Bed-Stuy Blocks Designated as Landmarks Despite Orthodox Jewish Residents’ Protests

BROOKLYN – Two blocks in Bedford-Stuyvesant have been approved for landmark status this week, despite objections from many Orthodox Jewish residents who argue that the designation will displace them from their homes.

On Tuesday, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the establishment of the Willoughby-Hart Historic District, which includes two rows of intact brownstones in Bed-Stuy.

Local politicians, including Councilman Chi Osse and state Assemblymember Stefani Zinerman, along with some residents, advocated for the landmarking of Willoughby Avenue and Hart Street between Nostrand and Marcy avenues to preserve the neighborhood’s history.

“Rapid development and the ensuing gentrification have eroded the architecture and history of Bed-Stuy, and communities are fighting back to preserve our neighborhood’s legacy,” said state Senator Jabari Brisport in a statement. “I am proud to stand with community activists as they tell us that ‘community can’t be demolished!’”

The 100-plus homes in the enclave, built around 150 years ago, are noted for “the quality of their architecture, strong historic character, and sense of place of their streetscapes,” as well as “their community history,” according to the commission.

“Many current residents of the Willoughby-Hart Historic District represent the latest of multiple generations of families from the neighborhood,” the commission’s release stated.

Lifetime Willoughby Street resident Michael Williams, 67, supported the landmark designation, calling his street “one of the best blocks” in Bed-Stuy.

However, Orthodox homeowners protested when the agency calendared the vote in May, arguing that they need to expand their houses to accommodate their large families and that landmarking will severely limit their options. They perceived the issue as an act of antisemitism.

“We feel that this is antisemitism because they are trying to stop us from moving in here,” Hart Street homeowner Herman Bodek, an Orthodox Jew, previously told The Post. “This will have us moving out.”

In addition to arguing that the houses weren’t worthy of preservation, the Orthodox Jews’ attorney, Adam Leitman Bailey, wrote in papers submitted to the commission: “The proposed districting will all but guarantee that the permits required to undertake such work will be, if not outright rejected, made subject to undue scrutiny, delay, and unnecessary expense. This result, likely to drive out this religious group in a time of a housing crisis in the City of New York, offends the purpose underlying landmark status and should not be countenanced.”

Bailey did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.

The proposed district still needs to be reviewed by the City Planning Commission, followed by the City Council.