Midwood

Come see landmark-worthy South Midwood

Eye On Real Estate

May 2, 2018 By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Welcome to South Midwood, a Victorian Flatbush micro-neighborhood that deserves landmark protection. Eagle photos by Lore Croghan
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Queen Anne. Princess Anne. Freestanding Colonial Revival.

They are such stuff as dreams are made on — yes, that’s a Shakespeare line — if you love Victorian architecture.

They’re showcased in South Midwood, a Victorian Flatbush micro-neighborhood Henry Meyer’s Germania Real Estate & Improvement Co. built starting in 1898.

Before he got into development, Williamsburg-born Meyer was president of the Retail Grocers Association of Brooklyn and the Retail Merchants Association of Brooklyn.

He ran for mayor of Brooklyn in 1891 but lost. The following year, he launched his real estate firm.

An architect born in Bavaria

Benjamin Dreisler designed some of the houses in South Midwood. The Bavarian-born architect was a big name in Victorian Flatbush at the beginning of the 20th century.

The Brooklyn Eagle ran a story about him when he was elected president of the Brooklyn Society of Architects in 1908.

Historic info that neighborhood residents amassed and sent to the city Landmarks Preservation Commission identifies 528 East 23rd St., 630 East 24th St. and 755 East 24th St. as freestanding Colonial Revival designs by Dreisler.

The info packet went to the preservation agency in 2012 as a request for evaluation for South Midwood and five other Victorian Flatbush micro-neighborhoods that aren’t landmarked. The residents want them to be protected as a single historic district.

The boundaries of South Midwood are Ocean Avenue, Foster Avenue, Bedford Avenue and Glenwood Road.

The other unlandmarked mini-neighborhoods are Beverley Square East, Beverley Square West, Caton Park — see related story — Ditmas Park West and West Midwood.

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