Exploring Prospect Park South

Prospect Park South was designated an Historic District in 1979.
Prospect Park South was designated an Historic District in 1979.

Last Sunday a group of my Rand coworkers and I met at Church Avenue in Brooklyn for a walking tour of the Prospect Park South Historic District. It was the second walking tour that we’ve done as a group. The first was of the Clinton Hill Historic District in June. Both of them were organized by Rand Project Associate Maria Arutunyan. Additionally, they were led by Pratt Institute professor Bob Pelosi.

Bob gave us an informative overview of how the Prospect Park South neighborhood was designed in 1899. He also discussed how it has been successfully maintained through the 20th and into the 21st century. In some cases, it was less successfully maintained. He told us how Dean Alvord, the neighborhood’s visionary developer, established guidelines for the community. For example, he required building freestanding houses with 30-foot setbacks from the street. Furthermore, he explained the importance of balancing symmetry and asymmetry within a building’s composition.

We also learned that the location and development of the community were influenced by its proximity to the Brighton Beach train station. You can see how the scale and detail of the houses decrease as one moves farther away from the hub of the station.

A Restorration Tour

I love the colors of the houses and was glad to see how the porch as a functional space has survived in this neighborhood. Other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, such as Ditmas Park, haven’t been as lucky. I also enjoyed seeing the creative designs of the roof overhangs, lanterns, chimney support brackets, and porch and balcony railings. Many of these features define this neighborhood. However, they fall between the rigid categories of architectural styles.

The juxtaposition of grandeur
The juxtaposition of grandeur and asymmetry is seen in this house on Beverly Road, one of the smaller homes farther from the train station.

We were happily surprised when a homeowner on Buckingham Road offered to show us inside his home—a beautiful white, two-story Ionic columned house. He explained his various restoration projects to restore the original features based on a set of blueprints from 1900. Some of the projects were completed, while others are in progress. He also told us how Mary Kay Gallagher, a long-time real estate broker from the area who specializes in Flatbush’s Victorian homes, was hugely influential in getting Prospect Park South designated a New York City Historic District in 1979.

Buckingham Road House
The owner of this house on Buckingham Road invited us in, told us about his renovation projects, and gave us a history lesson on the neighborhood.

The New York Times architectural historian Christopher Gray wrote a wonderful column in 2008 on Albemarle Road, Prospect Park South’s main boulevard. The article includes a slideshow that features both modern and historic photos of homes along “Brooklyn’s Stately Esplanade.”

You can view more photos from our tour (taken by my colleague Mike Langwell) on Rand’s Facebook page.

Looking forward to our next historic tour!