Thursday, December 11, 2014

A whole lot of Ridgewood is now landmarked

From Brownstoner Queens:

Yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the designation of the Central Ridgewood Historic District. The district spans 40 blocks of the neighborhood and covers 990 buildings — more than three times the total number of buildings in already-landmarked districts of Ridgewood. The district mostly consists of brick rowhouses built in the early 1900s, and includes the streetscapes of 69th Avenue, Madison Street, Catalpa Avenue (above), and the Meyerrose House at 66-75 Forest Avenue. Prominent architects featured in the area are Louis Berger (the architect of record for over 5,000 buildings in the Ridgewood-Bushwick area) and Paul Stier (who built about half of the houses in the Central Ridgewood Historic District). This district is, according to the LPC, “One of the most harmonious and architecturally-distinguished enclaves of working-class dwellings built in New York City during the early twentieth century.”

Boy, that LPC just loves landmarking rowhouses that face little threat of demolition or defacement, don't they? Individual sites on large lots they let get destroyed. I wonder why that is?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

If it keeps them from going Styrofoam and stucco I'm all for it.

Anonymous said...

But of course...it's row housing which the LPC prefers over other types of landmark worthy housing. With the LPC it's a numbers game. Now they can deny historic district status to deserving Broadway Flushing by saying we increased Queens number of landmark sites. Don't hold your breath Broadway. You will never be land marked. Partial blame rests with BFHA for not holding Paul Vallones feet to the fire. Keep up the polite manner with that scum bun and you will see your nabe disappear in 5 years.

Anonymous said...

At the expense of the Douglaston Hostoric district extension.

Anonymous said...

I agree....less St Andrews soccer moms kissing Paul Vallones butt...and increase the pressure to landmark Broadway-Auburndale.

Anonymous said...

Broadway Flushing being landmarked will not help much. The quality of life has been destroyed by the planes flying over head non-stop from LGA !

Anonymous said...

I have lived in Ridgewood for decades and have yet to see a styrofoam and stucco job. Most of the houses are brick and it makes no sense to do that to them. While the architecture is worthy of landmark status, I don't see why they needed to do this district before all the others in need of protection that are being decimated daily.

Rachel said...

To Anonymous who has lived in Ridgewood for decades you should come over to the other side of Ridgewood where 112 year old wood frame houses are being crappafied with the stucco abomination. The stucco is so ugly it makes the asphalt shingles look good. My husband and I need to reside our building as does the neighbor's house we are attached to. He suggested stucco but there is zero chance we will be letting that happen to our place. Why people can't tell that the stucco is inappropriate architecturally on these turn of the century houses makes me wish that landmarks could do something about that but that's just me dreaming.

On a side note the more things change the more they stay the same; our Christmas wreath was stolen from our front door yesterday. I guess that's the price of living in the "hottest" new neighborhood around. The neighborhood might be hot but it's still got it's share of scumbags.

Anonymous said...

That's my point...frame houses are much more in need of protecting than brick rowhouses, yet LPC wants to grab the low-hanging fruit.

Joe said...

Looks like once again houses around the church.
I been on tour (working) missing this...what about all the OLDEST Stier row houses with the big back yards down Seneca towards Glendale ?
Once again we get f_ucked ? -------Oh happy Home Crap Home

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