Ovington nearing history

February 17, 2007

By Matthew Lysiak
The Brooklyn Paper

A group of artists purchased the Ovington Farm in 1850 with visions of artistic immortality — now almost 150 years later they may finally have achieved it.

The city Landmarks Preservation Commission is considering a request by residents to create a historic district on Ovington Avenue between Third and Ridge avenues.

“This is one of the only streets in Bay Ridge with all brownstones,” said Susan Pulaski, president emeritus of the Bay Ridge Historical Society. “They already designated Senator Street, so we suggested that Ovington is also deserving.”

The proposal will be considered next month, Kathy Howe, a specialist with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, told the Bay Ridge Historical Society, Community Board 10 and residents of the block at a Feb 13 meeting.

If passed, the designation would mean that homeowners would still be able to make changes to their buildings — but it would prevent the state from widening the road, which had been feared.

Landmarks designation also qualifies homeowners for tax reductions and loans if they promise not to change the signature brownstone façade.

“In addition to preserving the historic beauty of Bay Ridge, it also increases the value of the property,” said Pulaski.

But the designation prevents any aspiring artists from painting a brownstone bright pink, like one free-spirited resident famously did in Park Slope.