Submitted by Roz, Feb 15, 2008 12:51

Thanks for shining such a flattering light on this under-rated neighborhood. Prospect Heights is neither as grand as Fort Greene/Clinton Hill nor as large and affluent as Park Slope. But from the great institutions on its southern border, to the rowhouses at its center, to the industrial zone in the north, it's like a mini-city unto itself. It has a wonderful character which we hope can be preserved for future generations. The Landmarks Preservation Commission is currently considering Prospect Heights for historic designation and an on-going series of house meetings has been organized to let local residents know more about the process (go to www.phndc.org for information). Like Francis Morrone, I'm also a huge fan of the Ward Bakery and mourn its imminent demolition. Fully restored, it would have rivaled the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Prospect Park Boat House (now the Audubon Center) -- two other examples of great Beaux Arts terra-cotta architecture. Other buildings that will be lost to the Atlantic Yards bulldozers are the old Spalding factory at 6th Avenue and Pacific (where spaldeens were once manufactured) and 475 Dean St, a huge former garment factory where many artists and musicians -- including Louise Bourgeois -- had studios. These may be more quotidian buildings than the Ward Bakery but they still represent a rich strand in our local history. As a final irony, the footprint of the Atlantic Yards site was occupied in the 1820s by a 30-acre botanic garden famous throughout the North East. It was created by a Belgian horticulturist called Andre Parmentier. "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot" indeed!

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