Photo: NYC Department of Records courtesy of Urban Archive.

A scavenger hunt can be a great way to get to know a new neighborhood–or discover things about its history that you might never have learned. Join Urban Archive, the Historic Districts Council, and the New York City Department of Records for a scavenger hunt using the Urban Archive app in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn on Sunday, October 6th.

Start hunting, this way

Courtesy of Landmarks Preservation Commission

Bay Ridge has gained its first historic district. The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted on Tuesday to landmark an area in the Brooklyn neighborhood along Bay Ridge Parkway between 4th and 5th Avenues. Dubbed Doctors’ Row due to its historic and current demographics, the district consists of one block of 54 architecturally consistent row houses. LPC Chair Sarah Carroll said after surveying Bay Ridge, the commission found that this particular block “really does stand out in the neighborhood in terms of high-quality architecture and consistency.”

A first for Bay Ridge

Image courtesy of Landmarks Preservation Commission

Bay Ridge residents and elected officials voiced their support for the neighborhood’s first historic district during a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing Tuesday. The commission voted in March to calendar the proposed Brooklyn district, known as the Bay Ridge Parkway Doctors’ Row Historic District. Comprised of 54 architecturally consistent row houses along Bay Ridge Parkway between 4th and 5th Avenues, the district includes a row of limestone-fronted houses–referred to as Doctors’ Row based on both its historic and current residential demographics. This block reflects the neighborhood’s growth from a suburban resort community to an urban neighborhood ahead of the opening of the 4th Avenue Subway line in the early 20th century.

Making the case for historic Bay Ridge, this way

Image courtesy of Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The Landmarks Preservation Commission voted today to calendar the Bay Ridge Parkway Doctors’ Row Historic District in the first formal step toward designation. The proposed district is comprised of 54 architecturally consistent row houses along Bay Ridge Parkway between 4th and 5th Avenues in Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge neighborhood. The row of limestone-fronted houses–referred to as Doctors’ Row based on both its historic and current residential demographics–is a distinguished example of the neighborhood’s growth from a suburban resort community to an urban neighborhood ahead of the 4th Avenue Subway line in the early 20th century.

More about the neighborhood, this way

A four-bedroom Bay Ridge home hit the market this week for $1.35 million. The chic row house at 229 87th Street perfectly blends old and new, mixing pre-war styles with modern upgrades. The coffered ceilings, skylights, restored hardware floors, batten paneling, and original built-in cabinets are enough to make any New Yorker seriously consider moving to the South Brooklyn neighborhood. The less-dense area often allows homes to have real backyards, and this property, which also comes with a spacious deck, is no exception.

See it here

If there was ever a time to invest in Bay Ridge, now is it. The charming suburban neighborhood in the southwest corner of Brooklyn has always been served by the R train, but as of last year, it’s also accessible via the NYC Ferry’s South Brooklyn line. And average sales prices in the area rose 10 percent from 2016 to 2017. Take this charming colonial home at 150 78th Street, for example. It last sold in 2013 for $900,000, and it’s now asking $1.5 million. Not only does the three-bedroom, freestanding house have a real backyard and detached garage, but it’s just two blocks from the beautiful Shore Road Park and Narrows Botanical Garden and the quickly-expanding list of restaurants on Third Avenue.

Have a look around

This 1920s home on a tranquil Bay Ridge street looks innocuous enough from the outside, but its claim to fame is something it has in common with the neighborhood itself, and about which residents have an uneasy pride: The house had a star turn as main character Tony Manero’s family home in the decade-defining “Saturday Night Fever.” But the house at 221 79th Street was renovated in 2005, and there’s not a disco ball to be found (though there is a Jacuzzi). And the family-sized home with a deck and a driveway is asking a very un-disco-era $2.498 million.

More movie history and creature comforts, this way

The neighborhood of Bay Ridge, in southern Brooklyn, isn’t exactly known for cool loft spaces. But this 850-square-foot, two-bedroom pad, at the cooperative 307 72nd Street, might be mistaken for being in Williamsburg. It has high vaulted ceilings with skylights, multiple exposures, exposed brick, and a lofted home office. A large private roof deck is the icing on the cake. And it’s definitely cheaper than any two-bedroom in Williamsburg: while the apartment was last listed for $359,000 in 2012, it is now asking $485,000.

Go take a look

General Lee Avenue and Robert E. Lee’s former home on Fort Hamilton, via Jeremy Bender/Business Insider

When four Confederate statues were removed in New Orleans last month, many sided with Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s plan, but others felt it was an attempt to erase history. Nevertheless, the monuments all came down, prompting national elected officials to take notice–even here in NYC. As 6sqft previously explained, there exists a General Lee Avenue and a Stonewall Jackson Drive in Brooklyn’s Fort Hamilton, the city’s last remaining active-duty military base, and a group of local politicians has sent a letter to Army Secretary Robert Speer asking that they both be renamed, with Colin Powell and Harriet Tubman suggested as possible replacements (h/t Gothamist).

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