6. The castle-like 68th Precinct building is only partially standing
On the corner of 4302 Fourth Avenue, once Sunset Park’s 68th Precinct, is what remains of a historic castle-like structure with a fascinating architectural history. The historic police station and stable, formerly of the 18th Police Precinct, were completed in 1892 in a style reminiscent of Byzantine architecture. The station house is a three-story brick building in Romanesque Revival style that features carved stone details. However, much of this building is now gone, even though it is a New York City Landmark (and has been for almost 40 years).
Since the 1970s, the building changed hands a few times, serving as the home of the Brooklyn Chinese-American Association and the Sunset Park Music Group. Yet the building has continued to decay, and the city has issued plenty of fines against the not-for-profits, which have done little to restore the building. Amid rubble are graffiti and other signs of neglect, and most of the brick has fallen. Just a tower and some other sections are stabilized, and construction is now underway on a new elementary school that will incorporate parts of the former precinct house.