Crown Heights History: Crown Heights A Golf Course?

This series on The History of Crown Heights has been compiled by Instagram account @historyofcrownheights, run by a born and raised Crown Heightser, and shows some of the ongoing research taking place.

The Eastern Parkway Golf Links and Golf Club.

Established in 1901, the Eastern Parkway Golf Links was not what we originally thought to be but an expansive area that covered almost the entire neighborhood!

In 1901, members of The Union League Club on Bedford Avenue came together to create their own golf course. This “strictly first class” nine-hole course had a membership limit of 250, with the privilege extended to all members of the Union League Club.

The golf course was located half a mile from the Union League Club’s elegant headquarters on Bedford Avenue, (which later became the Bedford and Dean Yeshivah.)

Spanning forty acres, the golf course utilized the rough terrain that was not yet suitable for development. With most roads yet to be constructed, the land was ideal for a golf course.

The connection between the Eastern Parkway Company, which had plans to develop the neighborhood, and the golf club remains somewhat puzzling.

According to newspapers of the time, Frederick Rowe of the Eastern Parkway Company served as the treasurer for the new golf course, and oversaw the construction of the club’s impressive clubhouse. The details of this arrangement are unclear, leaving some questions unanswered regarding the acquisition of the land in Crown Heights.

In 1902, the Eastern Parkway Golf Club officially opened its doors. The club boasted a one-story brick building, both pretty and commodious, with a frontage of about 100 feet and extending back 30 feet. I’m not sure if the front was on President Street or on Kingston Avenue. From the picture it seems like it was facing Carrol St.

The architectural style of the clubhouse was in line with the conventions typically embraced by golf clubs.

The golf links, as they were called, flourished under efficient management. However, as roads were developed and the neighborhood expanded, the golf course gradually succumbed to these changes. In 1904, the construction of Union Street led to a reduction in the size of the golf course. Ultimately, in 1908, the Eastern Parkway Golf Club closed its doors for good, forever bidding farewell to its beloved fairways.

And now you know the story of how Crown Heights was a golf course.