Why does Bed-Stuy have so many brownstones?

Bedford-Stuyvesant holds one of the largest concentrations of intact brownstones and Victorian rowhouses in the United States, most built between the 1870s and early 1900s during a period of rapid, prosperous residential development. Because the neighborhood saw relatively little large-scale demolition or high-rise construction over the following century, an extraordinary number of these historic homes survived intact, many now protected within the Stuyvesant Heights Historic District. That preserved architectural fabric is central to Bed-Stuy's identity and a major driver of its real estate demand today.