The preservation victory bank lands a major deposit today as the Landmarks Preservation Commission unanimously approved the designation of the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District, a series of 21 "architecturally distinctive" office buildings in Downtown Brooklyn. Clustered along Court, Joralemon, Remsen, and Montague Streets around the already-landmarked Borough Hall, the buildings were constructed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and "encapsulate the history of the skyscraper,” according to Commission Vice Chairman Pablo E. Vengoechea. “It’s all here within a five-minute walk.”
Fun facts: One of the oldest buildings of the period is the Romanesque Revival style Franklin Building at 186 Remsen Street, completed in 1887 and designed by one of Brooklyn's most successful architecture firms at the time, the Parfitt Brothers. The tallest one built during the 1890s boom is the 13-story Temple Bar Building at 44 Court Street, which was built on spec (!) and "named for the lawyers whom the developers hoped would occupy its 300 offices."
· Map of proposed Brooklyn Skyscraper District(PDF) [nyc.gov]
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