A fine old firehouse, and other East Flatbush sights

Eye On Real Estate

March 29, 2017 By Lore Croghan Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The grand old house at 8807 Avenue B (center of photo) in Remsen Village is a fine sight to see. Eagle photos by Lore Crogh

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You folks in Brooklyn Heights probably think Remsen Street is the only Brooklyn road named after the Dutch family that was among the early settlers of our borough.

But in East Flatbush, a few blocks beyond Kings County Hospital, there’s a big, busy thoroughfare called Remsen Avenue. It originates at an intersection where Empire Boulevard, Utica Avenue and East New York Avenue can also be found, and runs southeast to Canarsie.

The avenue runs through a section of East Flatbush that’s called Remsen Village.

“The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn,” the ever-helpful book edited by Kenneth T. Jackson and John B. Manbeck, says that the brick attached and semi-attached houses in Remsen Village were constructed in the early 20th century.

Remsen Village is right near the section of East Flatbush where Brooklyn Dodgers great Jackie Robinson’s late 1940s home, 5224 Tilden Ave., is located. History buffs and long-time residents call Robinson’s old neighborhood Rugby.

During a recent pilgrimage to Robinson’s landmark-worthy house — see related story — we walked up and down many Rugby and Remsen Village blocks. Houses and apartment buildings in both mini-neighborhoods are charming in subtle ways, and were interesting to look at even on an unseasonably cold March day.

A grand old house at 8807 Avenue B in Remsen Village was one of our especial favorites.

The Engine Company 310-Ladder Company 174 firehouse at 5105 Snyder Ave. in Rugby also caught our eye.

The dignified red-brick structure was built in 1927, when James J. Walker was New York City’s Mayor and John J. Dorman its Fire Commissioner, a plaque on the building notes.