Over 900 Prospect Heights Buildings Now Designated as Historic

Photo via the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council

PROSPECT HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Hundreds of property owners in Prospect Heights have new reason to rejoice.

That's because the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council (PHNDC) announced Wednesday that 612 buildings in the neighborhood were added to the National Register of Historic Places on Feb. 16, bringing the total number of historic buildings to 917.

The historic district in Prospect Heights is now three times its former size, as illustrated in the image above.

Now that these buildings are protected by the National Park Service, developers will not be able to destroy them to make way for luxury condos and other Manhattan-style developments. (Ahem, Atlantic Yards.) In addition, owners of historic properties can now apply for preservation tax credits from the state and federal governments to help pay for restorations and repairs.

City Councilmember Laurie A. Cumbo, whose jurisdiction includes Prospect Heights, called the new historic designations "an incredible win for the 35th Council District."

With them, Cumbo said, come "critical tax credits that will enable homeowners, landlords, and business owners particularly along Washington, Vanderbilt, and Flatbush avenues to maintain the beauty and history of these buildings.”

The district has expanded to include buildings on Flatbush Avenue, Vanderbilt Avenue, Washington Avenue, Underhill Avenue, Bergen Street, St. Marks Avenue, Prospect Place, Park Place, Sterling Place and Butler Place.

“The 19th century rowhouses and apartment buildings of brownstone Brooklyn continue to teach us about how these neighborhoods helped to form a thriving community as the city’s population expanded,” PHNDC chair Gib Veconi said. “They are also often still home to the long-time residents who have shaped the character of Brooklyn."

"Preserving these historic resources," Veconi said, "also means preserving our community.”