The State Board for Historic Preservation has designated Wallabout, an area in Brooklyn of about 55 buildings on Vanderbilt Avenue between Myrtle and Park Avenues, as a historic district.

The area's houses, which are located in portions of Fort Greene and Clinton Hill, date from between 1830 to 1930.

Residents of the area say tax incentives which will now be provided by the state will help preserve the area's history.

"It really represents an ability for us to talk about this community and its history in a very particular way -- its origins tied to the Brooklyn Navy Yard. It's one of the oldest communities in Brooklyn," said Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project board member Gary Hattem. "It's a community that has very unique architecture. It's a history and a story that we want to pass on to future generations."

The community was named after Wallabout Bay, an offshoot of the East River, where the Brooklyn Navy Yard was established.