BY BEN BRACHFELD
A block of pristine, century
old rowhouses on E. 25th
Street in East Flatbush now
displays signage describing its
status as a historic landmark,
a year after having been designated
as such by the city.
The E. 25th Street Historic
District, which encompasses
the eponymous street between
Clarendon Road and Avenue
D, is East Flatbush’s fi rst-ever
historic district, and the designation
by the city’s Landmarks
Preservation Commission
celebrates both the
“unusually intact and cohesive”
strand of 56 renaissance
revival rowhouses along the
stretch, as well as the dedication
of the block’s residents to
maintaining its scenic beauty.
“I’m proud to say the E. 25th
Street Historic District is the
fi rst historic district in East
Flatbush, and that it refl ects
the diverse history of its community,”
COURIER LIFE, D 36 ECEMBER 17-23, 2021
said LPC Chair Sarah
Carroll at the unveiling of a
marker displaying a district
map and info on the block’s
historicity. “The houses’ ownership
has come to refl ect Flatbush’s
increasing diversity,
especially the growth of its African
American and Afro-Caribbean
communities, and I’ve
been so impressed by how the
historic architecture drew people
E. 25th Street residents pose on their street after the unveiling of its landmark marker Photo by Ben Brachfeld
to this block, and how their
community spirit has grown
stronger through their collective
efforts to green, beautify,
and preserve this.”
The block’s rowhouses were
built between 1909 and 1912
by German immigrant Henry
Meyer, on land once farmed by
African slaves but now occupied
by Black homeowners. All
of the houses are constructed
of either brownstone or limestone,
with bay windows and
remarkable cornices, and the
rows on both sides of the street
are completely uninterrupted
by newer development. Many
homeowners on the block also
maintain superb front yard gardens,
which has led the Brooklyn
Botanic Garden to name it
the “greenest block in Brooklyn”
four times, more than any
other stretch in the borough.
Julia Charles, former president
of the 300 E. 25th Street
Block Association and a strong
advocate for the landmark designation,
said that she and her
neighbors pursued landmark
designation as a means of preventing
real estate developers
from interrupting the serenity
of their block by building
large, shiny towers.
“As a means of protecting
our homes, the beautiful architecture,
our way of life, we
pursued landmark designation,”
Charles said. “And it’s
been a fantastic campaign.”
MAKING
HISTORY!
East Flatbush street gets
its landmark designation
NEED A LAWYER?
TRUST EXPERIENCE
• DIVORCE - Uncontested and Contested
• FAMILY LAW
• CHILD SUPPORT & CUSTODY
• VISITATION • PATERNITY
• REAL ESTATE CLOSINGS
• TRAFFIC COURT
2020 BES T O F BK. COM
• WILLS, PROBATE & ESTATES
• SURROGATE'S COURT LITIGATION
• ELDER LAW
FREE CONSULTATION
ON ALL ACCIDENT CASES
Auto-Bus-Truck-Taxi-Subway Accidents-Slip &
Fall - Nursing Home Neglect-Wrongful Death
Office Appointments Available
Zoom-Skype and FaceTime Consultations
BEST DIVORCE
ATTORNEY