Between Bedford and Rogers Avenue
1909-11

While the freestanding house was closest to what the Lefferts family envisioned for their subdivision, the row house proved to be the more popular building type for the neighborhood’s developers. For one thing, their smaller lot size meant that more houses could fit on a given block. This stretch of Maple Street, for example, contains 84 rowhouses, while the previous stop west of Bedford Avenue, consisting mostly of freestanding houses, has only 36. This block is one of the most harmonious in the neighborhood. All of the houses were built within a very short period, between 1909 and 1911, and were commissioned by only two developers. The 50 closest to Bedford Avenue (nos. 126 to 174 and 125 to 173) were designed by Axel S. Hedman for Eli H. Bishop and Son. Many feature hipped, octagonal Spanish tile roofs above the projecting bays—a whimsical detail unusual for the neighborhood. Benjamin Driesler, another very prolific local architect, designed the 34 row houses on the east side of the block towards Rogers Avenue (nos. 178 to 216 and 177 to 215). Standing only two stories tall plus the basement, these buildings were relatively modest and closely resemble the two-family rowhouses found throughout the neighborhood. Larger, more ornate examples can be found by taking a short detour down either Midwood Street or Rutland Road west of Bedford Avenue. The Maple Street Row Houses are located in the Prospect Lefferts Gardens Historic District and listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.