Will the Small Collection of Historic Row Houses in This Tiny Neighborhood Survive Development?

It’s not quite central Downtown Brooklyn, Vinegar Hill or Fort Greene, but this quirky little neighborhood is one of the oldest areas of downtown and amazingly still has some surviving early and mid 19th century row houses.

Centered around Duffield and Concord streets, the small enclave known as Bridge Plaza is tucked between Flatbush Avenue Extension and the ramps to the Manhattan Bridge. Once a much larger residential and commercial neighborhood, the construction of the bridge and ramps and streets leading to it demolished numerous buildings and left the remaining section an isolated pocket.

A recent walk through the area showed the development push evident in the rest of downtown making inroads here, with several new residential structures recently completed, going up or in the planning stages.

The picturesque cottage at 167 Concord Street, which may date to the early 19th century or earlier, neighbors what is now a new development site.

In the adjacent lot at 171 Concord Street, a four-story building with seven units is planned. Infinity Properties NYC is the developer and ARC Architecture + Design Studio is the architect. Both have worked on numerous small and mid-size infill projects in central Brooklyn.

The lot backs up to 14 Duffield Street, another early 19th century house, whose rear was recently demolished.

Purchased in June by Riverside Developers for $2.025 million, the brick building will double in height to 65 feet and six stories and quadruple from three units to 12, according to DOB records. A rendering posted on the fence shows a much taller building of eight stories towering over its neighbors.

Other development sites include 180 Concord Street and 37 Duffield Street. At 49 Duffield Street, a seven-unit, four-story building in the works since 2004 was completed and received a temporary certificate of occupancy this past summer.

Building heights are capped at about six stories but none of the row houses in the neighborhood are protected, either as individual New York City landmarks or as part of a historic district.

Will they manage to survive the development push?

[Photos by Susan De Vries]

Related Stories

• Building of the Day: 167 Concord Street
• Building of the Day: 51 Duffield Street
• Another Historic Clinton Avenue Gem to Be Sold and Razed for Apartments

Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.