Nathan Kensinger’s article in Curbed, “Brooklyn’s most endangered buildings” is depressingly familiar. There are similar articles and watchlists and demo lists every year. Typically some of the buildings are saved and some are lost.
Looking at this list, a pattern jumped out at me. None of the structures in question (they’re not all buildings) are normal “landmark” buildings. The most normal – the most average – is the Flatbush Presbyterian Church, and the fact that it’s a church automatically puts an asterisk on it. Churches and other religious buildings can be and are landmarked, but the combination of first-amendment issues (there are pretty strict limits on government regulation of religious organizations) and the fact that they tend to be older maintenance-heavy buildings owned by non-profits makes them different than ordinary residential or commercial buildings. The Bowne and Grashorn buildings and the 68th Precinct are odd buildings in terms of history and appearance and are all in poor condition. 200 Montague is a severely modernist building which both makes it stand out in the Brooklyn Heights historic district and puts it in the “unloved by much of the public” category. And finally, the Heights Promenade may be well-loved, but even describing exactly what it is (the pedestrian top to a triple-deck cantilevered highway structure) takes some effort.
Perhaps I’m in an optimistic mood, but the fact that these are the most endangered landmarks in Brooklyn suggests that the preservation community has had some measure of success with more ordinary buildings. The days of losing historic houses and commercial buildings in New York are not over, but dramatic losses like the demolition of Rhinelander Row, shown above, are mostly done.
