CROWN HEIGHTS, NY — Crown Heights might soon add 440 new buildings to its historically landmarked turf, if a local community group has its way.
The Crown Heights North Association — which has helped win protected landmark status for about 1,600 buildings over the past 16 years — has eyes on a region near Crow Hill, board member Michael Combs said at a community meeting Wednesday.
One of the key gems of the region is a suburban-style block between Franklin Avenue and Bedford Avenue, Combs said. Contained between St. Johns and Lincoln places sit a couple quiet blocks that don’t connect to major avenues, something extremely rare in the city grid, Combs said.
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“It has such a unique sense of place in the city of New York,” Combs said. “It just has an incredible feel.”
Another key location in the proposed district is a stretch of St. Marks Avenue between Rogers and Nostrand, which hosts at least five buildings designed by prolific architect George Poole Chappell and includes homes built for himself and his daughter, Combs said.
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“It’s a really good representation of architecture happening in Brooklyn in the late 19th century,” Combs said.
This isn’t the first time the association has tried to win historic landmark status for the land. In 2020, the association started the process for a similar area, but were quickly turned down because the proposed area was too big, Combs said.
The association has since pared the proposal down by almost half, Combs said. After collecting more community input and support, the association will resubmit its proposal to start official process.
The Crown Heights North Historic Association has already gained the support of elected officials like City Council members Chi Ossé and Crystal Hudson, who both represent central Brooklyn.
Combs gave credit to community support to historian Suzanne Spellen, whose presentations he said leave residents and city officials “blown away.”
And Combs notes the association will likely uncover an even richer history as it continues to explore the area between these key landmarks.
Historic designation “creates community around what happens with buildings,” Combs said. “It’s nice for [residents] to know they have power.”
The new historic district would join three in Crown Heights north of Empire Boulevard between Bedford, Atlantic and Albany avenues. A small area near Franklin Avenue and Park Place was also declared a historic district in 2012.
Property owners in designated historic districts must have approval from the Landmarks Preservation Committee to make any significant alterations, reconstructions and additions to the building — an approval process that includes community input.
While some property owners may see this as an added burden in a city with already cumbersome property ownership, Combs sees this contingency as an avenue for community agency, especially for locals who have owned their property for decades.
This is especially important as the area sees rapid gentrification, according to the Crown Heights North Association.
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“In the years since 2015, Crown Heights North and Crow Hill have undergone hyper-gentrification and development,” advocates said on a website for the proposed district.
“[Up-zoning] threatens the architectural and historic integrity of the late 19th and early 20th century streetscape.”
For organizers, the designation is about much more than preserving historic and culturally significant architecture in a quickly-gentrifying area — though it’s certainly a priority.
The historic designation also represents a symbolic win for a populations frequently overlooked by preservation efforts.
“Not only was it an acknowledgement of the neighborhood’s fine architecture and history, the CHN HD was an important confirmation that historic preservation was not restricted to wealthy white neighborhoods — preservation was for everyone,” the association said on its website.
“Some of our most memorable moments in the designation process were when African American seniors who had endured rampant racism and redlining in purchasing and maintaining their homes were able to testify at the hearings in favor of landmarking protection.”
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