Building: 279 Prospect Park West

Park West Commons was converted to a 24-unit condo complex in 1988. Built in 1920, the building has historic significance to the neighborhood and iconic cinematic relevance. In 1975 the building was cast as the bank, First Bank of Brooklyn, in the Al Pacino movie, called Dog Day Afternoon. All the exterior shots of the movie were filmed on location on Prospect Park West between 17th and 18th Street. The movie was based on the true story of John Wojtowicz and adheres to the basic facts of what happened, according to the Life article “The Boys in the Bank”. According to the article, Wojtowicz, along with Sal Naturile, held up a Chase Manhattan Bank branch in Brooklyn, New York on August 22, 1972.

The condo complex still retains most of the original facade of the building and has a shared common garden and gated private parking for all residents.

The neighborhood, named for Windsor, England, was first built up by developer William Bell between 1849 and 1851 between Vanderbilt Street and Greenwood Avenue, and row houses sprang up on 16th Street and Prospect Park Southwest by 1905. Windsor Terrace remains a quiet, relatively undiscovered neighborhood despite being very centrally located and bounded by Prospect Park to the east and Green-Wood Cemetery, a National Historic Landmark, to the west. Farrell’s Bar & Grill located down the block at 215 Prospect Park West, is an old and noted institution that open doors in the early 30’s and seen in the film Pollock with Ed Harris, and used as a standard bar backdrop in many other film sequences. Legend has it that the actress Shirley McClain once walked in with the writer Pete Hamill and marched right to the bar and ordered a drink.

Description provided by Rezwan Sharif