LP-2692
Beverley Square West Historic District
ITEM PROPOSED FOR DESIGNATION
The proposed Beverley Square West Historic District consists of the properties bounded by a line beginning at the southeastern corner of Beverley Road and Argyle Road, continuing easterly along the southern curbline of Beverly Road, across Rugby Road and Marlborough Road, to a point on a line extending northerly from the eastern property line of 237 Marlborough Road; southerly along said line and the eastern property lines of 237 through 339 Marlborough Road; westerly along the southern property line of 339 Marlborough Road and a line extending to the western curbline of Marlborough Road; southerly along the western curbline of Marlborough Road to a point on a line extending easterly from the southern property line of 352 Marlborough Road; westerly along said line and the southern property line of 352 Marlborough Road; southerly along the eastern property lines of 341 through 359 Rugby Road and a line extending to the northern curbline of Cortelyou Road; westerly along the northern curbline of Cortelyou Road to the eastern curbline of Rugby Road; northerly along the eastern curbline of Rugby Road to a point on a line extending easterly from the southern property line of 324 Rugby Road; westerly along said line, the southern property lines of 324 Rugby Road and 309 Argyle Road, and a line extending to the western curbline of Argyle Road; southerly along the western curbline of Argyle Road to the northern curbline of Cortelyou Road; westerly along the northern curbline of Cortelyou Road to a point on a line extending southerly from the western property line of 364 Argyle Road; northerly along said line and the western property lines of 364 through 226 Argyle Road; easterly along the northern property line of 226 Argyle Road and a line extending across Argyle Road to the eastern curbline of Argyle Road; and northerly along the eastern curbline of Argyle Road to the point of beginning.
As the citywide advocate for New York’s architectural, historical and cultural neighborhoods, The Historic Districts Council supports the designation of the Beverley Square West Historic District in Flatbush, Brooklyn. HDC has worked closely with the various neighborhoods of Victorian Flatbush on designation efforts for more than two decades. The Beverley Square West Historic District and the Ditmas Park West Historic District designations will contribute to the “quilt” of districts that make up the unique Victorian Flatbush community, one of the largest of its kind in the country.
The Beverley Square West Historic District represents Flatbush’s early suburban development, spurred from farmland. The area largely includes architecturally intact freestanding houses built between the mid-1890s and 1910. A well-known Brooklyn developer, Thomas B. Ackerson, hired well-known Brooklyn architects, including A. White Pierce, to design these homes.
The neighborhood is more than deserving of landmarked status with its intact, wood-framed houses set back with large, green lawns, often built in the style of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. We are excited to see another district designated in the neighborhood of Flatbush.
On another note, HDC is firmly on the record with the LPC as not agreeing with the proposed boundaries. We feel that the proposed boundaries do not take more of this distinct neighborhood into consideration over a supposed lack of integrity.
The current proposed boundaries exclude several blocks that are worthy of designation. These include Stratford and Westminster Roads between Beverley and Cortelyou, and the south side of Beverley Road between Stratford and Westminster. These blocks contain many intact houses of the same style and integrity as those being included in the historic district. Our concern is that without landmark status, these blocks will be targets for development. Out-of-scale development in this area would be especially jarring given the bucolic, suburban character of the area.
We are also left without a reason that these blocks were left out of the proposal, as many of the excluded homes retain their wood siding, wide front porches, and special details like leaded glass windows and distinctive rooflines.
We urge the LPC to continue to consider these blocks as a future expansion.