15 to 31 and 16 to 32 Chester Court
Peter J. Collins
1911-12

A brief walk down this short, dead-end street off busy Flatbush Avenue is like stepping into medieval England. The cohesive collection of 18 Tudor Revival rowhouses— designed and built by a prominent local architect/ developer—was inspired by 16th century “black-andwhite” buildings of Chester, England (as well as the later “Black-and-White Revival” houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries). The Tudor Revival style, common for freestanding houses of this period, was much more unusual for attached rowhouses. Characteristic features include the stuccoed upper stories with faux half timbering meant to imitate their ancient wood-framed predecessors. Though located just outside Lefferts Manor, these houses were originally intended for singlefamily occupancy; in fact, they are nearly identical to the group of 18 houses on Rutland Road just east of Flatbush Avenue designed and built by Collins in 1914-15 following the restrictive covenants.