LPC Hearing Alert 6/9! Despite an  initial rejection, the developer has continued to return with new plans to build a 30-story tower on top of these four landmarked townhouses in Downtown Brooklyn.  Their latest proposal will come before the Landmarks Preservation Committee (LPC) this Tuesday, June 9th.

If you care about the preservation of these historic homes, we urge you to submit written testimony against the current plan, urge the commissions to reject the proposal!

• Testimony/comments are accepted until 12PM (noon) on Monday 6/7 . You can either submit them via this online form or email them to: testimony@lpc.nyc.gov
• Reference: LPC-25-04617 188 Duffield Street

Among our many objections to the latest proposal include:

• These buildings are an important part of the neighborhood's history and character and deserve the protections promised when they were designated as landmarks.
•  The developer is preserving only the appearance of the townhouses while stripping away many of the features that give them their historic significance.  It would significantly alter or remove historic features, including rear facades and key elements of 188 Duffield Street.
• The proposed high-rise remains highly prominent as seen from street level, overwhelming the 3-story townhouses. The looming, mid-block tower destroys the historic fabric of the homes and is drastically out of scale.  Preservation should protect not only building facades but also the integrity, scale, and setting of historic places.
• The plan doesn't honor the history of these homes, nor the reason for which they were saved in the first place: to commemorate the vibrant middle class neighborhood and its rich historical importance to the development of 19th-century Brooklyn. 
• These historic and irreplaceable Duffield townhomes should be protected, restored and utilized as intended for the benefit of the neighborhood and not a private developer.

We recognize that Downtown Brooklyn will continue to evolve, but I believe landmark designation exists to protect places that should not be sacrificed to development. For more information about the history of the houses, you can read the original petition you signed.  For an update on where things stand before the LPC, you can read this recent update.

Thanks for your support!

Downtown Brooklyn Community Association