Sorting Out Fenimore Street
On Fenimore Street, which currently runs east beginning at Flatbush, the numbering of the buildings begins in the 60s. This does not match the numbering of, say, Rutland Road nor that of Hawthorne, parallel streets both north and south of Fenimore.
I have been suspicious of the building numbers since moving here four plus years ago. Almost directly across the intersection of Flatbush and Fenimore is an “alley” (currently providing access to a large parking lot) which could well have been a street at some point, or a part of it at least. I should modify this to read “was” as alley, because as I write, new construction is ongoing.
After spending some time looking at the wonderful resource we have in the Brooklyn Eagle archives online (thank you BPL!) I was able to find some references providing evidence that Fenimore Street once extended all the way to Ocean Avenue. This would certainly account for the missing house numbers.
I’ve reproduced excerpts from three of the references I found. It appears that in 1880 Fenimore Street was, indeed, intersecting with Ocean Avenue. From the 1897 article, it suggests the proposed extension of Fenimore may have largely been the building of a bridge over the Brighton Beach line (where the Q and B trains now run). Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find any follow-up information on this in terms of decisions, the online archives end in 1902. The third source, 1900, shows Fenimore and Ocean continue to intersect. It is interesting, the resolution will likely be in the form of an afternoon at the Library — unless anyone reading this has the intel.
Explore posts in the same categories: Brooklyn, HistorySource 1: Brooklyn Eagle, 24 Apr 1880, Page 4. A Sheriff’s Sale (public auction of property) ” … that lot or parcel of land, situate on the east side of Ocean avenue in the Town of Flatbush, in the County of Kings and State of New York, bounded and described as follows, viz: Beginning at a point distant three hundred and sixty feet and thirty eight one-hundredths of a foot northerly from the north east corner of Fenimore street and Ocean avenue …”
Source 2: Brooklyn Eagle, 28 Nov 1897, Page 10, Proposed New Streets. “… Another proceeding of considerable interest to many Flatbush people is the opening of Fenimore street from Flatbush to Ocean avenues. This proceeding has ben [sic] before the commissioners [named] for several months. The commissioners filed their reports on the 3d November, 1897, allowing for lands taken $11,016.61, for buildings and improvements $1,601 and a residue lot abandoned but the owner, one Henry C. Ryan, for $1,928.93. This street also crosses the railroad of the Brighton Beach Company, but the latter corporation did not see fit to appear before the commissioners, nor to make any claim for damages either to their land or improvements to be affected by the street opening. The commissioners felt justified in assuming that the railroad company placed no particular value upon an old rickety shed, which encroached upon the line of the improvement and, therefore, awarded the corporation $1; they also failed to make any substantial award on account of the land of the railroad company involved in the proceedings, inasmuch as the street would be simply opened across the land of the railroad and their right to its use would not be affected by the easement of the general public across the railroad tracks. …”
Source 3: Brooklyn Eagle, 15 Aug 1900, Page 14. ” … Sidewalks were ordered built on the east side of Ocean avenue between Flatbush avenue and Lincoln road, in front of lots 4 to 8, inclusive, 12, 13, 14, and 15, block 178; on the east side of Ocean avenue, between Fenimore street and Lincoln road, in front of lots 5 and 11, block 181; on the east side of Ocean avenue, between Fenimore street and Fort Hamilton avenue …”
