Come see why I love my neighborhood so much! Bed Stuy is HU-UGE! This area is the proposed “Bedford Corners Historic District” aka “My Neck of the Woods”.
Posts tagged historic
Crown Heights North House Tour
The 4th annual Crown Heights North house tour is this Saturday, October 2nd. There are 8 houses and two churches this year. A St. Marks Avenue mansion that most people thought was unsalvageable will be included. It’s still a work in progress and the committee promises it is spectacular. Other fab homes include the double duplex Kinko house, an American classic Colonial Revival, a new house that rose in an old shell, plus more.
Meet at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church, at 991 St. Johns Place, on the corner of Brooklyn Avenue. Representatives of various city agencies and local non-profit groups will be on hand to answer questions. There will also be local vendors selling crafts, art, books, and other products.
The Tour kicks off at 10:00 am with a welcoming ceremony. The self guided tour commences from 11-4pm, rain or shine.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Tickets will be on sale at Barbara’s Flowers, 615 Nostrand Avenue, Brownstone Books, 409 Lewis Avenue and online.
A House Full of History in Bay Ridge
I managed to check out the Stowe house estate sale during the final hours of the final day. Apparently I missed quite a bit.
The house was filled with antiquities. Everything from the furniture to the dishes to that crazy Victorian bicycle. I scored some vintage jewelry and kitchen wares. Went for the tschotkes, but I really wanted to check out this historic home.
The Connecticut Stows purchased the home in 1906 for $8500. Harriet Beecher Stowe (the “e” was added in the early 1900’s) of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” fame wasn’t the only notable member of the family. There was also an American Revolution Captain and some dude who recast the Liberty Bell.
The house looks as if it hasn’t been touched since it was built. The woodwork is to die for! There are built in cabinets, a friggin’ gorgeous antique cast iron stove hidden in the corner of the servant’s kitchen and a few beautiful mantels. Untouched is a good thing, but the new owner (yes, it has been sold) will have lots of plastering to do as it looks like the wallpaper is the only thing holding up the walls. No bother, it will all be worth it!
So, take that other Brooklyn brownstone neighborhoods! Bay Ridge can have a seat at your table too. Who knew? (I didn’t.)
iPhone Snappies: Park Slope Barber
Yo, Brooklyn Has The Oldest Subway!
The Atlantic Avenue tunnel tour has been going on for a few years now and I never even noticed people climbing down a manhole in the middle of the Atlantic/Court intersection. Well, I finally figured it out and had a look for myself yesterday.
The Brooklyn Historic Railway Association runs the tours. Just go to their website and call to reserve. It’s well worth the 15 bucks and the next tour is August 8th. Bob Diamond, who rediscovered the hidden tunnel in the early 80’s, is the guy giving the tour. He’s a hoot! As if the history isn’t interesting enough, he’s quite the character himself.
You’ll have to wait on line for a bit as it takes awhile for each individual to get down the ladder. Wear comfortable shoes because Bob likes to talk and you’ll be standing for a couple of hours on uneven ground. There’s more standing and listening than walking.
So, about this tunnel.
It was built in 1844, making it older than the London Tube. The “oldest subway” thing is a bit of a stretch since this was not part of the NY subway system, but rather the Long Island Railroad. It’s still an underground rail system even if it’s only 1/2 mile long.
Diamond shares the folklore surrounding the tunnel. There are tales of heads buried in the wall, bootleggers, greedy politicians, pirates and even a John Wilkes Booth connection. His own story is as interesting as any of these. He first learned of the existence of the hidden tunnel when he was a Pratt student. For years, experts were denying it was there, claiming it would be too dangerous to explore anyway because of gases, water and 5 foot man eating rats.
There’s a deal in the works with National Geographic. Supposedly there’s still a steam engine buried behind a wall! They’re looking to unearth it later this year.
I could share more, but you know what? You should go yourself. Trust me. Just do it.
Bed Stuy Walking Tour This Sunday
Bed Stuy Landmark Meeting featuring Cranky Old Guy
“But what if I want my white vinyl windows?!” Cranky old guy just couldn’t let it go. Saturday’s meeting to address the landmarking of Bedford Corners was informative and interesting, but it was Cranky Old Guy who stole the show….at least for me.
Before we arrived, I wondered who the hell would hold a meeting on a Saturday in the middle of the summer. I thought nobody would show, but it was standing room only. May I add that my block, which is about 3 feet long, was well represented.
I scribbled some notes, but mostly I just distracted Brownstoner’s Montrose Morris, whom was trying to pay attention like a professional blogger. Hey, I’m sure she’ll have a much more informative post later this morning.
So, here are some fun facts about historic landmarking:
* There are about 100 landmarked districts in all 5 boroughs. Most of them are in Manhattan, followed by Brooklyn.
* Brooklyn Heights was the first landmarked district in the County of Kings.
* Guess which boro is the most resistant to landmarking? Come on, you know.
* Less than 3% of all properties in NYC are landmarked.
* In 1965, it was Mayor Wagner whom started landmarking districts. (Interesting. I was like “Mayor Who?” I can only remember as far back as Lindsay and I guess I don’t remember my history lessons.)
But back to Cranky Old Guy. During the Q&A, he asked if Landmarks was going to tell him what he can and can’t do to his house. The response was that Landmarks does indeed oversee replacement doors and windows on historic homes in the district. There was back and forth for a bit.
“But it’s MY home. What if I don’t want to put in expensive wood windows?”
“Sir, Landmarks doesn’t make you install wood. They will approve wood or aluminum windows. Not vinyl.”
“But what if I want white vinyl? It’s MY home. How can they tell me what to do with MY home!”
“You can do aluminum. Not vinyl. The cost is only a bit more and they will last you longer.”
And on and on it went until someone said “It isn’t really YOUR home because you pay property taxes.”
If you live in the designated area, you really should get involved. The neighborhood needs to get behind these issues. It’s not like a couple of volunteers take care of it. Strength in numbers gets it done.
Please go to the website to learn more.
Bed Stuy Landmarking
Looks like this Bedford Corners Historic District thing is moving along. I received the following email as well as a flyer posted on the door of my house on a block not mentioned. This is Phase I. Maybe my block is Phase II? 🙁 It’s all good. Gives us a chance to install new front door and windows without landmarks breathing down our back.
And now to the old cut and paste……
An open forum community meeting regarding the creation of the Bedford Corners Landmark District will be held on July 10th, 2010 at 2:00 PM at the Bedford Branch Public Library. The library is located at 495 Franklin Avenue at Hancock Street.
A presentation by members of the Historic Districts Council will address the conditions and benefits of achieving historic landmark status. After the presentation residents of the neighborhood will be able to ask questions about the process and what it means to the community.
Bedford Corners comprises the blocks of Macon St., Halsey St, Hancock St, Arlington Place, and Jefferson Avenue from Bedford and Nostrand Avenues and extending east to Tompkins Avenue.
Bedford Corners will be only the second new historic district named in Bedford-Stuyvesant since 1971, when the Stuyvesant Heights district was formed. Growing support for the formation of Bedford Corners has been shown with a postcard mailing campaign to the Landmarks Preservation Commision earlier this year. This district has also garnered the support of Borough President Marty Markowitz and City Councilmember Al Vann.
This district has filed a Request for Evaluation with the LPC and is awaiting surveying and calendaring procedures. Currently the Bedford District Block Associations (BDBA), a coalition of local block associations, is collecting signatures to a petition in support of this designation.
Lefferts Manor House Tour on Sunday!
When people think of the antique housing stock Brooklyn has to offer, they usually think of the brownstones. Or the Victorians in Ditmas. But Lefferts Manor historic district in Prospect Lefferts Gardens is all that and more. It has been described by NYC Landmarks Preservation as one of the finest “enclaves of late 19th- and early 20th-century housing in New York City”.
Tucked away right in the heart of Brooklyn, it’s what us old timers used to refer to as Flatbush, along with a gazillion other neighborhoods. The housing stock consists mainly of single family homes that were never used as rooming houses because of a covenant.
The 2010 house tour, sponsored by The Lefforts Manor Association is this Sunday, May 23rd from noon to 5pm. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.
There are nine homes on the tour ranging in various architectural style and interior design. It’s an excellent way to steal ideas for your own home projects! If that’s not enough for you, there will be music, refreshments and wine.
Reclaimed Wood Straight Outta Bklyn
While searching for porch flooring I came across a reclaimed lumber company that gets it’s wood from places such as exotic Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.
Well, it IS exotic woods like Ipe and Kumaru. New York City is the largest consumer of tropical woods for boardwalks, benches and other outdoor uses. The city has curbed the use of these woods due to protests from environmental groups, but not completely. The reclaimed Ipe is a way to use these woods sustainably.
So, enter Sawkill Lumber. Partners Alan Solomon and Klaas Armster of Solomon Wood and Armster Lumber have inventory from the Coney Island and Rockaway boardwalks as well as from those water tanks you that enhance the NYC skyline.
I haven’t received a price quote yet, but I’m not too bothered for my current project. I suspect this stuff isn’t cheap. I mean, who doesn’t want to say their floor is made from the Coney Island boardwalk?!
So, I wait until I build a deck on the Brooklyn house. If I can’t afford a whole deck, there will be SOMETHING!, a piece of the Coney Island boardwalk in my house.
No matter what the cost.
There’s a sucker born every minute. And I was minute 947823230492734 of 1965.
Old House Web
Hey, dy’all know about Old House Web? It’s a mega website that has just about any information you need to find on older homes.
Although some of it is paid advertising (no problem with that-they have to make money), there are blog posts and diy tips that are pretty handy.
My favorite section of the site is the forum. It looks like lots of people use it, which always makes for a good forum. There are pre and post 1900 house categories with topics ranging from wallpaper to countertops to foundations.
Such a shame I actually have to do physical work on my house today or I’d be on Old House Web all day dreaming up some crazy new restoration scheme.