BROOKLYN

Downtown Brooklyn

An ambitious and controversial rezoning and redevelopment plan to foster and guide growth in Downtown Brooklyn has attracted the attention of neighborhood civic associations and city-wide preservation groups, including the Brooklyn Heights Association and the Municipal Arts Society. Early efforts by these groups sought to lobby municipal planning officials and the Downtown Brooklyn Council, which originated the rezoning plan. Their goal is to include positive strategies for the conservation, protection and adaptive re-use of downtown Brooklyn's many architecturally significant buildings, found within the defined renewal areas.

Offerman Building, 505 Fulton Street, 236-248 Duffield Street, (Lauritzen & Voss, 1890-1891). MEREDITH HAMILTON

Although the final plan did not strongly endorse their preservation, New York City preservation groups have successfully initiated several landmarking actions to protect these buildings. Thus far, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has designated two buildings, 81 (Rudolf L. Daus, 1898) and 101 Willoughby Street (Voorhees, Gmelin &Walker, 1929–1931). Hearings were held on two additional buildings, 456 (Robert Kohn and Charles Butler, 1924, addition 1925) and 505 Fulton Street (Lauritzen & Voss, 1890–1891), both located on the so-called Fulton Mall, Brooklyn's "main street." Approximately 30 structures, identified by either the Municipal Art Society or the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, have architectural significance and are potentially eligible for designation, or listing on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.