Arlington Place is one of the most picturesque blocks in all of New York City.
It was only fitting that Spike Lee would shoot his 1994 movie "Crooklyn" here.
Charles Lockwood, author of Bricks and Brownstones once wrote to me and said that "Arlington Place is my favorite block in Bedford-Stuyvesant."
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I do not have a favorite block in Bedford-Stuyvesant, but Arlington Place would be in my top ten most interesting. The residential buildings of Arlington Place are designed by only three architects, Isaac D. Reynolds, George Chappell and Amzi Hill.
Between 1884 and 1886, Amzi Hill designed the entire west side of Arlington Place between Macon Street and Halsey Street. In 1883, the Brooklyn bridge was up and the many builders came to the then Bedford Section to put up the many commercial and residential buildings that we still see today.
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I want to focus on 14-22 Arlington designed by Amzi Hill, the modern architect of his day. This group of buildings is in the Queen Ann Style which is "free Renaissance" (non-Gothic Revival) details, rather than of a specific formulaic style in its own right.
Before these wonderful Queen Anne Brownstones where built, once stood the large mansion of Rem Leffert. You can read more about the Lefferts here. Numbers 14-22 Arlington Place are truly unique homes that are in the ABABA configuration and I think Jenny Lind face is in the A buildings.
The pressed metal work along the upper floors is truly amazing and makes a interesting skyline on this side of the block. There are three other groups similar to these Arlington houses in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and two I know are by different architects.
I really hope that the Landmarks Preservation Committee works fast in protecting these 125-year-old structures. As you can see from the picture from the 1880s, not much has changed on this block.
If you would like to know more about the history of this neighborhood, we will be giving a walking tour this weekend of Bedford Corners and a small portion of Stuyvesant Heights. You can read more about that here.
