Developer preserves Brooklyn treasure.

The renovation of the 1889 landmark building "The Alhambra,"

located at 500 Nostrand Avenue in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, is nearing completion-breathing new life into one of the borough's most significant buildings.

This important historic restoration is being done under the auspices of architect, developer and preservationist Tom Anderson of Anderson Associates.

The Alhambra, a magnificent Queen Anne revival apartment building, languished in a vacant and derelict condition for many years before Anderson was able to arrange financing and begin construction of his major restoration plan. Anderson has worked tirelessly restoring and preserving what was once an upper-middle class luxury residence of the 1890's, before it become an impoverished city slum.

Architectural historian Christopher Gray compared the Alhambra to the Dakota, citing the "block-long mountain range of peaks and crags in brick and terra cotta."

The renovation of the 46,000 square-foot building will provide 46 affordable rental apartments of one-, two- and three-bedrooms, with approximately 7,000 square feet of retail space. There will be 26 one-bedroom units, four two-bedroom units and 16 three-bedroom units. Rents will average about $600 per month.

The apartments will retain the historical details of this 19th Century city landmark, including such fine details as baseboards, wainscoting, chair rails, window stools and trim, doors and frames, casings, crown moldings, rosettes and other interior details.

The landmark building's exterior is truly unique and of major historic significance to the community. The front facade of the building faces the west side of Nostrand Avenue, encompassing the entire block between Macon and Halsey streets. The building is actually two separate identical buildings connected by an open colonnaded bridge. Constructed of Roman brick, stone and metal and terra cotta concealing a load-bearing masonry structure, each building rises four stories, topped by a fifth floor slate clad mansard roof.

The building's highly decorative facade combines influences of the Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne styles. Its architectural details include decorative surfaces of embossed terra cotta, tall decorative corbelled brick chimneys, stone-columned arched entrances, and square- and round-headed windows topped by terra cotta lintels and brick arches, respectively.

Community and civic leaders are praising the developer's commitment to preserving a building of such outstanding historical significance, as well as the positive impact this project has made on the community.

At a recent public hearing, Jennifer Raab, chairperson of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, said "This (the Alhambra) is really exciting to us...and I think it's extraordinary you're doing such great restoration work and also creating housing for people and commercial opportunities."

The Alhambra, once considered the buried treasure of Bedford-Stuyvesant, is the sister building to The Renaissance, which Anderson Associates renovated and restored in 1995. The Renaissance won the 1996 City of New York Preservation Achievement Award and the 1996 New York State Historic Preservation Award.

The Alhambra and the Renaissance buildings, both crucial to the preservation of Brooklyn's architectural heritage, stand as monuments to Tom Anderson's career of breathing life into beautiful, historic buildings that might otherwise crumble in disuse.

Anderson began his career as a developer and preservationist when he bought his first building in Park Slope, Brooklyn in 1982. In addition to the Alhambra and the Renaissance, Anderson's real estate projects include rehabilitation and restoration of restaurants and hotels, apartments for low, middle and high incomes, and lofts and condominiums throughout New York and Brooklyn.