What Could Be Bay Ridge’s First Historic District Moves Closer to Reality With Unanimous LPC Vote

Bay Ridge is getting closer to having its first historic district.

This morning, commissioners at the Landmarks Preservation Commission were unanimous in their decision to calendar, or formally consider for landmarking, the Bay Ridge Parkway Doctors’ Row Historic District in Bay Ridge. The proposed district, less than one block long, consists of two intact rows of bay-fronted limestone row houses on Bay Ridge Parkway between 4th and 5th avenues.

“We looked at this block within the context of a broader area and we found that it really stands out in terms of its architectural quality and consistency, and for its history,” said the LPC’s Director of Research Kate Lemos McHale.

There are 54 row houses included in the proposed district, which has a history as a doctor’s row. The houses are Renaissance Revival in style (some with Colonial Revival elements) and they were built between 1906 and 1913.

“We did study the larger area to understand whether [this area] stood out, and if it should merit consideration as an individual street,” said LPC Chair Sarah Carrol said toward the end of the short hearing. “That survey of the larger area serves as a baseline for us to go back and look at the area for potential future districts.”

A public hearing on the proposed designation will be scheduled in the next couple of months, she added.

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