LP-2683
Willoughby-Hart Historic District
ITEM PROPOSED FOR PUBLIC HEARING
The proposed designation of the Willoughby-Hart Historic District consists of the properties bounded by a line beginning at the northwest corner of the property line of 445 Willoughby Avenue, and extending easterly along the northern property lines of 445 through 507 Willoughby Avenue, southerly along the eastern property line of 507 Willoughby Avenue, across Willoughby Avenue and along the eastern property lines of 510 Willoughby Avenue and 75 Hart Street to the northern curbline of Hart Street, westerly along said curbline to a point on a line extending northerly from the eastern property line of 72 Hart Street, southerly along said line and the eastern property line of 72 Hart Street, westerly along the southern property lines of 72 through 12 Hart Street, northerly along a portion of the western property line of 12 Hart Street, westerly along the southern property lines of 10 through 2 Hart Street, to the eastern curbline of Nostrand Avenue, northerly along said curbline, across Hart Street and along the eastern curbline of Nostrand Avenue to a point on a line extending westerly from the northern property line of 1 Hart Street, easterly along said line and the northern property lines of 1 through 9 Hart Street, northerly along the western property lines of 11 Hart Street and 446 Willoughby Avenue, across Willoughby Avenue and along the western property line of 445 Willoughby Avenue to the point of beginning.
As the citywide advocate for New York’s architectural, historical and cultural neighborhoods, The Historic Districts Council enthusiastically supports the designation of the Willoughby-Hart Historic District in Bedford-Stuyvesant.
The Proposed Historic District, encompassing Willoughby Avenue and Hart Street between Marcy and Nostrand Avenues, offers an especially cohesive and highly intact streetscape of late 19th-century neo-Grec, Second Empire and Romanesque Revival row houses, which create a unique sense of place. The district is also home to several notable and cultural figures and helps tell the story of the evolution of this part of Brooklyn over 150 years.
Many of these homes have been lovingly maintained and stewarded by neighbors and community members who have called these blocks home for generations. Landmark designation offers neighbors further resources in that effort and supports building owners new and old in helping maintain the historic character of these two blocks.
The Commission has recognized the worthiness of these blocks since the early 1990s, and current community advocacy has further helped raise awareness about the blocks. HDC is proud to be working closely with neighborhood advocates on this campaign, and to have lent support through several Landmarks 101 presentations, distribution of educational materials on landmark designation and financial incentives for historic buildings, and expert advice throughout this process.
We thank the community for its tenacious effort on behalf of this designation, and all the local elected officials for their support. We look forward to Willoughby Avenue and Hart Street between Marcy and Nostrand Avenues becoming New York City’s newest Historic District.