Angel Guardian Home: Dyker Heights Gets Its First Historic Landmark
DYKER HEIGHTS – The Angel Guardian Home, a century-old former orphanage, has officially been landmarked and is the first historic landmark in Dyker Heights.
“Although the Angel Guardian Home sits just outside the borders of my council district, preserving this building has been a top priority of mine since taking office. I thank the Landmarks Preservation Commission and local community activists for their tireless work in helping make this day a reality,” Council Member Justin Brannan said. “I’m very proud to see that Dyker Heights will now have its first officially landmarked building. This special designation will ensure that neighbors and all New Yorkers will be able to cherish this majestic and historic building in its original state for generations to come.”
The 140,000 square foot building is located at 6301 12th Avenue in Dyker Heights. It was built as an orphanage and served as a residence for unwed mothers in 1899 and was operated by the Sisters of Mercy as a branch of their convent in Clinton Hill for 120 years. After the 1980s, it served as a senior assisted living space. “The monumental brick and limestone structure, which occupies a full block of 12th Avenue, remains intact and is symbolic of the importance given to social services in the Progressive Era, and of the role the Sisters of Mercy have played in Brooklyn for over a century,” the Landmarks Preservation Commission said.
In 2018, the building was sold to Scott Barone for $37.5 million. Barone divided the lot into three sections, one of which would house a public school and resold two of them.
“I’m very glad that the Angel Guardian Home has been recognized as a historic landmark by the LPC. This will ensure that this beautiful structure, with its unique history, will be maintained for future generations to enjoy,” State Senator Andrew Gounardes told Bklyner. “I have been working to make this happen since before my election in 2018, partnering with other community leaders to raise awareness and support the landmarking. Congratulations to Dyker Heights for its first-ever landmarked building.”
Angel Guardian Home was designed by George H. Streeton, a prominent architect of Catholic churches in NYC. According to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, Streeton had blended Renaissance Revival and Beaux-Arts-style elements to the building. The building also features carved limestone door surrounds, quoins, arched windows, copper cornices, and mansard roofs.
“The Angel Guardian Home, the first landmark in Dyker Heights, is a highly prominent building that is both architecturally and historically significant,” said Landmarks Preservation Commission Chair Sarah Carroll. “The combination of its sophisticated architectural style, its grand presence within the neighborhood, and its historic importance as a social services institution in Brooklyn distinguishes the Angel Guardian Home.”