Officer’s Row
Officer’s Row
Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn
The houses along Officer’s Row in the Brooklyn Navy Yard are among the more poignant preservation stories to be told, one of the tragedies of military base decommissioning.
When the Navy Yard was abandoned in 1966, these buildings were intact, stable, and handsome homes. Located along Flushing Avenue, they are on the edge of the Navy Yard and would have been accessible, without security concerns, to the public. Surely they could have been useful to their community, perhaps converted to new uses. Instead they have sat unused and unprotected, until now they are virtual shells.
The Navy Yard is managed for the City of New York by the Brookyn Navy Yard Development Corporation as an industrial park. Although some portions of the vast complex have found new uses, others remain vacant and more or less derelict, including the designated landmarks: the Chief Surgeons Residence, the U.S. Naval Hospital, and Drydock No. 1.
The Development Corporation’s stated intention is to demolish these houses and replace them with a supermarket with large parking lots replacing the historic buildings.
In September, 2005, the Landmarks Conservancy retained an expert structural engineer to inspect the six extant buildings on Officers Row. The findings were that the residential brick masonry buildings are salvageable, but that the wood-frame additions and porches were in ruinous condition. The recommendations included immediate stabilization and temporary re-roofing to preclude further water damage. These findings and recommendations were made available to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, the local Community Board, the local City Council Member, and community advocates for preservation. No action has been taken on the recommendations and the buildings continue to deteriorate, while preservatin advocates contiume to develop alternative reuse plans.
Neighborhood:
Navy Yard
Building use type:
Residential/General
Condition:
Ruinous
Architect/Builder:
Year built:
pre 1852
Style:
Second Empire
Predominant materials:
Masonry
NYC Designation Status:
National Designation Status:
Lot width:
Lot depth:
Building width:
Building depth:
Zoning:
Your Input
Suggest a building for inclusion or tell us about a change in a building’s condition.
