68, and spread across the back lots, offering 1636 square feet of room. The other houses measure 14 x33, and offer 1104-1360 square feet of space. Depending on the style of the house, the footage changed by a hundred or more square feet.

The majority of the garages were lined up on a back alley accessed behind the odd numbered houses. The only photos available are from the 1980s tax photos, and show a line of wood and steel door one-story garages. A great set up and a great little hidden gem in the heart of Bay Ridge. There are other short streets and cul-de-sacs here for another day.

(Photo:Kate Leonova for Property Shark)

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