East Flatbush Gets Its First Historic District

EAST FLATBUSH, BROOKLYN — The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated a group of 56 row houses on East 25th Street as a historic district, the first historic district in East Flatbush.

The LPC voted Tuesday to designate the East 25th Street Historic District, which extends alongg both sides of the street between Clarendon Road and Avenue D. The district includes a "remarkably intact and cohesive group of 56 Renaissance Revival style row houses that reflects the dedication of its community." according to the board.

“Through this designation, the Commission is recognizing both the architectural quality and the residents’ incredible stewardship of their historic homes and their block," Chair Sarah Carroll said. "I have been so impressed by how the historic architecture drew people to this block and how their community spirit has grown stronger through their collective efforts to green, beautify and preserve it. This designation exemplifies the intersection of historic preservation and community, which is very rewarding.”

All of the houses included in the new district were built by a single developer, the Henry Meyer Building Company, between 1909 and 1912 and designed by the Williamsburg firm of Glucroft & Glucroft in the Renaissance Revival style.

Th houses were occupied in the early years by families of white merchants and other upper-middle-class professionals, including several notable residents like suffragist Nellie Marshall, and the influential executive director of the Port Authority, Austin Tobin.

The houses have grown to reflect Flatbush's increasing diversity in recent years, though, the commission said, especially the growth of its African American and Afro-Caribbean communities which grew significantly in the 1970s and 1980s.

"Today, the outstanding integrity of the East 25th Street Historic District is a testament to the remarkable community spirit, pride, and dedication of its homeowners and residents. It has also been voted the 'Greenest Block in Brooklyn' four times," the commission wrote.