Crown Heights North II Historic District

Directly south of the Crown Heights North Historic District, this area contains approximately 610 of Brooklyn's most detailed and handsome row houses, free-standing dwellings, elevator apartment buildings, and walk-ups dating from circa 1850 to the 1930s. Numerous institutional and commercial buildings are also present, and the overall district includes the work of many noted architects, such as George Cappell, Axel Hedman, Walter M. Coots, and Frank Helmle. The facades are mostly designed in medieval and classical revival styles, ranging from neo-Grec, Queen Anne, Renaissance, Dutch Renaissance, Colonial, Medieval, and Tudor Revival styles. Overall, the district contains properties of exquisite architectural merit, and little development subsequent to 1930 has allowed these properties to retain tremendous historical authenticity. This area forms an important chapter in Brooklyn's architectural record.

The area's suburban development began in earnest following the 1888 opening of the Kings County Elevated Railway, serving the area then known as Bedford. Between 1887 and 1910, hundreds of houses and buildings were constructed. W.M. Coots' Queen Anne house at 834 Prospect Place (1887) is one of the earliest in the area. Real estate appreciation and the arrival of the subway encouraged the construction of apartment buildings and multiple family residences. One typical example of the construction of this period is the 1928 Medieval Revival-style apartment building at 748 St. Mark's Avenue, by the Flatbush architectural firm Cohn Brothers, responsible for four buildings (Nos. 748, 751, 762 and 770) along this street.©2014