4.26.2008

Admirals’ Row

Staying with the theme from the last post, this UrbEx armchair traveler's attention has remained in New York and has focused on unique and beautiful buildings on a small neighborhood that time forgot . . . Admiral's Row.
All images - From the Report Assessment of Admirals row, brooklyn naval yard, Beardsley Design Associates. See the full report here.


Built between 1864 and 1901 along Flushing Avenue, the houses were part of a six-acre site, including stables and tennis courts, that once housed high-ranking naval officers and their families.

















Although the Navy closed the yard in 1966, the houses remained occupied until the 1970's. Ownership of the property then shifted to the federal government, and the site was placed under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers.























In the mid-1990's, the city investigated the possibility of buying the site and determined that it would cost more than $20 million to restore the structures to their former grandeur.





















Unfortunately, it appears that most of the structures have already degraded to a point of no recovery. The very best that I (and N.Y. building preservationists / historical interest groups) could hope for is a salvage operation of pieces of interest.








Being from Barrie, Ontario (Canada) I know full well the feeling of cultural and historical loss of buildings such as these . . . I just hope that something can be recovered.

For more information, read the wikipedia entry.

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