A Little Love for Prospect Heights
Yesterday The Sun published a wonderful piece on Prospect Heights by Francis Morrone that highlights the neighborhood’s enduring charm and architectural splendors. Morrone notes that Prospect Heights is sure to be named a historic district at some point, and he praises Vanderbilt’s mellow charm, the well-preserved row houses on Prospect Place and St. Mark’s Avenue,…
Yesterday The Sun published a wonderful piece on Prospect Heights by Francis Morrone that highlights the neighborhood’s enduring charm and architectural splendors. Morrone notes that Prospect Heights is sure to be named a historic district at some point, and he praises Vanderbilt’s mellow charm, the well-preserved row houses on Prospect Place and St. Mark’s Avenue, and the industrial grandeur surrounding the rail yards, which includes a structure that’s not long for this world:
A plaintive note: The Ward Bakery, at 800 Pacific Street, clearly visible to the south across the yards, dates from 1911. It’s one of the most beautiful of the city’s early reinforced-concrete factories, sheathed in white brick and white terra-cotta that were meant to convey the utter cleanliness of the bakery’s operations, which involved producing 250,000 loaves of bread a day. The bakery operated (as Pechter Fields) until 1995. At more than a million square feet in floor area, it seems insane that it could not have been saved and adaptively reused in any new development around here. Rather, it is being torn down.
Sound familiar? The whole piece is well worth a read.
Prospect Heights Grandeur [The Sun]
Photo by threecee.
12:23, they are grandfathered in. That’s why that pink house in Park Slope can continue to be painted pink until it falls down – it was pink when the area was landmarked. However if the house next door wanted to go pink, that would not be allowed.
All of your house’s facade and front yard, good and bad, is included in the official landmark report. My house has a horrible modern security door. When I can afford to replace it (please!) I will have to submit a request to LPC, and I will have to replace it with a door and frame period to the house in looks and materials. My blueprints are on file at DOB, so I know what my door originally looked like, and the original doors are also in my 1940’s tax photo. Fortunately, that’s what I want to do, anyway.
12:31, I know that part of Bed Stuy is looking at landmarking, (my old neighborhood). There are a couple of grass roots groups trying to get it going, but it is a long, involved process. It also involves political nudging, so getting your local politicians involved is a must. Al Vann, etc, offices may be able to put you in touch with the groups involved. Good luck! The area is so worthy.
Lovely neighborhood where some guy was murdered with a corkscrew a few days ago and his 11 year old found him.
I have the same question 12:23… I live in SH but I would love to extend Stuyvesant Heights Historic distric and from some areas of BS like Jefferson, Hancock, Halsey, and some parts Macon to be LM. I found the paper work that was done in the 70s to landmark SH and it seems like a lot of work. But I love architecture and history so I would love to take part in this research.
MM, when it becomes landmarked, do the current things get grandfathered in or do people have to take off all the non-compliant roof additions and change their windows?
Prospect Heights is on the short line to be landmarked. LPC is doing the research and reports, which takes time. They will probably be the next Brooklyn neighborhood to be landmarked, hopefully followed by Phase Two of Crown Heights North.
“Industrial” yes, “grandeur,” no.
Most of PH has 131 foot lots, too. One of its great secrets is it has some of the most beautiful gardens in Brooklyn.
We are currently in the process of becoming a historic district and hopefully in the next year or so this will happen. This is widely supported in PH.
Based on current home prices, I don’t think PH is lacking appreciation, in any sense of the word.