Flatbush by rail with Francis Morrone

Writing in today's New York Sun, Francis Morrone extols the charm - yes, charm - of the B/Q subway line that runs through the heart of Victorian Flatbush:

Two things bring charm to the line. One is that many of the original subdivisions of early 20th-century Flatbush remain intact. These planned communities are picture-perfect railroad suburbs of riotously eclectic bungalows and mansions on tree-shaded streets, many with brilliant design flourishes such as landscaped medians, or the illusion of spaciousness that comes from planting trees at the house line rather than the curbline. It's fair to say that for cleverness of planning and quality of architecture, these communities rank among the finest of their kind in America.
- Savoring the Brighton Line, a Rare MTA Charmer, Francis Morrone, The New York Sun, July 10, 2008

This is the landmarked Avenue H subway station on the Q line in Flatbush, Brooklyn. It was originally a sales office for Thomas Benton Ackerson's real estate developments in the area. Ackerson is one the developers responsible for my neighborhood of Beverley Square West in Victorian Flatbush. This is the only wooden station house in the New York City subway system.


Morrone briefly samples the neighborhoods of Prospect Park South, Ditmas Park, and Fiske Terrace-Midwood Park. He's written much about the architecture of this area. But today, his focus is the ride itself:

This would not be evident to riders but for the other thing that makes the line so delicious: From Prospect Park to Coney Island, the trains run entirely out of doors. From Prospect Park to Avenue H, the trains run in an open cut. From Avenue H to Sheepshead Bay, the trains run on an embankment. From Sheepshead Bay to Coney Island, the trains are elevated. The stations have the air of country railroad depots.

The Q train's Beverly Road subway platform


Morrone doesn't say much about the architecture in this article, but he does highlight one house in Ditmas Park:

Look for 463 E. 19th St., at the end of the block at Ditmas Avenue. The 1906 Colonial Revival beauty was designed by the great Brooklyn architects Slee & Bryson and has a rounded, jutting front porch with the most beautifully turned wooden balusters you'll ever see.

463 East 19th Street, Ditmas Park, Flatbush, Brooklyn

Related Posts

• Forgotten Flatbush: The Albemarle Road Pedestrian Bridge, November 25, 2007
  

Links

• Savoring the Brighton Line, a Rare MTA Charmer, Francis Morrone, The New York Sun, July 10, 2008
  
• John Petit's Visionary Home Designs, Francis Morrone, New York Sun, October 20, 2006
  
• Generations of Dynamism in Flatbush, Francis Morrone, New York Sun, October 13, 2006
• The Little Station in the Woods tells the whole story of the Avenue H Station House.