You really captured the mix of beauty and classist exclusivity that gives the neighborhood it's strange character. Too often people leave that out.
One more detail that adds to the tragedy of the Ocean Ave mansion - the zoning, and that of Prospect Park South, is some of the most restrictive in the city. Even if someone came up with the money needed to make it habitable again, they could not make it into large luxury condos, but must keep it as an enormous single family house. The condo formula has managed to make other very expensive renovations of grand mansions pencil out in neighborhoods like Crown Heights, Clinton Hill, and Park Slope. But it is prohibited here.
I've been in Flatbush for 12 years, and was visiting Ditmas many years before that. I'm also fascinated by the many-layered history that you uncovered. Much of it I knew (mostly from Brooklyn Eagle archives) but you have details here that are new to me. Thank you for writing this.
Hi Jacob, thanks for reading. Yes, the zoning question is really interesting. It’s a much different story in nearby east Flatbush. I’ve also gotten curious about the push for landmarking and what that all means—half of Beverley Square West got landmarked last year, but the western part bordering Coney Island Ave didn’t. Glad to hear I’m not the only one in the Brooklyn Eagle archives…
I was deeply disappointed by that landmarking. I felt it violated the spirit of City of Yes, the idea that every neighborhood had to contribute to building more housing. I do like lovely old houses but I kind of feel like we've got enough landmarked by this point, and landmarks is just becoming a tool of the rich. There are houses in Ditmas that are already altered beyond their original appearance that nonetheless are not zoned for apartment buildings.
There are also miles and miles of neighborhoods further south of Ave H that are not nearly as "historic" yet share the same zoning or nearly as restrictive zoning...Brooklyn has a long way to go to become equitable in this regard. I too live further east, on Martense, and the disparity in development is striking.
Anyway i will keep an eye out for your future writing. I have a minor Flatbush obsession which resulted in a concept album, "Ye Olde", about a fantastic medieval Ocean Ave. I'm not a pro writer but I occasionally mention Flatbush on my substack and am working on a historical essay about H.P. Lovecraft and Martense St.
You really captured the mix of beauty and classist exclusivity that gives the neighborhood it's strange character. Too often people leave that out.
One more detail that adds to the tragedy of the Ocean Ave mansion - the zoning, and that of Prospect Park South, is some of the most restrictive in the city. Even if someone came up with the money needed to make it habitable again, they could not make it into large luxury condos, but must keep it as an enormous single family house. The condo formula has managed to make other very expensive renovations of grand mansions pencil out in neighborhoods like Crown Heights, Clinton Hill, and Park Slope. But it is prohibited here.
I've been in Flatbush for 12 years, and was visiting Ditmas many years before that. I'm also fascinated by the many-layered history that you uncovered. Much of it I knew (mostly from Brooklyn Eagle archives) but you have details here that are new to me. Thank you for writing this.
Hi Jacob, thanks for reading. Yes, the zoning question is really interesting. It’s a much different story in nearby east Flatbush. I’ve also gotten curious about the push for landmarking and what that all means—half of Beverley Square West got landmarked last year, but the western part bordering Coney Island Ave didn’t. Glad to hear I’m not the only one in the Brooklyn Eagle archives…
I was deeply disappointed by that landmarking. I felt it violated the spirit of City of Yes, the idea that every neighborhood had to contribute to building more housing. I do like lovely old houses but I kind of feel like we've got enough landmarked by this point, and landmarks is just becoming a tool of the rich. There are houses in Ditmas that are already altered beyond their original appearance that nonetheless are not zoned for apartment buildings.
There are also miles and miles of neighborhoods further south of Ave H that are not nearly as "historic" yet share the same zoning or nearly as restrictive zoning...Brooklyn has a long way to go to become equitable in this regard. I too live further east, on Martense, and the disparity in development is striking.
Anyway i will keep an eye out for your future writing. I have a minor Flatbush obsession which resulted in a concept album, "Ye Olde", about a fantastic medieval Ocean Ave. I'm not a pro writer but I occasionally mention Flatbush on my substack and am working on a historical essay about H.P. Lovecraft and Martense St.
That's awesome - cheers to minor Flatbush obsessions
Thanks for this. I have a lot more learning to do about landmarking, but City of Yes came up a lot during my reporting for this essay.