Washingon Avenue street grid vs. Brooklyn

raulism

There was a posting in Brownstoner about a home on Bergen near Washington, which brought me to a link about the house on Prospect and Underhill, which brings us to the best explanation I've seen about the odd grid structure near Washington Ave.

See
http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2010/07/building_of_the_105.php

...and
http://www.lostmag.com/issue14/prospect.php

...which gets all summed up here:

Lost Magazine wrote: Over time, the "Road to Flatbush" became the "Flatbush Turnpike", and then finally Flatbush Avenue. The secret of 323 Prospect, as revealed in map above, has to do with the thoroughfare's evolution over time.

With the old farmland boundaries overlaid atop the late 19th century street layout, it becomes clear that the lost street is the Flatbush Turnpike. Even though 323 Prospect Place didn't abut the turnpike itself, the plot of land it sits upon is oriented with the surrounding properties to face the turnpike.

Thus 323 Prospect Place owes its unusual placement to the route of the Flatbush Turnpike. While the old property boundaries facing the old route of the road have had a broad impact on the area — especially the back property lines of plots on the west side of Washington Avenue — only the buildings around 323 Prospect Place are completely oriented according to the old layout. The reasons for this exception aren't clear — the mystery remains partly unsolved. Part of me hopes I never find the answer: that way I can keep on looking.