Push To Landmark Carroll Gardens Kindergarten Fought By Owner

CARROLL GARDENS, NY — A push to landmark an historic kindergarten-turned-home in Carroll Gardens got nearly unanimous support at a public hearing Tuesday – with one exception. The building's owner is threatening to sue the city over the proposed designation.

A lawyer for the owners of the former Hans S. Christian Memorial Kindergarten, 236 President St., said neighbors only wanted the building protected to safeguard their view and threatened to sue the city if the proposal went through, reports said.

"We also understand that there has been feedback from neighbors, who are really only concerned that any demolition or reconstruction of the building will affect their second-story view," Susan Morrow, lawyer for Avo Construction, testified at a Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday, according to Brownstoner.

Morrow was the sole person against the proposal to designate 236 President St. and the neighboring 238 President St. as landmarks during the Tuesday meeting, Curbed reported. Several residents and Councilman Brad Lander testified in favor of the designation during the hearing.

The potential landmarks designation of the building comes after a push from local politicians, residents and the community board when they got wind of plans to tear down the historic condos.

Avo Construction wants to buy the 236 President St. home in order to tear it down and build a six-story condo building in its place, the New York Post reported. There are no plans to demolish the apartment building at 238 President St.

In March, Councilman Brad Lander, Rep. Nydia Velázques and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon started a petition to get the LPC to save the two buildings. Their efforts were later joined by Assemblyman Robert Carroll, Community Board 6 and folk singer Joan Baez, whose grandfather and father preached at 236 President St. when it was a church.

After the push, the LPC voted to consider landmarking the two buildings in April and Tuesday's meeting is one the last steps before the agency votes on designating the building.

The landmark push reportedly scared off Avo, who tried to back out of the sale and later put the building back up for sale at $4.9 million. Despite the listing, Morrow threatened a lawsuit against the city if the landmark designation goes through.

"My clients are fully prepared to litigate this issue — in court," Morrow said at the hearing, according to Brownstoner. "We believe that any designation by the LPC of this building as a landmark would be arbitrary and capricious and subject to court review."

The two-story, French Revival home at 236 President St. was designed by Hough & Deuell and built in 1897 as the Hans S. Christian Memorial Kindergarten, the LPC said. It was a gift from Christian's widow and was one of the first free kindergartens in Brooklyn, according to a Brooklyn Daily Eagle report from the time.

It later became a Methodist church then converted into a home in 1974, Brownstoner reported. It was first listed for sale last year at $5.4 million.

The neighboring 238 President St. was built for Edward Kellogg in 1853 and later bought by Christian in the 1880s, according to the LPC.

She expanded it and turned it into the Brooklyn Deaconess Home of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It later became an apartment building.

Image: Landmarks Preservation Commission