Search Results for: brooklyn history

Center for Brooklyn History reopens in Brooklyn Heights after renovation

Photos courtesy of Gregg Richards

September 15, 2023

Center for Brooklyn History reopens in Brooklyn Heights after renovation

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The world's largest collection of Brooklyn history is once again accessible to the public. Located at 128 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights, the Center for Brooklyn History reopened this week following an extensive renovation of its first floor, which includes space for visitors to read, study, and enjoy exhibitions. As part of the reopening, the Center debuted "Brooklyn is...," an exhibition celebrating the borough through the photos, artworks, and words of Brooklyn residents, who are invited to submit their personal memories to be featured.
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The Giglio Feast: History, fun facts, and what to expect at this year’s celebration in Brooklyn

Photo by Howard Brier on Flickr

July 6, 2022

The Giglio Feast: History, fun facts, and what to expect at this year’s celebration in Brooklyn

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Revelers will once again gather in Williamsburg this week for a festival full of food, dancing, and live music. The Our Lady of Mount Carmel and San Paolino di Nola Feast is based on a tradition that got its start in Italy over 1,000 years ago, with its centerpiece a four-ton 72-foot tower. As part of the neighborhood’s nearly two-week feast, the tall, ornately decorated structure, known as the “Giglio,” is carried through the streets by over 100 men. The Giglio Feast, which runs through July 16, has been held in Williamsburg every July since 1903, nearly two decades before the better-known Feast of San Gennaro was celebrated in Manhattan's Little Italy. Ahead, learn about the roots of the unique festival, how it’s evolved over the last century, and what to expect this year.
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Enjoy unlimited food and rich history at Brooklyn’s landmarked Lott House

Photo courtesy of Friends of the Lott House, Alyssa Loorya

June 2, 2022

Enjoy unlimited food and rich history at Brooklyn’s landmarked Lott House

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Come enjoy unlimited dining from food trucks at the longest continually owned and occupied single-family home in New York City. Located in Marine Park, Brooklyn, the historic Hendrick I. Lott House is a rare surviving Dutch-American farmhouse situated on a parcel of land first purchased in 1719. The non-profit organization that preserves the grounds, Friends of the Lott House, this month will host "Taste the Neighborhood," a special ticketed event that includes unlimited food from local food trucks and encourages exploration of the historic site. The event will be held on June 12 from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at 1940 East 36th Street.
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The history of Brooklyn’s Caribbean Carnival, the most colorful event in New York City

Via Run With Scissors on Flickr

August 28, 2019

The history of Brooklyn’s Caribbean Carnival, the most colorful event in New York City

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Every Labor Day, millions of people gather in Brooklyn to celebrate Caribbean culture at the West Indian-American Day Carnival. Since the early 20th century, the Carnival, which first got its start in the United States in Harlem, has brought together New Yorkers through beautiful costumes, music, dance, and food of the West Indies. Starting in the 1960s, the festival has taken over Crown Heights' Eastern Parkway, uniting many islands (Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Haiti, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Saint Vincent and Grenda, Guyana, Suriname and Belize, and others) in one extravagant party. As one of New York City's largest, and certainly most colorful, events, the Carnival should not be missed. Ahead, learn about the history of the parade, the traditions that thrive to this day and the details of this year's festival.
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The history of Brooklyn blackout cake: German bakeries and WWII drills

Photo via Kirti Poddar/Flickr

June 15, 2018

The history of Brooklyn blackout cake: German bakeries and WWII drills

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Chocoholics all over the country know Brooklyn blackout cake, a three-tiered devil's food cake with layers of chocolate pudding and chocolate frosting topped with cake crumbs. In recent years, the rich cake has become re-popularized from its heyday in the first half of the 20th century. But most of us who gluttonously indulge in this tasty dessert have no idea where its borough-centric name came from or just how long this confectioner's delight has been around. It all started in 1898 at a German bakery called Ebinger's on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, but it wasn't until World War II that the moniker took hold.
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The Brooklyn Ballet’s Nutcracker mixes local history and contemporary culture

Photo courtesy of the Brooklyn Ballet

December 8, 2017

The Brooklyn Ballet’s Nutcracker mixes local history and contemporary culture

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George Balanchine staged his first iconic performance of The Nutcracker in New York City back in 1954. His choreography rightly became the gold standard, but the city has changed since then. Enter the Brooklyn Ballet, which has reinterpreted the holiday story to reflect its home into The Brooklyn Nutcracker, mixing the borough’s history as an old […]

From shipping hub to waterfront wonder, the history of Brooklyn Bridge Park with Joanne Witty
May 22, 2017

From shipping hub to waterfront wonder, the history of Brooklyn Bridge Park with Joanne Witty

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134 years ago, the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge transformed the Brooklyn waterfront, not to mention the entire borough, by providing direct access into Kings County from Lower Manhattan. The opening only boosted Brooklyn's burgeoning waterfront, which became a bustling shipping hub for the New York Dock Company by the early 1900s. Business boomed for several decades until changes in the industry pushed the shipping industry from Brooklyn to New Jersey. And after the late 1950s, when many of the warehouses were demolished to make way for construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the waterfront fell into severe decline. New Yorkers today are living through a new kind of Brooklyn waterfront boom, heralded by the Brooklyn Bridge Park. Ideas to transform the abandoned, run-down waterfront into a park seemed like a pipe dream when the idea was floated in the 1980s, but years of dedication by the local community and politicians turned the vision into reality. Today, the park is considered one of the best in the city.
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The Surprising History of the Hotdog Cart; How Brooklyn Heights Became the City’s First Historic District
March 18, 2015

The Surprising History of the Hotdog Cart; How Brooklyn Heights Became the City’s First Historic District

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Take a delicious dive into the surprising history of the New York City hotdog cart. [NYDN] Outspoken Downtowner Chloë Sevigny shares her favorite city spots. [i-D] How Brooklyn Heights, “America’s original suburb,” became the city’s first historic district. [Curbed] Street artist Hanksy is organizing a Golden Ticket scavenger hunt around the city. [Gothamist] There are now more Uber […]

Boroughs of the Dead ghost tours dive into the real-life macabre history of NYC

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Astoria. All photos courtesy of Boroughs of the Dead

October 25, 2024

Boroughs of the Dead ghost tours dive into the real-life macabre history of NYC

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Spooky season is in full swing, and if you’re a history nerd who wants to learn about the "macabre, strange, spooky, weird, spectral history of the city," there’s a tour group for that. Boroughs of the Dead: Macabre New York City Walking Tours, founded by Andrea Janes, brings groups through the spookiest, most "haunted" areas of New York City, creating a "ghost map" of the city by overlaying scary stories over the “terrain of the real,” Janes describes.
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City landmarks Village row house with deep ties to Black history and theater

The 13th Street Repertory Company. Photo (left): Courtesy of Village Preservation. Current view of the building (right): Courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

October 22, 2024

City landmarks Village row house with deep ties to Black history and theater

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A Greenwich Village row house, dating back to before the Civil War and closely tied to Black history and one of the city's first "Off-Off-Broadway" theaters, is New York City's newest landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to designate the Jacob Day Residence at 50 West 13th Street. The 1845 row house was home to Jacob Day, one of NYC's most successful 19th-century African American businessmen, and the 13th Street Repertory Company, one of the city's oldest Off-Off-Broadway theaters.
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NYC secures largest civil rights settlement in city history for housing discrimination

Parkchester, East Bronx. Photo by TheBronxNYC on Wikimedia

August 22, 2024

NYC secures largest civil rights settlement in city history for housing discrimination

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New York City has secured the largest civil rights settlement in history, holding a prominent landlord accountable for rampant discrimination against housing voucher holders. Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced the landmark settlement, which imposed $1 million in civil penalties against Parkchester Preservation Management and secured 850 apartments to be set aside for voucher holders. The settlement represents the highest fine and largest number of apartments secured in a settlement by the New York City Commission on Human Rights.
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New signs along Flatbush Avenue honor Brooklyn’s African heritage

Photo courtesy of the NYC Department of Transportation on Flickr

August 19, 2024

New signs along Flatbush Avenue honor Brooklyn’s African heritage

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New cultural signs honoring Brooklyn's rich African heritage have been installed along Flatbush Avenue. The signs mark the beginning of the Black History + Heritage Corridors project, which connects the Lefferts Historic House and the Flatbush African Burial Ground and celebrates the history and culture of Brooklynites of African descent.
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Pre-Civil War Village row house with NYC theater and Black history ties may be landmarked

The 13th Street Repertory Company. Photo (left): Courtesy of Village Preservation. Current view of the building (right): Courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

June 18, 2024

Pre-Civil War Village row house with NYC theater and Black history ties may be landmarked

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A nearly 180-year-old rowhouse in Greenwich Village that has been home to one of the city's first "Off-Off-Broadway" theaters and has significant ties to Black history may be saved from demolition. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar the Jacob Day Residence at 50 West 13th Street, an 1845 rowhouse once home to one of NYC's most successful African American businessmen, a famous suffragist and Civil Rights leader, and most recently, to the 13th Street Repertory Company. Although preservationists were first told by the LPC the structure was not distinguished enough to warrant designation, further research proved the building's immense cultural and historical significance and now the rowhouse is one step closer to becoming a landmark.
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Veselka opens first Brooklyn location

All photos courtesy of Veselka

June 10, 2024

Veselka opens first Brooklyn location

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Brooklyn residents no longer need to trek to the East Village for their pierogi fix. Veselka, the beloved Ukrainian diner serving New Yorkers for seven decades, opened its highly-anticipated Williamsburg location last week. Veselka's first location in the borough, the 4,000-square-foot restaurant is located at 646 Lorimer Street. In addition to its famous Ukrainian soul food, the business will sell Veselka-branded merchandise.
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Spend summer on the terrace of this $2.6M Brooklyn Heights co-op

Photo credit: Russ Ross Photography

May 21, 2024

Spend summer on the terrace of this $2.6M Brooklyn Heights co-op

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This three-bedroom co-op on a historic Brooklyn Heights block at 167 Clinton Street has a townhouse vibe that reflects the 1800s building it occupies. The full-floor home, asking $2,595,000, offers a gracious layout and easy-on-the-eyes interiors. Though sunlight fills the rooms of the pretty corner flat, the best part may be its impressive outdoor space in the form of a landscaped terrace overlooking neighborhood greenery.
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Downtown Brooklyn’s Abolitionist Place park is now open

All photos courtesy of Downtown Brooklyn Partnership

May 8, 2024

Downtown Brooklyn’s Abolitionist Place park is now open

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First promised 20 years ago, a Downtown Brooklyn park commemorating the borough's abolitionist history is finally open. City officials on Wednesday cut the ribbon on the 1.15-acre Abolitionist Place, located at 225 Duffield Street. Designed by landscape architecture firm Hargreaves Jones, the park offers a playground, a water play feature, a central lawn, a paved area with boulders, seating, and a dog run. The green space was part of the 2004 upzoning of Downtown Brooklyn and planning officially began in 2010. Financial issues and design changes delayed the project several times.
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Asking $2.75M, this pale pink Greenpoint townhouse has gardens, terraces, history, and charm

All photos courtesy of Kate Glicksberg

May 3, 2024

Asking $2.75M, this pale pink Greenpoint townhouse has gardens, terraces, history, and charm

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Among the most sought-after in Brooklyn real estate, the historic Greenpoint townhouse is a dream for many, but the good ones are few and far between. This charming rose-colored wood-frame home at 61 Norman Avenue is a neighborhood gem, just a block from McCarren Park. Asking $2,750,000, the home is currently configured as a single-family residence, but it's a legal three-family dwelling, so income potential exists. As for charm, the townhouse is blessed with a shaded front porch, a walled private patio, a bedroom terrace, and a sunroom.
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Soar into spring with free kite flying and live music at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Photos courtesy of Etienne Frossard

April 18, 2024

Soar into spring with free kite flying and live music at Brooklyn Bridge Park

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Celebrate the start of spring beneath hundreds of vibrant kites in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy is hosting its annual Sound & Color! Spring Festival on May 18 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., a free family-friendly event that celebrates the beginning of the season with kite flying, live music, food vendors, activities for kids, and more. Guests can craft their own kites in a workshop and send them off into the sky with help from expert flying instructors. The festival remains the only day of the year when kite flying is allowed at Pier 5.
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For $4.6M, this classic Park Slope limestone updates history without erasing the details

Photo credit: Allyson Lubow for The Corcoran Group

March 5, 2024

For $4.6M, this classic Park Slope limestone updates history without erasing the details

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On a leafy Park Slope block, the townhouse at 351 Fourth Street embodies the neighborhood's historic elegance. Built in 1909, the restored limestone residence consists of a two-bedroom garden flat and a gracious upper duplex. Behind a charming bay window, interiors have been renovated for the 21st century with a careful hand, while preserving details like original millwork and plaster walls and moldings. Asking $4,595,000, the 20-foot-wide home offers a total of five bedrooms, a rear garden and a deck.
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How to celebrate Women’s History Month in NYC

Suffragists marching, probably in New York City in. New York, 1915. [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress

March 1, 2024

How to celebrate Women’s History Month in NYC

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Every March, Americans celebrate Women's History Month, a chance to highlight the invaluable contributions of women who helped shape the history of the nation. In New York City, where the month-long holiday began in 1909, there is a large selection of engaging, informative, and entertaining ways to show your admiration for influential women. Ahead, here are some ways to celebrate Women's History Month in NYC, from learning about women who changed the history of the five boroughs with the Urban Park Rangers to listening to hilarious comics at the Knockout Women's Comedy Festival.
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Leasing launches for apartments at Brooklyn’s landmarked Empire State Dairy complex

Renderings courtesy of The Moinian Group and Bushburg

February 27, 2024

Leasing launches for apartments at Brooklyn’s landmarked Empire State Dairy complex

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Here's a chance to live in a modern apartment building within a historic and unique Brooklyn property. Leasing launched this week for 320 apartments at The Highland at 2480 Atlantic Avenue, the site of the landmarked Empire State Dairy Company complex in East New York. Developed by The Moinian Group and Bushburg and designed by Dattner Architects, the mixed-use development incorporates the early 1900s buildings with a brand new 14-story residential tower offering a mix of studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms, and three-bedroom rentals.
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Portraits of 200 Brooklynites on view at Industry City

All photos courtesy of the Free Portrait Project

February 15, 2024

Portraits of 200 Brooklynites on view at Industry City

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The portraits and stories of 200 South Brooklyn residents will be on display in Sunset Park later this month as part of the Free Portrait Project. During a year-long residency at Industry City that began in January 2023, artist Rusty Zimmerman selected Brooklynites to be the subjects of oil paintings and share their oral histories. The portraits, which will be given to participants for free, will be on view from Saturday, February 24 through March 25.
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Brooklyn Museum marks 200th anniversary with a yearlong celebration

Brooklyn Museum plaza garden and OY/YO sculpture, 04/20/2023. Brooklyn Museum. (Photo: Andrew Brincka)

February 1, 2024

Brooklyn Museum marks 200th anniversary with a yearlong celebration

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Founded in 1824 as Brooklyn’s first free circulating library, the Brooklyn Museum has supported and promoted art and culture in New York City for 200 years. To mark its 200th anniversary, the museum is hosting a yearlong birthday party, kicking off this fall, with special events, exhibitions, programs, and even a new Museum on Wheels. 
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Brooklyn Bridge towers illuminated with new LED lights

All photos courtesy of NYC DOT

January 12, 2024

Brooklyn Bridge towers illuminated with new LED lights

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The Brooklyn Bridge is starting the New Year with a major "glow up." The city's Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled on Thursday a new lighting system on the iconic landmark that includes 56 new energy-efficient LED lights illuminating its famous towers. The new lights are part of a four-year, $300 million restoration project to remove dirt and restore the mortar between every stone on the bridge, returning the towers to their original light gray color.
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