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While the city is calling for the demolition of the six-acre property known as Admiral's Row, some civic groups and preservations are saying not so fast.

"We have to understand that what can be saved, must be saved, must be preserved for future generations," said Paul Palazzo of the Fort Greene Association.

There are 10 houses here that once were home to high-ranking Navy officers. They date back to the 1830s, but are not classified as landmarks. The National Guard Bureau is now going through a public evaluation process to see if they are worth saving before approving any sale.

While the city says the houses are too far gone and too costly to rebuild, the Municipal Art Society disagrees.

"It's always easier to have a cleared site, but these buildings have a lot of value, and they can give back to this community," said Lisa Kersavage of the Municipal Art Society. "They can put them to use. We can find uses that the community wants in these buildings."

The Municipal Art Society has come up with six alternative plans for the site that include a neighborhood supermarket, a new industrial facility for the Navy Yard, as well as keeping some, if not all, of the row houses.

Architect Brent Porter also proposed creative ways to do both. His drawings include preserving all of Admiral's Row, opening up them up to the street, and building a supermarket behind the structures with parking and open space.

"The idea that we're knocking these buildings down to build new prefabricated, or cheaply-constructed buildings is very unwise," said Porter.

As for the money to save the structures, they say can come from private developers on the site and the federal government that's allowed them to get to this condition in the first place.

The National Guard Bureau will most likely be making a final decision on this property by the end of the year.