City bid to buy Prospect Park’s endangered horse stables falls apart

It looks like the city won’t be purchasing Brooklyn’s last operating horse stables after all. DNAinfo has learned that the city’s bid to purchase Kensington Stables from its longtime operators, the Blankenship family, has fallen apart.

“Parks is disappointed in the outcome of this deal, given that we had a clear understanding with the owner to bring the Stables under City ownership,” Parks Department rep Maeri Ferguson told DNAinfo. “We want the stables to remain a useful public amenity and will continue to work toward that goal.”

The Blankenships, who are selling the stables to satisfy an outstanding debt, are now entertaining a different offer. Whether the offer is from the same unnamed group that was in talks with the Blankenships in the spring is unclear. The former prospective buyer had expressed an interest in developing the site in a model similar to Manhattan’s Mercedes House, where rentals top the NYPD’s Mounted Unit.

Councilman Brad Lander, whose district includes Kensingston Stables, said he’d refuse to support a rezoning of the property should its new owner not commit to preserving it as horse stables.

The city says its offer for the property is still on the table, should the Blankenships change their mind.

The property at 55 Caton Place at East 8th Street has been home to Kensginton Stables since 1930. The stables provide community access to guided horse rides along Prospect Park’s 3.5-mile bridle path.

• Sale of Kensington Stables to City Falls Through, Parks Department Says [DNAinfo]
• Prospect Park’s endangered horse stables will likely be purchased by the city [Curbed]
• Prospect Park’s for-sale horse stables may get a boost from the city [Curbed]
• Locals want to save Prospect Park's endangered horse stables [Curbed]