Dear denizens of Brooklyn Heights,
You may remember me from my reporting on Kindergarten waitlists and eduction equity. Two years ago I moved to Downtown Brooklyn after residing in Brooklyn Heights for fifteen years. I’m calling upon you now to help prevent the historic Duffield Houses from becoming mere edifices for yet another generic residential tower in Downtown Brooklyn. The area now being, according to New York Magazine, “a showcase of millennial architectural mediocrity.”
Several community groups and local elected officials are against this project. The Community Board 2 (CB2) roundly rejected the proposal, their reasoning is outlined in their July 2025 memo to the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The Brooklyn Heights Association also plans to testify against it. The Historical Districts Council wrote in their statement submitted to the LPC,
“The HDC is strongly against the partial demolition and subsequent disfigurement of the houses to make way for a new structure. If approved, this precedent would suggest that every historic structure is only as meaningful as its facade, and thereby fair game to be window dressing for a tower.”
The LPC hearing is scheduled for the morning of Tuesday, Oct 21st. The Downtown Brooklyn Community Association (DBCA), a new neighborhood coalition, has created a petition. It not only outlines the history and significance of the houses but how the developer’s plans emperil them structurally. Please sign and share it widely. In addition, you can also write your own testimony using this online submission form: https://www.nyc.gov/site/lpc/about/submit-public-hearing-meeting-comments.page
SIDE NOTE: Before anyone gets spicy about NIMBY complaints or the need for affordable housing, understand those are issues outside the purview of the LPC. The commission’s only function is to evaluate projects based on established historical standards and the merits (or lack thereof) of the developer’s plans. It is curious though that neither Forest City Ratner nor Brookfield managed to bring their projects to fruition. The current proposal definitely begs the question, “Is this even feasible without destroying the houses in the process?” As of right doesn’t make it right.
This plea is strictly about preserving rare, authentic, 19th-century architecture that typified Brooklyn as an indedpendent city. These homes were purposefully saved frrom the wrecking ball and thoughtfully relocated in 1990. They are the only physical, historical, and architectural representation of the the immigrants, working and middle class individuals who forged Brooklyn’s vibrant character. Personally, I would like to see the Duffield Houses preserved and memorialized as a living museum akin to The Tenement Museum. But first we have to prevent the developer from white-washsing and erasing history.
Thank you.
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