Picture of the Day
This image and history is courtesy of Instagram account @crownheightshistory.
Hello Crown Heights 1890. The neighborhood was either referred to as Crow Hill, Eastern Parkway District, Saint Marks District, Weeksville or Pigtown.
Developers are staying away from Crown Heights south because of the penitentiary you see at Montgomery and Nostrand (the left side of the map). The prisoners were referred to as Crows hence the name Crow Hill. Those prisoners worked in what we now call chain gangs and dug out the street and Avenues of Crown Heights. They’re also reluctant to develop in that area because it was called Pigtown and it was the place people used to come in dump garbage. In 1898 farmers started selling off plots of land to developers. In 1903 they announced the subway. Crow Hill Penitentiary was demolished in 1906 and Real Estate development boomed. In 1912 Ebbets Field was built.
One of the first Avenues cut through Crown Heights South was Albany Avenue. Would be interesting to find out why, but I would surmise it is because it was able be a direct thoroughfare to Flatbush.
On the far left side of the map you can see a blue circle which may have indicated that it was a body of water there and in fact you can find a picture from 1895 that says Crown Heights lake.
Contradictory
How could there be a picture of a Crown Heights Lake in 1895 if the name Crown Heights didn’t exist until about 50 years later?
meyer chein
The miracles of Crown Heights
Mendy Hecht
Crown Heights, or at least part of Crown Heights, was also for a time known as Lecquerville.
Prospect Park
That’s probably the lake in Prospect Park