Splendid Desolation

Admiral's Row is a row of Second Empire style homes formerly used by naval officers in the New York City borough of Brooklyn at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.[1] Some of the homes date back to the Civil War. U.S. Navy closed the original Navy Yard in the mid-1960s, it continued to house some personnel in the officers’ houses until the mid-1970s.

Although Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation president Andrew Kimball has claimed that the residences have been damaged beyond repair by the elements, the report commissioned by the National Guard refutes this claim, suggesting that the residences are not only excellent candidates for rehabilitation, but meet all eligibility requirements for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has agreed with this assessment and has suggested that alternatives to demolition, including adaptive reuse, must be considered.