Albemarle-Kenmore Terraces Historic District

Albemarle and Kenmore Terraces are two small residential courts in the historic core of Flatbush, Brooklyn, reached from East 21st Street near the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church and Erasmus Hall. Mabel Bull acquired the land from the Lott family in 1916 and hired Midwood Associates to develop row houses for middle-class buyers. The architects, Slee & Bryson, designed Albemarle Terrace in the neo-Federal style, with Flemish bond brick, stone trim, slate roofs and arched doorways, arranged in symmetrical rows of three-story and two-and-a-half-story houses. Kenmore Terrace follows English Garden City models, with L-shaped houses, gabled fronts and integrated garages, an early response to the automobile. Houses were built between 1916 and 1920 and sold soon after completion. Restrictive covenants helped preserve the consistent look of both courts. The district is valued as a well-preserved example of planned suburban development in early twentieth century New York City.