West Midwood
Neighborhood of Brooklyn
West Midwood at the corner of Rugby Road and Foster Road
West Midwood at the corner of Rugby Road and Foster Road
Map
Location in New York City
Coordinates: 40°37′52″N 73°57′50″W / 40.631°N 73.964°W / 40.631; -73.964
Country United States
State New York
City New York City
Borough Brooklyn
Community DistrictBrooklyn 14[1]
ZIP Code
11230
Area code(s)718, 347, 929, and 917

West Midwood is a planned community and historic enclave in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. West Midwood is located in central Brooklyn in the southern edge of the community of Victorian Flatbush, abutting the northern boundary of the community of Midwood.[2][3] It is bordered by Foster Avenue to the north, the BMT Brighton subway line (B and ​Q trains) to the east, Avenue H to the south, and Coney Island Avenue to the west.[4] West Midwood is located south of Prospect Park within what is sometimes referred to as Ditmas Park.[5]

West Midwood, along with other neighborhoods within Ditmas Park, is policed by the 70th Precinct of the New York City Police Department.[6] West Midwood is part of Brooklyn Community District 14.[1]

History

Spurred by its success developing Vanderveer Park, the first Victorian Flatbush neighborhood, in 1899, the Germania Real Estate and Improvement Company (Germania) purchased the land on which West Midwood and neighboring communities Midwood Park and Fiske Terrace were to be built.[7] The land was purchased from the Lott family’s extensive farmland holdings, which dated back over 200 years to Peter Lott, who migrated to Flatbush, from Holland in 1652.[8] V’lacks Bos (Anglicized Flatbush), meaning “wooded plain” in Dutch, also carried the name Midwout (Anglicized Midwood), meaning “middle-woods” in Dutch, and the names both reflected the wooded nature of the area and contrasted against Flatlands, an area to the south that was devoid of woods.[9]

In addition to development by Germania, between 1905 and 1908, architect and builder Thomas Benton Ackerson’s eponymous T.B. Ackerson Company, simultaneously built and sold forty-two detached homes along Westminster Road in West Midwood for $10,000 each.[7] Design and construction of these houses conformed to Ackerson’s “village in the city” vision and houses were graced with columns and fine details.[10][11] Similarly, Germania advertised the neighborhood as “country living in the city.” To maintain its suburban aesthetic, utilities and train tracks were kept underground and streets were lined with trees, mainly London Planes and maples. Further keeping with the park-like ambiance, the original property deeds forbade construction of front yard fences.[11]

In keeping with West Midwood’s small-town character, residents host annual community-building events such as a Progressive Dinner, a Halloween Parade for the children of Flatbush,[12] and a summer block party, in addition to publishing a seasonal newsletter, among other activities. New residents are invited to join the West Midwood Community Association, which dates back to the neighborhood’s early years.

Transportation

New York City Subway stations serving West Midwood are Newkirk Plaza (B and ​Q trains) and Avenue H (Q train). MTA buses traveling through the area include the B8 and B68.[13] Bike lanes connect West Midwood to greater Victorian Flatbush, Cortelyou Road, Prospect Park and its Parade Ground, Brooklyn College, and Ocean Parkway.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b "NYC Planning | Community Profiles". communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov. New York City Department of City Planning. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  2. ^ Toy, Vivian S. (December 4, 2009). "Living in: Midwood, Brooklyn". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  3. ^ "Greater Ditmas Park Or West Midwood?". The New York Times. August 2, 1998. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  4. ^ "Map of Victorian Flatbush". The Ditmas Park Association. Archived from the original on February 6, 2016. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  5. ^ Crean, Sarah (February 29, 2016). "Ditmas Park Is Not Part Of Flatbush, Says New York Times". Ditmas Park Corner. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  6. ^ "NYPD - Precincts". www.nyc.gov. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Allbray, Neda C. (November 11, 2004). Flatbush: The Heart Of Brooklyn (NY) (The Making of America). Arcadia Publishing. p. 148. ISBN 978-0738524535.
  8. ^ Linder, Marc; Zacharias, Lawrence S. (December 1, 1999). Of Cabbages and Kings County: Agriculture and the Formation of Modern Brooklyn. University Of Iowa Press. pp. 163-164. ISBN 978-0877457145.
  9. ^ Benardo, Leonard; Weiss, Jennifer (July 1, 2006). Brooklyn by Name: How the Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks, Bridges and More Got Their Names. NYU Press. pp. 103. ISBN 978-0814799468.
  10. ^ "Cortelyou" (PDF). Flatbush Development Corporation. September 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2016.
  11. ^ a b Redmond, Robin (December 28, 2012). "Victorian Flatbush's Request for Evaluation" (PDF). Historic Districts Council. pp. 351–352.
  12. ^ Enright, Joe (June 2007). "The View from Argyle Heights". The View from Argyle Heights. Joe Enright. Retrieved September 9, 2016.
  13. ^ "Brooklyn Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  14. ^ "Argyle, Rugby, Westminster, Stratford & Beverley Roads" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. April 21, 2015.
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