Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn
Encyclopedia
Prospect Lefferts Gardens is a residential neighborhood in Flatbush
in the New York City
borough
of Brooklyn
. The area is bounded by Empire Boulevard (formerly Malbone Street) to the north, Clarkson Avenue to the south, New York Avenue to the east, and Ocean Avenue
/Prospect Park
to the west.
Prospect Lefferts Gardens is part of Brooklyn Community Board 9
and is serviced by the NYPD
71st Precinct.
The area was originally settled by a Dutch
family in 1660. In 1893 the Lefferts estate was divided by James Lefferts into 600 building lots, now known as Lefferts Manor, and sold to developers. Lefferts observed construction from the Lefferts homestead
, then located on Flatbush Avenue between Maple and Midwood Streets (now a historic museum located in Prospect Park). In order to ensure that the neighborhood would contain homes of a substantial nature, Lefferts attached land-use deed restrictions, dictating that each lot contain a single family residence built of brick or stone at least two stories in height, among other restrictions. The land-use covenant
still exists in Lefferts Manor. Houses in Lefferts Manor were mostly constructed during the late 19th Century, the last of which were constructed in the late 1950s.
Lefferts Manor and parts of Lefferts Avenue and Sterling Street, not in the single-family covenant, were granted landmark status by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
on October 9, 1979. The Lefferts Manor Historic District
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1992. In 2009 the neighborhood gained a second landmark district when the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Ocean on the Park Historic District. As a small, early 20th century enclave that is set-back from the street, this historic district consists of only 2 brick and 10 limestone townhouses. Yet it stands in striking architectural contrast to the long line of large and stately apartment buildings which otherwise dominate Ocean Avenue at the southeastern border of Prospect Park.
Concurrent with the development of Lefferts Manor was the growth of the surrounding area, now known collectively as Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Many one and two family homes were constructed in the early 20th Century. Presently, other areas of Prospect Lefferts Gardens contain a mixture of single-family and multi-family homes as well as larger apartment houses.
Currently the neighborhood contains an ethnically diverse community with a largely Caribbean
population.
The Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood is serviced by the Franklin Avenue Shuttle and the and trains (BMT Brighton Line
) at the Prospect Park
station and the Q and B trains at the Parkside Avenue
stop, as well as the Sterling Street
and Winthrop Street
stops on the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line
( and trains).
PLGNA - Prospect Lefferts Gardens Neighborhood Association. Founded in 1968, PLGNA coined the neighborhood name, which stands for Prospect Park, Lefferts Manor, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
New York State Senator Eric Adams
(20th Senate District) gained national prominence with his Stop the Sag program. Although some individuals supported the advertising campaign and some derided it, the attention Adams received was unusual for a state senator. On a local level, the neighborhood is part of Community Board 9
(Brooklyn Community District 9) and also has the 71st Precinct Community Council (Precinct 71). Although most of the neighborhood is represented in the state assembly by Assembly Member Karim Camara
(Assembly District 43) a small portion is spoken for by Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries
(Assembly District 57). Other officials governing the area include: Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene
(City Council District 40), Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz
, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (11th District of New York), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
and Senator Charles E. Schumer.
FDNY Engine 249 Ladder 113
FDNY Engine 281 Ladder 147
. Few residents refer to the complete area as having a hyphenated name.
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. The area is bounded by Empire Boulevard (formerly Malbone Street) to the north, Clarkson Avenue to the south, New York Avenue to the east, and Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue (Brooklyn)
Ocean Avenue is a major street in Brooklyn, New York that runs generally north-south and occupies the position of East 20th Street in the Brooklyn street grid, with East 19th Street to its west and East 21st Street to its east for most of its path. It runs east of and parallel to Ocean Parkway and...
/Prospect Park
Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Prospect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden...
to the west.
Prospect Lefferts Gardens is part of Brooklyn Community Board 9
Brooklyn Community Board 9
Brooklyn Community Board 9 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, and Wingate...
and is serviced by the NYPD
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
71st Precinct.
The area was originally settled by a Dutch
Dutch colonization of the Americas
Dutch trading posts and plantations in the Americas precede the much wider known colonization activities of the Dutch in Asia. Whereas the first Dutch fort in Asia was built in 1600 , the first forts and settlements on the Essequibo river in Guyana and on the Amazon date from the 1590s...
family in 1660. In 1893 the Lefferts estate was divided by James Lefferts into 600 building lots, now known as Lefferts Manor, and sold to developers. Lefferts observed construction from the Lefferts homestead
Lefferts Historic House
The Lefferts Historic House, located within Brooklyn's Prospect Park is the former home of Continental Army Lieutenant Pieter Lefferts built circa 1783. It currently operates as a museum of family life in Brooklyn in the 1820s. The museum is part of the Historic House Trust, owned by the New York...
, then located on Flatbush Avenue between Maple and Midwood Streets (now a historic museum located in Prospect Park). In order to ensure that the neighborhood would contain homes of a substantial nature, Lefferts attached land-use deed restrictions, dictating that each lot contain a single family residence built of brick or stone at least two stories in height, among other restrictions. The land-use covenant
Restrictive covenant
A restrictive covenant is a type of real covenant, a legal obligation imposed in a deed by the seller upon the buyer of real estate to do or not to do something. Such restrictions frequently "run with the land" and are enforceable on subsequent buyers of the property...
still exists in Lefferts Manor. Houses in Lefferts Manor were mostly constructed during the late 19th Century, the last of which were constructed in the late 1950s.
Lefferts Manor and parts of Lefferts Avenue and Sterling Street, not in the single-family covenant, were granted landmark status by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
on October 9, 1979. The Lefferts Manor Historic District
Lefferts Manor Historic District
Lefferts Manor Historic District is a national historic district in Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, New York. It consists of 667 contributing buildings and one contributing site built between 1896 and 1935 on the subdivision established by James Lefferts in 1896...
was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1992. In 2009 the neighborhood gained a second landmark district when the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Ocean on the Park Historic District. As a small, early 20th century enclave that is set-back from the street, this historic district consists of only 2 brick and 10 limestone townhouses. Yet it stands in striking architectural contrast to the long line of large and stately apartment buildings which otherwise dominate Ocean Avenue at the southeastern border of Prospect Park.
Concurrent with the development of Lefferts Manor was the growth of the surrounding area, now known collectively as Prospect Lefferts Gardens. Many one and two family homes were constructed in the early 20th Century. Presently, other areas of Prospect Lefferts Gardens contain a mixture of single-family and multi-family homes as well as larger apartment houses.
Currently the neighborhood contains an ethnically diverse community with a largely Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
population.
The Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood is serviced by the Franklin Avenue Shuttle and the and trains (BMT Brighton Line
BMT Brighton Line
The BMT Brighton Line is a rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway in Brooklyn, New York City, United States. Local service is provided at all times by the Q train. The Q is joined by the B express train on weekdays...
) at the Prospect Park
Prospect Park (BMT Brighton Line)
Prospect Park is an express station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Empire Boulevard and Flatbush Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn, near the border of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, it is served by the Q and Franklin Avenue Shuttle trains at all times and the B train on...
station and the Q and B trains at the Parkside Avenue
Parkside Avenue (BMT Brighton Line)
Parkside Avenue is a local station on the BMT Brighton Line of the New York City Subway. Located at Parkside Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn, it is served by the Q train at all times....
stop, as well as the Sterling Street
Sterling Street (IRT Nostrand Avenue Line)
Sterling Street is a station on the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line of the New York City Subway. Located in Brooklyn at the intersection of Sterling Street and Nostrand Avenue, it is served by the 2 train at all times and the 5 train on weekdays....
and Winthrop Street
Winthrop Street (IRT Nostrand Avenue Line)
Winthrop Street is a station on the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line of the New York City Subway, located in Brooklyn at the intersection of Winthrop Street and Nostrand Avenue. It is served by the 2 train at all times and the 5 train on weekdays....
stops on the IRT Nostrand Avenue Line
IRT Nostrand Avenue Line
The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, and is served by the at all times, joined by the trains on weekdays, running under Nostrand Avenue in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn....
( and trains).
Community Organizations
Prospect Lefferts Gardens has a long tradition of community participation and involvement. In 2009 PLG Arts transformed a series of unsightly construction facades into murals that reflected the area and its artists. The recently formed LinRoFORMA organizes Lincoln Road residents and businesses to revitalize the street and neighborhood. PLG Community Supported Agriculture links the community and a Connecticut farm, bringing organic produce and vegetables to residents and providing sustainability for future growth. Strong interest in improved food options led to the formation of the Lefferts Community Food Cooperative in 2009, a planned market that will use cooperative principles to sell socially responsible and healthy food products. Other organizations include the Lefferts Manor Association, which was founded in 1919 to enforce the single family covenant andPLGNA - Prospect Lefferts Gardens Neighborhood Association. Founded in 1968, PLGNA coined the neighborhood name, which stands for Prospect Park, Lefferts Manor, and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Public Officials
Like the greater Brooklyn, residents tend to be in close contact with their representatives. In 2010New York State Senator Eric Adams
Eric Adams (politician)
Eric L. Adams is a Democratic State Senator in the New York Senate. He represents the 20th Senate District, which includes the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Flatbush, Crown Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace and Prospect Heights....
(20th Senate District) gained national prominence with his Stop the Sag program. Although some individuals supported the advertising campaign and some derided it, the attention Adams received was unusual for a state senator. On a local level, the neighborhood is part of Community Board 9
Brooklyn Community Board 9
Brooklyn Community Board 9 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, and Wingate...
(Brooklyn Community District 9) and also has the 71st Precinct Community Council (Precinct 71). Although most of the neighborhood is represented in the state assembly by Assembly Member Karim Camara
Karim Camara
Karim Camara is a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly representing the 43rd Assembly District which includes parts of the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Crown Heights, Lefferts Gardens and East Flatbush. He is the founding and senior pastor of the Abundant Life Church in Brooklyn and was...
(Assembly District 43) a small portion is spoken for by Assembly Member Hakeem Jeffries
Hakeem Jeffries
-Early career:Jeffries holds a degree from New York University School of Law as well as a Master's Degree in Public Policy from Georgetown University and a Bachelor's in Political Science from Binghamton University where he graduated with honors for outstanding academic achievement...
(Assembly District 57). Other officials governing the area include: Council Member Dr. Mathieu Eugene
Mathieu Eugene
Mathieu Eugene is a New York City Councilmember. He is an Haitian-American, he was born in Cap-Haïtien in April 1954. He made history when he won two special elections to become the first Haitian-born elected official in the state of New York. He attended schools in Haiti, Belgium and Mexico...
(City Council District 40), Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz
Marty Markowitz
Marty Markowitz is the Borough President of Brooklyn, New York City, the most populous borough in New York City with nearly 2.6 million residents. Markowitz was first elected borough president in 2001 after serving 23 years as a New York State Senator...
, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is the current Mayor of New York City. With a net worth of $19.5 billion in 2011, he is also the 12th-richest person in the United States...
, Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (11th District of New York), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Gillibrand
Kirsten Elizabeth Rutnik Gillibrand is an attorney and the junior United States Senator from the state of New York and a member of the Democratic Party...
and Senator Charles E. Schumer.
Public Schools
There are four public schools within the area's borders which are part of NYC School District 17. Two middle schools include M.S. 002 for sixth to eighth graders and M.S. 61 which serves the sixth through ninth grades. P.S. 92 is an elementary school for kindergarten through fifth grade. In 2010, the Lefferts Gardens Charter School opened an elementary program that focuses on environmental science and experiential learning.Public Services
NYPD 71st Precinct, Precinct 71FDNY Engine 249 Ladder 113
FDNY Engine 281 Ladder 147
Spelling of Name
The name Prospect Lefferts Gardens was created in 1968 by the Prospect Lefferts Gardens Neighborhood Association. It is unclear whether a hyphen was intended as part of the name as the organization never used it in literature or communications with the community. It did however use a hyphen when the organization incorporated in 1970. Some of the confusion, which extends to media coverage, appears to stem from a historic district within the community which shares a name with the area but was given a hyphen for unknown reasons by the Landmarks Preservation CommissionNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
. Few residents refer to the complete area as having a hyphenated name.
External links
- PLG Neighborhood Association website
- Lefferts Manor Association website
- Hawthorne Street blog
- the Q at Parkside blog
- PLOG blog
- Map showing borders of Prospect Lefferts Gardens
- Map of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens Historic District (PDF)
- Map of Ocean On The Park Historic District (PDF)
- Living In Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Brooklyn (New York Times 07-23-2010)
- Across the Park blog (archive only)
- Planet PLG blog (archive only)
- PLG page at CUNY (archive only)