Phat Albert's Building Featured On Brownstoner

Brownstoner has featured 495 Flatbush—aka Phat Albert's—as building of the day, in an effort to get readers to see beyond the $1 t-shirts and toilet seats and to appreciate the building's history and beauty.

Neighbors here have long fantasized about turning this place into a gym, school (the Lefferts Gardens Charter School was interested), or other community space, but the owners ain't selling. There's also been talk of landmarking, which would be swell, though I'd be content if they could just get all the giant beer billboards off of the walls.

(Photo: Brownstoner)

Unearthing The American Revolution on Clove Road?

This Summer, Clove Road is going to be an archaeological site. The Daily News reported this morning that the efforts of historians of the American Revolution has led to funding to dig up Clove Road in the hopes of finding war-era artifacts.

Clove Road is a short spur in Crown Heights, running North from Empire Boulevard between Nostrand and New York to Montgomery Street, with its only other intersection at the tiny, vestigial Malbone Street (gmap).

According to the Daily News, Letitia James obtained $200,000 to fund the project after a private report found that:

800 American soldiers guarded the road - then known as the Bedford Pass - in August 1776 before retreating from advancing British forces.

Even though evidence was thin that important archeological objects would be found, the report concluded the dig should go forward because it "would enhance our understanding of American defenses in Brooklyn" and "provide a glimpse" of how camp life was for the troops.

I hope the dig doesn't inconvenience the residents of Clove Road too much - and that the dig doesn't destroy the remaining cobblestones. In fact, it would be great if the result of the dig is to restore the cobblestone path - but I don't expect that to happen. Local architect Michael Cetera is noted in the article for proposing that the street be turned into a park or a pedestrian path. Since I can't imagine it gets much vehicular traffic, I think that is a great (if also unlikely) idea.

Image via Forgotten NY's excellent article on the alleys of Brooklyn (including Clove Rd, Malbone Street and the Miami, Palm and Tampa Courts).

Church of the Evangel Now a Historic Site

   The Church of the Evangel, on the Southwest corner of Hawthorne and Bedford, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.The Brooklyn Eagle provides some background on the history of the building:

Built in 1916, an example of Late Gothic Revival architecture, the church embodies many characteristics that are typical of a medieval parish church in England. ... The window is made of the Tiffany stained glass, executed at the Tiffany Studios in New York City. The window, called the Cromwell Memorial Window, was bestowed upon the church in 1927 by Emma Cromwell in memory of her brother, Joseph Milton Cromwell.

A ceremony recognizing the honor will be held on Saturday, June 5 at the church. Congratulations to Reverend Lisa Johnson and all of her predecessors in maintaining this beautiful building.

Want To See How Your Apartment Was Originally Marketed?

Columbia University Libraries has posted a collection of old real estate materials online and it gives a revealing look at how some of the buildings in our neighborhood were marketed in their early days.

Of the nearly 60 buildings in the archives, the brochure for Patio Gardens is the most lush. Where promotional materials for places such as 45 Hawthorne, 145 Lincoln Road, or Maple and Flatbush are 5-page, black & white leaflets with sample floor-plans and (in some cases) lists of amenities, Patio Gardens gets an elaborate package with ad copy, an elegant photo and spot color.

Of course, it's been a good long while since Patio Gardens' opening. The fortress-like entrance is a little foreboding today, but I suppose that's helpful if you're living on Flatbush Avenue. That said, I've been in one of the apartments and found it quite lovely.

Breaking: Ocean on the Park Historic District Approved

Earlier today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a hearing on the designation of 189 - 211 Ocean Avenue, between Parkside and Flatbush, as the Ocean on the Park Historic District. A reporter on the scene with a blackberrry announced that, over the objection of the owner of 189 Ocean, the district designation passed, encompassing all houses in the row.

UPDATE: The New York Times City Room blog has more about the history of the HD and the hearing. In response to the objection of the owner at 189 that she would be handcuffed by the HD rules to respond to development on the lot at 185, the Commission scheduled a hearing extending the district to cover the lot at 185, which would preclude the border lot from erecting a building that would be out of context with its neighbors. Expect to see people out there pouring a foundation ASAP if they are allowed to do so...

Thanks, Barbara, Heidi and Bob!

Image via Brownstoner

LPC vote on Ocean Historic District planned for Tues., October 27

Good news, old house lovers: the Landmarks Preservation Commission has scheduled the designation vote for the proposed Ocean on the Park Historic District for Tuesday, October 27. We can't say for sure what will happen, but the odds are looking pretty damn good that the 10 limestones and 2 brick homes in the row will be given landmark district status, preserving them for the foreseeable future.

The time for submitting letters of support and the public hearing has passed but a show of support on the day of the vote may be helpful in solidifying support or swaying some commissioners during the debate. So, for now, save the date and we'll give you the exact time and place in October.

Happy Random Anniversary, PLG!

While I wish the Brooklyn Eagle had held this story for a year so that the title of this post wouldn't be so silly, yesterday marked the 29th Anniversary of PLG's designation as a historic district.

The article has an interesting architectural timeline of the neighborhood, from the first 1890's construction frenzy to the limestone explosion between 1905 and 1910, through the finishing touch of red brick Colonials in 1915-1925.

The origins of Hawthorne explained

According to Brooklyn By Name, our beloved Hawthorne Street was named after Nathaniel Hawthorne, an American author who appears to have no connection to PLG other than the fact that some of us have read his books. I do find it gratifying in a way, though. Now there's actually some basis for me telling customer service reps, "Hawthorne, as in Nathaniel" when they ask how to spell the street name... though, come to think of it, I don't think that response has ever helped anyone spell it.

PLG History: Integration!

The New York Times archives are a wonderful thing. They have scanned, posted and made searchable the entire news archive since 1851, and it is free for subscribers. One article we came across, from 1930, addresses an issue that most people step gingerly around—racism. Here's one person who didn't: Mrs. Ella Morris.

As surely one of the first people in Lefferts Manor—if not the first—to rent to African-Americans—excuse me, Negroes, you'd think that Mrs. Morris was a hero. You would be wrong. You see, according to the Times, her house at 54 Midwood "was advertised 'for sale or for rent to colored people only'... after neighbors objected to her taking in white roomers."

That's right: the single-family deed restriction in Lefferts Manor left Mrs. Morris unable to rent out rooms and led her to give over the house to African-Americans as an act of revenge because her neighbors were probably just as racist as she was. 

But perhaps I'm misjudging ol' Ella, and her heart really was in the right place.

"The family coming into the house," said Mrs. Morris, "is a large family. I have given them a long lease but it contains a cancellation clause which can be applied in the event the house is sold." On the front and the West of the neat little building are large canvas signs sill advertising the house "Sale to Colored People Only."  The "For Rent" part of the sign has been painted over. Mrs. Morris said the signs are to remain until the house is sold.

Um. No. PLG's first racial pioneer was a spiteful little cuss.