BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — In a victory for Bed-Stuy landmarking adovcates, the City Council on Thursday approved an expansion of the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District, more than doubling the size of the existing district.
The expansion, which officials said will add almost 400 new properties to the district, was passed by the Landmarks Preservations Commission in April after what advocates said was a decades-long battle.
"Let the record show that this community is proud to be counted among the 31 or more of Brooklyn’s pristine and unique historic districts already designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission," Evelyn Collier, landmarks committee chair of Brooklyn Community Board 3, said in a statement.
The Stuyvesant Heights Historic District was created in 1971, and is made up of turn-of-the-century brick and brownstone rowhouses alongside "elegant, four-story apartment houses," according to the Historic Districts Council.
The district's new boundaries include Macon Street, Halsey Street and Jefferson Avenue to the north, Fulton Street to the south, Malcolm X Boulevard to the east and Tompkins Avenue to the west.
Attempts to expand the district in 1993 and 2006 were blocked by the landmarks commission due to a lack of consensus, but the measure passed unanimously in April.
"There is no lack of consensus today," commission Chair Robert B. Tierney said at the time.
The expansion is important for homeowners, who have benefited from low-interest loans and grants from the New York Landmarks Conservancy, according to Councilman Albert Vann.
But it will also help preserve the culture of the community, Vann said.
“I am proud to be the elected representative of a community that understands and treasures its history," Vann said in a statement, "especially as it is reflected in the beautiful architecture of the buildings that characterize our neighborhood."
