The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate two new historic districts in Flatbush: Beverley Square West Historic District and Ditmas Park West Historic District.
Both new historic districts feature distinctive homes built around the turn of the 20th century as Flatbush transitioned from a farming village to an early suburban development, the LPC said.
The Beverley Square West Historic District includes 118 houses built between 1894 and 1910 along three tree-lined streets between Beverley Road and Cortelyou Road, just south of Prospect Park. Nearly all of the homes were designed by well-known Brooklyn architects, including John J. Petit, John B. Slee and Benjamin Driesler.
The Ditmas Park West Historic District contains 127 houses, nearly all built between 1902 and 1910, located immediately west of Ditmas Park Historic District, between Dorchester Road and Ditmas Avenue. Nearly half of the houses in Ditmas Park West Historic District were designed by one architect, Arlington D. Isham.
“Beverley Square West Historic District and Ditmas Park West Historic District represent a remarkable period in Brooklyn’s development, as the area transitioned into a vibrant suburban neighborhood,” Landmarks Preservation Commission Vice Chair Angie Master said in a statement. “Today’s designations celebrate the history of this unique neighborhood, and will help safeguard this important piece of the borough’s history for years to come.”
In the previous months, many Flatbush residents tried to convince the LPC to expand the boundries of both historic districts. Margaret Herman, the director of research at LPC, said at Tuesday's meeting that some of the houses on adjoining blocks had already been too altered and were less in tact of its historical architectural details, leading to the exclusion.
Flatbush’s transition from a rural area to Brooklyn suburb began in the 1880s, driven by the establishment of a street grid and the introduction of an array of city services, including the formation of the Flatbush Gas Co., the Flatbush Water Works, as well as expanded public transportation via the Brooklyn, Flatbush & Coney Island Railroad, which opened in 1878 along the eastern boundary of Beverley Square West Historic District.
From the beginning, the appeal of both neighborhoods was aesthetic and functional, with tree-lined streets and houses on large lots that featured the latest modern conveniences, including gas lighting, hot and cold running water, indoor plumbing and coal-burning furnaces.
Most of the homes in both historic districts are designed in the Queen Anne, Colonial Revival and Shingle styles. Though diverse in styles, the well-preserved houses in Beverley Square West Historic District and Ditmas Park West Historic District represent excellent examples of the design preferences of the period, and together form a harmonious and appealing suburban streetscape, the LPC said.
The commission also noted that several types of Accessory Dwelling Units are allowed to be built in historic districts, including in houses within the existing building, like garages, and in the cellar or attic.
