Wallabout Gets 'Historic' Recognition from State

The state deemed a five-block stretch of Wallabout worthy of recognition for its historical value, though the seal of approval will do practically nothing to preserve the antebellum homes for the ages.

Now, property owners within the border of Clermont, Park, Washington and Myrtle avenues will be eligible for assorted grants and tax incentives to voluntarily preserve their buildings through the New York State Register of Historic Places.

But the more restrictive landmarks designation — which essentially preserves properties as they are — can only come from the city.

“The New York State register is honorary, it provides recognition for the district,” said Blaise Backer, the executive director of the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project, which supported the push for landmarks status.

The city’s seal of approval is more desirable to preservationists, but it is only considering one block of Vanderbilt Avenue between Park and Myrtle avenues for landmarks status.

Lisi de Bourbon, a spokeswoman for the city Landmarks and Preservation Commission, could not say when exactly a vote would be held on the block of Vanderbilt Avenue.

Backer said that his organization had hoped the city would consider a broader swath of Wallabout for preservation.

“They felt Vanderbilt was the only one that was [historically] intact enough. I would have liked to see a larger one,” he said. “Ideally, the state designation would incentivize owners to preserve their properties, and the district would grow in the future.”

At the least, the state's recommendation does raise the profile of the neighborhood, which features homes from between 1830 and 1930. According to the state board of preservation, the area is “especially rich in pre-Civil War wood houses.” The area accommodated workers at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which was built atop what was once Wallabout Bay.

New York 1 first reported that the state had entered Wallabout in the state Register of Historic Places.