Brooklyn Heights Historic District


Brooklyn Heights Historic District
Representative rowhouses in the district
Brooklyn Heights Historic District is located in New York City
Brooklyn Heights Historic District
Brooklyn Heights Historic District is located in New York
Brooklyn Heights Historic District
Brooklyn Heights Historic District is located in the United States
Brooklyn Heights Historic District
LocationBounded by Atlantic Ave., Court and Fulton Sts. and the BQE
Brooklyn, New York City
Coordinates40°41′48″N 73°59′48″W / 40.69667°N 73.99667°W / 40.69667; -73.99667
Area140 acres (57 ha)
Architectmultiple
Architectural styleGreek Revival, Late Victorian, Gothic
NRHP reference No.66000524[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NHLDJanuary 12, 1965[2]
Designated NYCLSeptember 26, 1978

The Brooklyn Heights Historic District is a historic district that comprises much of the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, United States. It was named a National Historic Landmark in January, 1965,[2] designated a New York City Landmark in November, 1965,[3] and added to the National Register of Historic Places in October, 1966.[4]

The district is bounded by Cadman Plaza West (Old Fulton Street) on the north, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway on the west, Atlantic Avenue on the south, and an irregular line that partly follows Clinton and Henry Streets on the east.[3] It is of national significance as an early commuter suburb, and as a remarkably well-preserved 19th-century urban streetscape.[4]

Grace Episcopal Church, designed by Richard Upjohn, which held its first service in 1848,[5] is in the district, as are Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral, the First Presbyterian Church, the First Unitarian Congregational Society, the Center for Brooklyn History, the Heights Casino and Casino Apartments, Packer Collegiate Institute, and St. Ann's and the Holy Trinity Church, among other historically notable buildings.[6]

The development of Brooklyn Heights as a fashionable residential area began with the introduction of ferry service to Manhattan in 1814. By the mid-19th century, the area was served by three ferry services as well as the Brooklyn and Jamaica Railroad, and it was one of New York's premier residential addresses. The latter distinction was eventually eclipsed by Fifth Avenue. Some of its streets are named for early real estate developers.[4]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b "Brooklyn Heights Historic District". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-14. Archived from the original on 2011-06-05. Retrieved 2007-09-06.
  3. ^ a b New York City Landmarks Commission. "Brooklyn Heights Historic District, Brooklyn, Designated November 23, 1965" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 12, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2007. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Heintzelman, Patricia (May 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Brooklyn Heights" (pdf). National Park Service. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying photos, from 1975. (5.89 MB)
  5. ^ "A Brooklyn Church Uncovers a Long-Hidden Celestial Scene". The New York Times. December 25, 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-26. Grace Church was designed by the master architect Richard Upjohn, the confident hand behind Trinity Church on Wall Street. The first service was held at Grace in 1848.
  6. ^ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission; Dolkart, Andrew S.; Postal, Matthew A. (2009). Postal, Matthew A. (ed.). Guide to New York City Landmarks (4th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-28963-1., pp.230-235