proposal to landmarks and preservation commission for a crow hill historic district - part 1 of 2

7/30/2019 Proposal to Landmarks and Preservation Commission for a Crow Hill HIstoric District - Part 1 of 2

1/12


2/12

790 Washington Ave, Ste#208 Brooklyn, NY 11238 718-228-7928http://www.crowhillcommunity.org chca @crowhillcommunity.org

September 18, 2012

Landmarks Preservation Commission

Municipal Building

1 Centre Street, 9th Floor

New York, NY 10007

To the Commission:

We wish to make a formal Request for Evaluation for the area in North Crown Heights known as Crow

Hill. Over the years, Crow Hill Community Association has been working to educate the community on

the many benefits landmark status can bring to a neighborhood. We have urged interested community

members to submit Requests for Evaluation on their own and over the years we have collected and

submitted many requests as well. As our membership grows and our neighborhood flourishes, we have

more resources to put towards achieving landmark status. Recently we were able to complete the photo

survey of our proposed district that was started four years ago.

We began outreach to the community-at-large during the summer of 2008 after being approached by both

Community Board 8 and Councilmember James. At that time, we were informed that an independent

consultant had presented CB8 with a map outlining potentially landmarkable areas in Crow Hill and the

surrounding area. In August 2008 we held our first informational meeting at the Center for Nursing andRehabilitation (CNR) to introduce the concept of landmarking to the community. The panel consisted of

representatives from the HDC, CHNA and Council Member James.

Throughout the fall of 2008 we continued to focus our monthly meetings on informing the community

about the landmark process and began to collect Requests for Evaluation for the properties in our

neighborhood. Funded by a grant from Citizens Committee of New York, we undertook a community-

wide post card mailing to publicize our second informational forum on October 21, 2009 at the Gospel

Tabernacle. The evenings panel consisted of representatives from LPC, HDC, CHNA and Council

Member James.

Moving forward we continued to gather Requests for Evaluation, photographically document the

buildings in our community and research their history. During the course of this process, we have beenencouraged and delighted that a small section of Crow Hill; the Park Place Historic District has been

designated.


3/12

790 Washington Ave, Ste#208 Brooklyn, NY 11238 718-228-7928http://www.crowhillcommunity.org chca @crowhillcommunity.org

We are now ready to make a larger proposal to the Commission. We have used the map we were given in

2008 as a guideline, highlighting buildings of note in the proposed district. Enclosed is a disc containing

photographs of the buildings in the area designated by Crow Hills charter, we did not photograph the

entire area covered by this proposal. We have also included photographs and descriptions of buildings

of note in the proposed district as documented on www.brownstoner.com.

We look forward to hearing from the Commission.

Sincerely,

Nina Meledandri

Former Project Manager

Stacey Sheffey

Vice President

Enc: Request for Evaluation

Map of proposed districtDVD containing photographs of proposed district

Index document for image DVD

Buildings of Note in the CHCA Proposed District

NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation Evaluation

Electronic Cc: State Senator Eric Adams

Nizjoni Granville, Community Board 8

Council Member Letitia James

Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries

Borough President Marty Markowitz

District Leader Walter MosleyFrampton Tolbert, Historic District Council

Crown Heights North Association


4/12


5/12

LANDMARK

S

PRESERVAT

ION

THE

CITY

OF NEWYORK

COM

M I S SI O

N

CITYHA

LL

THE CITY OF NEW YORK LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION

1 CENTRE STREET, 9TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10007

REQUEST FOR EVALUATIONThe Landmarks Preservation Commission is responsible for safeguarding the architectural, historical andcultural heritage of New York City.

The Commission's Research Department is pleased to accept requests from the public for the evaluation of

he architectural, historical or cultural significance of properties throughout the five boroughs. If a propertyappears to meet the criteria for designation as a Landmark, the staff may recommend it for consideration byhe Commission.

To request an evaluation, please fill out this form and return it to the address below. Please provide as muchnformation about the property as you can and, if possible, include a photograph.

Thank you for your interest in the work of the Commission.

PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT

Daytime Telephone No.Your Name

Mailing Address Apartment

City State Zipcode

Today's Date

INFORMATIONADDITIONAL

ROPERTY

TO BEVALUATED

Address

Name (if any)

Building Type (Original Use)

Architect (if known)

PLEASE INDICATE BELOW ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION YOU MAY HAVE CONCERNING THE PROPERTY:

HISTORY, SIGNIFICANCE, PRESENT CONDITIONS, CURRENT STATUS, CURRENT USE, etc.

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO:Mary Beth Betts, Director of Research

Landmarks Preservation Commission1 Centre Street, 9th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10007

Rev. 9/99

TEL: (212) 669-7700 FAX: (212) 669-7960

Crow Hill Community Association 646-322-5800

790 Washington Avenue Ste 208

Brooklyn NY11238

9/18/2012

Crow Hill

mixed

various

The Crow Hill section of Crown Heights North is comprised mostly of row

houses (brownstone, limestone and brick/brownstone) and small apartment

buildings, there are very few vacant lots. Within its boundaries are many

examples of distinctive architecture including the newly designated

Park Place Historic District and the area once known as the Three Saints;

encompassing St. Charles, St Frances and St Johns.

Eastern Parkway to Atlantic Ave / Franklin Ave to Bedford Ave

and additional areas included on attached map.


6/12


7/12

page 1 of 1

IMAGES INCLUDED ON CHCA DVD

Bedford Avenue # images

Bedord-East_Pacific-Dean 4

Bedford-East 57

Bedford-West_Pacific-Dean 3

Bedford-West_Dean-Bergen 2

Bedford-West_Bergen-StMarks 4

Bedford-West_StMarks-Prospect 4

Bedford-West_Prospect-Park 7

Bedord-West_Park-Sterling 9

Bedford-West_Sterling-StJohns 10

Bedford-West_StJohns-Lincoln 9

Bedford-West_Lincoln-EasternPkwy 6

Franklin Avenue

Franklin-East_Atlantic-Pacific 7

Franklin-East_Pacific-Dean 8

Franklin-East_Dean-Bergen 3

Franklin-East_Bergen-StMarks 6

Franklin-East_StMarks-Prospect 12

Franklin-East_Prospect-Park 7

Franklin-East_Park-Sterling 15

Franklin-East_Sterling-StJohns 9

Franklin-East_StJohns-Lincoln 11

Franklin-West 85


8/12

page 2 of 2

IMAGES INCLUDED ON CHCA DVD

Side Streets # images

Pacific-North 3

Pacific-South 10

Dean-North 19

Dean-South 29

Bergen-North 22

Bergen-South 25

StMarks-North 30

StMarks-South 34

Prospect-North 23

Prospect-South 22

Park-North 32

Park-South 26

Sterling-North 23

Sterling-South 30

StJohns-North 34

StJohns-South 12

StFrancis-West 15

StFrancis-East 13

StCharles-West 15

StCharles-East 13

Lincoln-North 9

Lincoln-South 22

EasternPkwy-North 18


9/12

RESOURCE EVALUATION

New York State Office of Parks,.Recreation and Historic PreservationHistoric Preservation Field Services Bureau Peebles Island, PO Box 189, Waterford,New York 12188-0189518-237 -8643www.nysparks.com

David A. PatersoGovernor

Carol AshCommissioner

DATE: July 29,2009PROPERTY: Crow Hill Historic DistrictADDRESS: (See attached district map)

STAFF: Kathy HoweMCD: BrooklynCOUNTY: Kings Co.USN: 04701.016571 - .016606

I. D Property is individually listed on SR/NR:name of listing:D Property is a contributing component of a SR/NR district:name of district:

II. [gI Property meets eligibility criteria.D Property contributes to a district which appears to meet eligibility criteria.

Pre SRB:D Post SRB: D SRB dateCriteria for Inclusion in the National Register:A. [gI Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patternsof our history;B. D Associated with the lives of persons significant in our past;C. [gI Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type , period or method of construction; orrepresents the work of a master; or possess high artistic values; or represents asignificant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction;D. D Have yielded, or may be likely to yield information important in prehistory or history.STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE:1The Crow Hill Historic District is located in the northwestern section of Crown Heights in Brooklyn, Kings County,NY. The area extends north to south from Franklin Avenue to Eastern Parkway, and for the most part, betweenBedford and Franklin Avenues from east to west but extending west to Classon Avenue along the south side ofSterling Place (see attached district map). The district borders the northwestern boundary of the locally designated

1 Much of the information for the Statement of Significance is excerpted from Karen Mathiasen's report for a "Proposed Crow HillHistoric District" prepared for the New York Landmarks Conservancy, March 2009, and relevant portions of the "Crown HeightsNorth Historic District Designation Report"prepared by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, April 24, 2007.An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Agency o printed on recycled paper


10/12

and National Register-eligible Crown Heights North Historic District along Bedford Avenue between Dean andPacific Streets.The Crow Hill Historic District consists of finely detailed row houses, mixed residential flats with commercial spaceon the. ground floor, and apartment houses dating from the late nineteenth century to the 1930s. The district is.. characterized by well-preserved residential streets featuring an array of outstanding residential architecture inpopular late-nineteenth- andearly-twentieth-century styles. In addition to the residentlal buildings, the districthas a.few notable commercial and religious buildings including the first Loehmann's Store (1921) at 1476 BedfordAvenue,the Studebaker Building (1920) at 1469 Bedford Avenue, and St. Teresa's Roman Catholic Church,(1890s) at the northeast corner of Classon Avenue and Sterling Place.The historic district is significant under Criterion C for its collection of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuryresidential architecture. The rows of well-preserved speculatively built brick, stone, and brownstone row housesgive the district its distinct sense of place. Built in a succession of popular styles, these residential buildlnqs displayItalianate, Neo-Grec, Queen Anne, Romanesque, Renaissance, and Tudor Hevival styles of high quality materialsand craftsmanship; .The Historic District is also significant u'nderCriterion A in the area of community'planning/development for its association with the development of Brooklyn.Intheearly nineteenth century, the area was largely rural and located within the village of Bedford, just south of thecrossroads of Bedford Corners where the village's population - including the Lefferts family, a slaveholding familythat was one of the area's major landowners - was centered. With the opening of 'ferry service in the mid 1830s to.Manhattan, the area began to be served by improved transportation links with Fulton Ferry including regularstagecoach and horsecar service. As access improved, the area began to take on a suburban character. In 1854,at the time of the Lefferts farm subdivision, many treestandlnq villas stood on spaciousiots north and west ot thefarm. Following the sale of the Lefferts farm lots, development expandedin northwestern Crown Heights, with theconstruction of additional freestanding houses. No freestanding houses from this era remain in the district. .The BFn Brighton Beach Line (today's Franklin AvenueShuttle) opened in 1878 and serves as the westernboundary for much of the historic district. Speculative row houses began to be built in the 1870s and early 1880sinanticipation of the 1883 opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. Most'of the district's row houses from this era can befound in the northern blocks between Atlantic Avenue and Bergen Street and are two-and three-story ltallanateand neo-Grec style residences. Representative examples include 578 Franklin Avenue, 600 Franklin, 1098 DeanStreet, 668 Prospect Place, and 670-674 Prospect Place.Large-scale residential development in Crow Hill took off following the 1888 opening of the Kings County ElevatedRailway, which ran through Bedford along Fulton Street, and terminated close to the Brooklyn Bridge. In the late1880s and 1890s many Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne row houses wereconstructed including 508Lmcoln, 1085-1087 Dean Street, 1004-1006 Bergen Street, 637 Prospect Place, and 651 Park.As transit improvements continued in the 1890s, with the conversion of horsecars to electric trolleys, the area wasbecoming one of Brooklyn's most desirable residential neighborhoods. Beginning in the 1890s large numbers oftwo- and three-storyRenaissance Revival-style row houses with a diverse array of classical ornament were-, constructed in Crow Hill' including 343-353 Eastern Parkway, 11-13 St. Francis Place, 695 Park Place,14-18 St.Francis, 6-8 St. CharlesPlace, and 1496 Bedford Avenue, among others.. \A final wave of residential development began in anticipation of the opening of the IRT subway line along EasternParkway in 1920, as many of the neighborhood's nineteenth century freestanding residences were demolished andreplaced by middle-class, four- to six-story elevator apartment houses in the Renaissance Revival and Tudor 'Revival styles. .'While the neighborhoodwas largely developed by the 1930s, the demographics had begun to shift from primarily. middle-class and white families, including immigrants from Northern and Western Europe, to a largely African-"American population. Since the 1950 and '60s the district has become home to a large community of Caribbean.immigrants. .The district encompasses the following properties:343-365 Eastern Parkway;

\


11/12

583-625 and 578-626 Lincoln Piace;1-23 and 2-26 St. Francis Place;1-27 and 2"26 St. Charles Place;

523-545, 63,3-697and 604-686 St. John's Place;I563-721 , 564-572 and 626-720 Sterling Place;619-635, 651-703 and 562-704 Park Place;. . .625-669,636-676 and 686 Prospect Place;

547-907 and 564-618 St. Mark's Avenue;957-1009 and 942-1006 ,Bergen Street;1039-1099 and 1050-1108 Dean Street; ,1153 Pacific Street;777-779 Classon Avenue;573-647,679-685,713-803,568-604,634-652, 698-788 F-ranklin Avenue;1423-1485, 1334-1362, 1426-1528 Bedford Avenue. ',


12/12

.iBoundaries .of ProposedCrow ""'ill Historic District

hi

I.

(

proposal to landmarks and preservation commission for a crow hill historic district - part 1 of 2

Documents