Brooklyn Riding and Driving Club, 1928.

The Riding and Driving Club of Brooklyn, a fancy equestrian club, was established in 1889 by a group of elite Brooklyn men. The club commissioned the firm of McKim, Mead & White to design a Roman circus inspired building. Massive, with a curved front facade facing Prospect Park (fronting Plaza Street west of Vanderbilt Avenue), the facility was three interconnected buildings: the clubhouse, the riding ring and the stables. Here members had an indoor place to ride, practice dressage, harness and polo, and socialize with tony, like-minded neighbors.

Aiming to create an exclusive community, the club originally limited membership to 200, but quickly doubled that number, a nod to its popularity and appeal (even though the $100 membership fee was not a paltry sum for most). The venture proved to be so successful that the buildings were reconfigured and added to by 1894. Frank Freeman was hired to design additions, pushing the club's campus all the way to Flatbush Avenue.

The popularity of the club continued into the first two decades of the 20th century but the 1920s saw many changes for the club and its neighborhood. Interest in horse sports declined, as other entertainment pursuits flourished. The cost of upkeep to the now five buildings outpaced the revenue, particularly as the demographics of the community changes. With the wealthy leaving the neighborhood for the suburbs or Manhattan, the new apartment dwellers of the neighborhood were not interested in or could not afford this type of hobby. Finally closing in 1938, the facilities were sold soon after. The larger buildings were demolished for apartment houses, while the carriage house and motor garage were as garages until 1950s, before meeting their own end.