Central Ridgewood Historic District

The Central Ridgewood Historic District is an intact assemblage of around 940 buildings, many of which are row houses originally constructed to serve as working-class houses. Most of the edifices were constructed between 1900 and the mid-1920s, when the area was developing as a German- American enclave. Numerous structures were designed by Louis Berger & Company, and built by the developers August Bauer and Paul Stier. German-born and Pratt Institute-trained architect Louis Berger designed over 5,000 buildings in Ridgewood and Bushwick between 1895 and 1930. The development firm of Bauer & Stier, Inc. was similarly prolific, constructing over 2,000 buildings in Bushwick during the same era.

The row houses include handsome details such as projecting bays, pressed metal cornices, and Kreischer brick in hues of red, buff, amber, and brown. Many architectural details are in the Renaissance Revival style, and include cast-stone pediments, string courses, lintels and swags, dentils, and brackets along the cornices. Throughout the district, nearly all the original brownstone stoops are intact, as are numerous cut-glass and wooden doors, iron areaways, and gates. The area overall retains a high degree of material integrity, and this historic district offers an important architectural legacy to the city. ©2014

The Central Ridgewood Historic District is an intact assemblage of around 940 buildings, many of which are row houses originally constructed to serve as working-class houses. Most of the edifices were constructed between 1900 and the mid-1920s, when the area was developing as a German- American enclave. Numerous structures were designed by Louis Berger & Company, and built by the developers August Bauer and Paul Stier. German-born and Pratt Institute-trained architect Louis Berger designed over 5,000 buildings in Ridgewood and Bushwick between 1895 and 1930. The development firm of Bauer & Stier, Inc. was similarly prolific, constructing over 2,000 buildings in Bushwick during the same era.

The row houses include handsome details such as projecting bays, pressed metal cornices, and Kreischer brick in hues of red, buff, amber, and brown. Many architectural details are in the Renaissance Revival style, and include cast-stone pediments, string courses, lintels and swags, dentils, and brackets along the cornices. Throughout the district, nearly all the original brownstone stoops are intact, as are numerous cut-glass and wooden doors, iron areaways, and gates. The area overall retains a high degree of material integrity, and this historic district offers an important architectural legacy to the city. ©2014