Bensonhurst - An Eclectic Brooklyn Neighborhood

Following the opening of the Brooklyn, Bath, and West End Railroad in 1885, real estate developer James Lynch bought land from the Benson family and created a 350-acre suburb, Bensonhurst-by-the-Sea, featuring villas for 1,000 families and 5,000 shade trees in an area from 20th Avenue to 23rd Avenue and 78th Street to Gravesend Bay. Prior to that, the area had been a farming community. An influx of Italian immigrants, many of whom remain in the community makes up nearly 80 percent of the neighborhood which has, in recent years become an eclectic mix of African Americans and other families of Greek, Korean, Israeli, Polish, Arab, and Russian descent.

Commercial activity is concentrated in Bensonhurst on Bay Parkway, 65th Street, Kings Highway, Avenue U, and parts of Highlawn Avenue and Avenues O, S, and T. Residential three- to four-story row houses were constructed through the 1980's; recently years taller apartment buildings and predominantly low-rise streets such as 65th Street have become the norm. A City Planning Commission proposal has put a three-story height limit on new buildings, making it a predominantly low-rise area. The City is encouraging new residential development.