'This Is Our Home': Bed-Stuy Attempts To Save Its Brownstones

BED-STUY, NY — Bed-Stuy advocates have their eye on landmark status for two blocks of Willoughby Avenue and Hart Street — and they're determined not to let developers win again.

The group that fought to save the Jacob Dangler mansion 441 Willoughby — a 125-year-old building demolished in 2022 — is now focused on a group of about 150 buildings, nearly all brownstones, between Nostrand and Marcy avenues.

"Brownstones and tree-lined streets are being destroyed to make way for anonymous glass new luxury buildings, whose skyrocketing rents displace neighbors and further contribute to the neighborhood's gentrification," organizers wrote in a change.org petition with nearly 700 signatures Wednesday.

On June 8, dozens of locals discussed the landmarking push at a community meeting organized by Willoughby Nostrand Marcy Block Association and Justice for 441 Willoughby.

After formally petitioning the Landmark Preservation Committee in January, organizers hosted the community meeting to build support and address homeowners' concerns, said 10-year Bed-Stuy resident and Justice for 441 Willoughby member Molly Salas.

"We want to keep that energy up... It was a pretty productive conversation" Salas told Patch. "We have support, the support is growing."

The brownstones in the proposed district are in high demand — meaning organizers are hoping for a swifter timeline than the multiple years it took to designate Bedford Historic District, Salas said.

Locals are propositioned weekly to sell their properties to developers, who remind homeowners they could just move away with a nice sum of cash, Salas said.

And, a year after the 441 Willoughby demolition, locals are fearful they will not be protected by the committee or city representatives, Salas said.

"There's a fear of being displaced," Salas said. "I think that's true within Bed-Stuy generally."

Beyond protecting the blocks uniquely full of brownstones, landmark status on Willoughby and Hurt will preserve the area's "spirit" of determination and uniquely Bed-Stuy legacy.

Bed-Stuy's brownstones tell stories of lineage, of generational Black homeownership and of Brooklyn's regional architectural history.

"Many brownstones in this pocket of Brooklyn have been passed down through family lineage, raising many generations of New Yorkers," organizers wrote in the petition.

"This is our home," Salas said.

Like any block in NYC, Salas' deep-dive into housing records dating back to the 1700s revealed Willoughby Avenue and Hart Street also carries a history full of cultural icons and famous architects.

For example, Henry Boerum — like of Boerum Hill — owned a farm within the proposed historic district. And many of the homes were built by prolific Brooklyn builder John Saddington, who built many homes in the Bedford Historic District, Salas said.

The first woman to ever be appointed dean at a Jesuit institution, Anna King, also lived within the district as she made history at Fordham University.

"Every building in New York is special," Salas said.