Residents are working with the Crow Hill Association to preserve a small section of Crown Heights that they believe should be a historical landmark.

The old neighborhood, located on Franklin Avenue including Sterling Place, Park Place and parts of Bedford, is known for its historical significance as a home to a population of freed slaves who migrated to New York in the 1800s, as well as for its stretches of row houses with intricate architectural details. Some residents believe the slave population is where Crow Hill got its name, while others think it comes from the birds in the area.

Stacey Sheffey, of the Crow Hill Association, is among the residents working to preserve Crow Hill and its cultural importance. Sheffey believes receiving landmark status would help Crow Hill survive in a time of persistent development to many of Brooklyn?s old neighborhoods.

?We can take control of our community by controlling what comes in and what doesn?t come in,? Sheffey says.

The Landmark Commission has attended meetings with the Crow Hill Association, but the group is still surveying the neighborhood and local residents.