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A house on Westminster Road in the just designated Ditmas Park West Historic District in October.<\/p>\n
Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n
Brooklyn had another slow year for landmarking in 2025, with no new individual landmarks designated. The borough did, however, gain two new historic districts.\n<\/p>\n
Both districts, located in Flatbush, were\u00a0designated unanimously<\/a>\u00a0by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in November, expanding protections for blocks south of Prospect Park that preservation advocates have long sought to see designated. The new Beverley Square West and Ditmas Park West historic districts bring the area\u2019s total number of historic districts to five.<\/p>\n While local residents were overwhelmingly supportive of the designations, many called for the inclusion of additional nearby blocks, including Westminster and Stratford roads and portions of Beverley Road.<\/p>\n The only Brooklyn site to move closer to individual landmark status came late in the year, when a\u00a0Boerum Hill school building<\/a>\u00a0was\u00a0calendared by the commission<\/a>\u00a0in December. A hearing and vote on its designation will likely take place in the new year.<\/p>\n The year also brought\u00a0change at the commission<\/a>, with LPC\u2019s longtime chair Sarah Carroll and vice chair Fred Bland stepping down and three new commissioners joining the group. As of now, the LPC\u2019s Vice Chair Angie Master leads public meetings, and the chair position remains unfilled.<\/p>\n The commission also considered some controversial redevelopment proposals later in the year involving historic buildings in\u00a0Downtown Brooklyn<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Fort Greene<\/a>.<\/p>\n Beverley Square West and Ditmas Park West Historic Districts<\/p>\n The\u00a0Beverley Square West and Ditmas Park West<\/a>\u00a0historic districts were largely considered together, with hearings and votes taking place consecutively, given the proximity of the areas. Locals have long called for expanded landmarking in the area south of Prospect Park, which already included three historic districts.<\/p>\n The designated\u00a0Beverley Square West Historic District<\/a>\u00a0includes 118 houses built between 1894 and 1910 on three tree-lined blocks between Beverley Road and Cortelyou Road. Nearly all were designed by prominent Brooklyn architects such as John J. Petit, John B. Slee, and Benjamin Driesler, Herman said.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Ditmas Park West Historic District<\/a>\u00a0contains 127 houses built largely between 1902 and 1910, just west of the Ditmas Park Historic District. Nearly half were designed by Arlington D. Isham. Both districts showcase distinctive turn-of-the-20th-century homes built as Flatbush shifted from farmland to early suburb \u2014 and houses in both districts are largely Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, or Shingle Style, Herman said.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/flatbush-ditmas-park-west-proposed-district-westminster-road-10072025-sdevries-1.webp.jpeg\")
Houses on Westminster Road in the Ditmas Park West district.Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n