Lefferts Manor: In the City, a World Away
MARCH 9, 2010
The homes, yards and gardens of Lefferts Manor seem a world away from the busy Brooklyn neighborhood that surrounds them.
Lefferts Manor occupies an eight-block rectangle within the bustling urban neighborhood of Prospect-Lefferts Gardens. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission has called this tiny enclave of homes one of the finest examples of 19th- and early 20th-century housing in the city.
Lefferts Manor began as a carefully planned community created by the Lefferts family, major 19th century landowners in the area. During the 1890’s housing boom, agricultural baron James Lefferts imagined a pre-suburban oasis amid the bustle of nearby Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope. Lefferts placed a covenant in his will prohibiting these single-family homes from being divided and preserving their unusually large yard and garden spaces. His intent was to preserve a neighborhood where families stayed for many years.
Lefferts Manor homes have historically had a very low turnover rate. Many of them are occupied by families, many of whom are only the second or third owners the properties have seen. Current residents have restored them to their original splendor in Victorian, Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Georgian, Federal and Tudor architectural styles.
ALSO IN NEW YORK CITY INSIDER
- 30 Park Place Vs. The Baccarat Hotel and Residences - JUL 8, 2014
- This Week in NYC Living - JUL 1, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - JUN 26, 2014
- Great NYC Buildings: New in the Heights - JUN 23, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - JUN 20, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - JUN 17, 2014
- Building Vs. Building - JUN 9, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - JUN 6, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - MAY 23, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - MAY 15, 2014
- Great NYC Apartment Buildings: 12 East 13th Street vs. 22 Central Park South - MAY 13, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - MAY 7, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - MAY 1, 2014
- Upping the Architectural Ante in NoHo - APR 22, 2014
- Great NYC Buildings: Brooklyn's Gold Coast Living - APR 15, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - APR 11, 2014
- Building vs. Building - APR 10, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - APR 2, 2014
- This Week in NYC Living - APR 1, 2014
- Notable NYC Neighbors - MAR 26, 2014
- View Articles By Date