Expanding the Historic District

The first expansion of the Park Slope Historic District in almost four decades took place in April 2012, when the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated about 600 buildings in the South Slope between Seventh and Fifteenth Streets and largely between Seventh and Eighth Avenues (see map at right). Those structures will join the 1,800 buildings within the original historic district established in July 1973, when Park Slope became one of the earliest such zones in New York City.

The historic district played a strong role in Park Slope’s renaissance in the 1970s and 1980s. Our objective in the expansion of the district is to preserve our neighborhood’s special character.

The expansion to the South Slope is the result of the strong support of its residents and our elected officials, which reflects the concerted efforts of the Civic Council’s Historic District Committee. Launched in 2007, the committee:

• advocates with the community, elected officials, and other stakeholders for the need to preserve Park Slope’s architectural and historic character.
• informs homeowners of what it means to be within the historic district;
• conducts extensive outreach at community events and by canvassing homeowners within proposed expansion areas;
• drives the designation process forward through our persistent follow-up with the LPC and other government agencies.

We have seen a great deal of progress in achieving our committee’s goal. With the South Slope expansion area in the April designation. This action will then be ratified by the City Council within 90 days.

In January 2012, Civic Council representatives and City Councilman Steve Levin met with LPC staff to review the status of the proposed expansion to the North Slope. The LPC indicated its intention of adding 260 buildings to the district, in the area between Berkeley Place and St. Marks Avenue and west of Fifth Avenue — which represents only about a third of the more than 800 buildings proposed by the Civic Council. Some of these may be included later in the third expansion. The Historic District Committee will work with homeowners and elected officials to include additional buildings in the North Slope.

The LPC is waiting until after its designation of the South Slope to schedule the public actions required for designation of the North Slope. These actions will include a meeting with the included homeowners and a subsequent public hearing before the Commission. The Civic Council will push for these actions to take place in 2012 so that the Commission can designate buildings within the North Slope in 2013.

The Historic District Committee welcomes people who would like to help achieve the goal of expanding the historic district. Even with the South Slope’s designation, only one-third of the neighborhood will be protected from demolition or inappropriate alteration. The committee envisions four or five more expansion phases over the coming decade.

Anyone interested in joining our efforts can e-mail the committee at historic.district@parkslopecivicouncil.org.

Frequently asked questions about Historic District expansion