Willoughby-Hart Section In Bed-Stuy Named Historic District

BED-STUY, NY — The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated a stretch of Bed-Stuy as a historic district.

Two blocks made up of late-19th century row houses lining Willoughby Avenue and Hart Street between Nostrand and Marcy Avenues now have the special distinction.

The LPC voted unanimously to designate the neighborhood on Tuesday.

“The impressive historic row houses which line the blocks of Willoughby and Hart make this newest historic district an architectural highlight within the greater Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood,” said Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Sarah Carroll in a statement. “Today’s vote recognizes the district’s distinctive beauty and unique history, and ensures this special section of Brooklyn will be preserved for generations to come.”

Almost 50 buildings within the Willoughby-Hart Historic District, including nearly all the houses on the north side of Hart Street, were designed by the architect Isaac D. Reynolds, who worked primarily in the popular neo-Grec style, creating a cohesive uniformity on these blocks. Other architects working in the neo-Grec style within the district include Thomas McKee and J.W. Parkin, according to officials.

All the homes were built within a 20-year timeframe beginning in 1871, during a time when the area that would become Bedford-Stuyvesant was transitioning rapidly from farmland to dense residential development after newly expanded transportation options strengthened Brooklyn’s connection to Manhattan