After Neighbors Are Outraged Over City DOT Knocking Down Stanchions, Agency Vows To Address Concerns

The city Department of Transportation knocked down two historic stanchions — the brick columns by the sidewalk — at Foster Avenue and Westminster Road Tuesday, enraging neighbors and sending area leaders into a tailspin as they attempted to find out why the DOT wiped out the beloved structures — and stop the agency from doing further damage.

After alarmed neighbors alerted various civic leaders, including Community Board 14, about the stanchions, the DOT stopped their demolition work — which the agency wrote to us in an email occurred “due to community requests.” They did not comment further as to what those community requests entailed, nor who they were from.

The DOT wrote in the same email that, upon learning the neighbors wanted the stanchions to remain put, the agency is working with local stakeholders to address these concerns.

Neighbors expressed concern that they would have to bear the cost of the new stanchions, and when we asked the DOT if that was the case, they did not respond.

First erected in 1924, the two that were demolished were part of a dozen built at the corners of Westminster, Argyle, and Rugby at the cross streets of Foster Avenue and Avenue H, for a total cost at the time of $2,000.

With nearly a century of history behind them, we know many of our neighbors have numerous memories of these stanchions — and we’d love to hear them. If you’d like to share a story about them, please comment below or email us at editor@ditmasparkcorner.com, and we’ll share them on the blog.

And, as soon as we find out any more information about the DOT’s destruction of the stanchions, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Editor’s note: This post was updated to note that the demolished stanchions were in West Midwood, not Fiske Terrace.