Central Ridgewood Historic District
Why it's listed
Central Ridgewood is a 56-acre part of Queens, New York City, covering all or part of 23 blocks north of Myrtle Avenue and west of Fresh Pond Road. Its 782 structures, built between about 1895 and 1927, are mostly two-story brick row houses with one apartment per floor and bay fronts that rise the full height of each building. Most bays are round, some are box-shaped, and speckled brick in amber, orange, red and brown adds variety along the rows. Brownstone stoops, cast-stone lintels, pressed metal cornices and iron gates are common details. Louis Berger and Co. designed nearly every row, and builder Paul Stier erected some of the most notable ones in 1908 and 1909, including rows with columned wooden porches on 69th and 70th Avenues. Covenant Lutheran Church, a Gothic Revival building of 1914 by Carl L. Otto, also stands within the district. It was listed for its intact plan, scale and design and for its link to the German immigrants who developed the neighborhood.
Significance in brief: The district is a large, well-preserved concentration of early twentieth century working-class row houses in an intact neighborhood setting. Builders cooperated in using uniform setbacks, scale and materials, and one firm, Louis Berger and Co., designed nearly every row. It is especially distinguished by bay projections rising the full height of the facades.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 83001762, listed September 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Fresh Pond Rd., Putnam, 68th, Forest, Catalpa, Onderdonk, and 71st Aves., New York |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | September 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83001762 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | c. 1895-1927 |
| Architect / builder | Louis Berger and Co. (designs for nearly every row); Paul Stier (builder of notable rows on 69th and 70th Aves., 1908-09); Carl L. Otto (Covenant Lutheran Church) |
| Architectural style | Applied Romanesque Revival and Renaissance Revival detailing; Gothic Revival (Covenant Lutheran Church) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Most brick row houses remain largely unaltered, with typical changes such as new doors, stoops, ironwork and awnings. Six buildings are classed as non-historic. |
| Acreage | 56 |
| Coordinates | 40.70379, -73.89810 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 83001762.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5061777
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.