Bay Ridge's Visitation Academy is under contract for $42.25 million. Neighbors want it landmarked, and the Council would get the last word

A group of Bay Ridge neighbors has asked the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to protect the Visitation Academy and Monastery, a 7.5-acre campus at 8902 Ridge Boulevard that is under contract for $42.25 million, the Brooklyn Paper reported Friday. The state Attorney General has approved the sale, and the buyers have not been publicly identified, according to the paper.

Why it matters to residents: the site, between 89th and 91st streets and Ridge Boulevard and Colonial Road, is one of the largest private properties in the neighborhood. Without landmark protection, a new owner could redevelop it under existing zoning.

The request

The Sisters of the Visitation moved onto the site in 1903 and opened the academy, which closed in 2024. The oldest building dates to the late 1860s, and the Sacred Heart Chapel was dedicated in 1913, the Brooklyn Paper reported. The new request for evaluation, about 430 pages, covers the entire site and includes a notice to the commission's archaeology staff about a possible burial ground. The Historic Districts Council made an earlier request in 2024.

A commission representative told the paper the agency has received several requests and is still studying the site, and has found that the main chapel could merit individual landmark status. A request does not guarantee designation.

Council Member Kayla Santosuosso, who represents the area, told the paper she supports landmarking and has urged the commission to calendar the site. She said she has had no update on the sale and has not heard from the buyers.

What our records add

The Council votes on every designation. Once the commission designates a landmark, the Council can affirm, modify or reject it, through its Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings, Resiliency and Dispositions and the Land Use Committee, chaired by Kevin C. Riley.

This year, it has affirmed all of them. Our records show five designations voted on so far in 2026, all affirmed without a no vote:

• Beverley Square West Historic District and Ditmas Park West Historic District, both in Brooklyn, 49-0 on Feb. 24.
• Public School 15 Annex in Brooklyn, the Church of Saint Mary on the Lower East Side and the Lithuanian Alliance Building in Manhattan, 49-0 on July 16.

The Council also confirmed a commissioner. On May 14, it approved Mayor Zohran Mamdani's appointment of Lisa Kersavage to the commission, 48-0.

The commission moves first. The Council has no role until the commission calendars and designates a site. Our transcript search finds no Council hearing that has discussed Visitation.

What's next

The landmark group plans a rally at the site on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m., the Brooklyn Paper reported. Whether to calendar the site is up to the commission. If it designates any part of the property, the Council would vote within months after that.