City Should Landmark 2 Carroll Gardens Homes, Pols Say

CARROLL GARDENS, NY — A group of elected officials called on the city to landmark a pair of Carroll Gardens homes after they got winds of plans to tear down one of the historic structures.

The former kindergarten turned home at 236 President St. could be demolished by its owners, so Councilman Brad Lander, Rep. Nydia Velázquez and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon banded together to save it and the neighboring 238 President St. from the wrecking ball.

"The beautiful, historic nature of many of the buildings in Carroll Gardens is one reason why so many people love living in the neighborhood," Lander wrote in a letter Friday urging the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) to consider the structures for protection.

"Especially given the real demolition threat facing the former Hans S. Christian Memorial Kindergarten, we must rally together to urge LPC to help us save 236 and 238 President Street, and in doing so, save a bit of Carroll Gardens history for future generations."

Aside from the letter, the lawmakers also started an online petition for residents to support the call on the LPC to save the two buildings.

"The Landmarks Preservation Commission recently received requests to evaluate 236 and 238 President Street as potential landmarks from elected officials and the community, and they are currently under review," a spokeswoman for the agency said in a statement.

While the public and electeds can suggest potential landmarks, it's ultimately up to the LPC to decide what gets considered for protection, according to the agency.

The Carroll Gardens Historic District currently covers 135 buildings around Carroll, President, Smith and Hoyt streets but ends three blocks away from the two homes on President Street.

Aside from saving those homes, the lawmakers called on LPC to increase the size of historic district, which caused a neighborhood furor when preservationists tried to expand it in 2009.

"In addition to expeditiously considering these two structures for designation as individual New York City landmarks, we urge LPC to expand the Carroll Gardens Historic District and extend overdue preservation protections to a greater area of the neighborhood," Lander wrote in the letter.

The ornate home at 236 President St. first opened as the Hans S. Christian Memorial Kindergarten in 1897 as a gift to the Brooklyn Free Kindergarten Society from Christian's widow, according to a Brooklyn Daily Eagle report at the time.

It later became a church then was converted into a home in 1974, Brownstoner reported. The house was listed for sale last year for $5.3 million.

The neighboring 238 President also opened in 1897 and was formerly the Methodist Episcopal Deaconess's Home, according to a New York Times report from that year. It was later converted into an apartment building.

Lander wrote to the LPC that 236 President St. is in danger of being torn down, but no official plans were filed with the city to demolish it, records show.

A spokeswoman for Lander didn't have more details on the plans to tear down the structure.

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