36 Comments

• back to the past

  to tell you the honest truth, it was probable safer then more then it is now, in that war zone!

  and less traffic……..

• empirer

  the buildings are the same

• MAZEL TOV

  the same building is still their

  hey I see prises plus in both pictures

• interested for more

  wow, notice that the trees fully grown on kingston were not even planted yet in the 1927 picture. also, the two buildings on the left side in both pictures seem like they are the same. both buildings in both pictures have five flights, and they look exactly the same. perhaps the same for the right side too.
  (the 1927 picture is so clear, were you there too webby??! lol)

• WOW

  WOW!!!!!
  no double parked cars!!!!

• moshe

  amazing

• a neighbor

  It is really interesting to see all the differences and similarities.

• impressed

  keep up the good work it’s stuff like this that make you different. good job

• an old timer

  omg…………. unbelievable can u plz post more awesome pics like this……….it brings back such good memories
  thanx

• Historien

  this is intresting, are there any more pics like this?

• Mikeeee

  How in the world did goldstein get this picture?

  It seems like the picture is taken while they were building the area.

• girl

  wow now thats freeky

• History Teacher

  To shed some light on that era:
  In the 1920s, after the First World War, there was a shortage of living space in New York. Therefore the city gave tax incentives etc. to developers to build apartment buildings.

• The Striking Similarity

  Hey wait a second… they both have Crownheights.info sprawled across!

• Go Goldstiens

  Was Goldstiens great grandfather also a photographer?

• webby fan

  WOW! Great Pics,
  Keep it up.

  And to everyone else:

  Not that much has changed to the place over the years, just the people that inhabit it, the way they behave, and the amenities that they live with and take for granted. The buildings are all the same, save for the railroad tracks, and the steel gating the stores now need to prevent burglaries. It probably WAS safer back then, but hey there also was no internet (no CH.info), or abundant cars (to be able to double park), back then either, so after taking it all into account, I”m still happier the way G-d made me, in the time frame and zone that He placed me.

  You know sometimes it helps to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, once accomplished (and I know it’s hard), you’ll see that a lot of the ‘major annoyances’ such as double parked cars etc.. are really the results of MAJOR blessings such as (abundance of children (to require so many cars), parnassa (to afford the cars), a thriving community (to bring the cars all to one location), etc..

• BOY

  what happened with the train tracks

• SL

  THANK YOU! MORE OF SUCH PHOTO’S, PLEASE!

• Mikeeee

  For all of you who think this is what it looked like….

  If you take a closer look you will see that the whole area is being built at the same time. It’s not a war zone. And there are no gates on the stores being that the building is not finished yet.

• S. Goldstein

  crown heights by the way was called Pig town then 1923
  I got these pics from a Yid in Long Island 8×10 $8.00 a piece.
  He is a collector see his web site Go to www. Brooklynpix.com

• AG BAG

  Sholom Ber, please put up more of these pictures – Thank you!

• MEndy

  I saw this photo on BrooklynPix.com a few years ago. I guess a lot of people have copies of it.

• Observer

  The train tracks can be seen today on Kinston Avenue in front of Merkaz Stam.
  The road is damaged. You will be able to see our history with your own eyes.

• Sholom

  Train tracks? Firstly I think they are tram tracks, secondly if you look closely especially close to 770 you can see the tracks in the tar roads….

• Refreshing

  Finally a topic everyone has something positive to write about! Kain yirbu

• Thank G-D for double parked cars

  Those are trolley tracks & electricity wiring on top.

• Nothing new

  This picture and many more of Crown heights have always been available on the internet visit this link for more pics of Crown heights in the 1920’s

  http://www.brooklynpix.com/…

• Who Cares

  Uh – Dude if you check the website you’ll see that the picture is actually not from 1927 but 1923 – so whoever is in charge of the historical department should perhaps make some changes…

• imagine

  who knows what crown heights will look like in another 70 years

• MAZEL TOV

  to imagine

  start taking pictures so you wood be able to sell them in 70 years lol !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Itzik_s

  Great pic. It looks to me that the block in question was basically built in 1927 (and at that time BTW it was a Jewish area). The right side of the pic looks exactly the same as it is now – I can clearly see the stores from Sunshine Pharmacy on down to the check cashing place (easy enough to pick out what is now: Mendy Raitport’s butcher shop, the mysterious International Chocolate and Almond, Albany Bake Shop, the vacant store, Shabbos Fish, the rummage sale, Cingular etc).

• Shemtov

  Is that yiroel shemtov standing outside his kapote store in the first pic :-)

• Ancient Wikipidier.

  Pigtown formerly described a neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, existing as such until approximately the end of the 19th century.

  Pigtown was at the southern periphery of the then City of Brooklyn where it bordered the Town of Flatbush. On the modern map it would be located somewhat north of Empire Boulevard (former Malbone Street) and east of Prospect Park in the southernmost portion of Crown Heights.

  The community derived its name from the fact that the major pig farms supplying Brooklyn were located there. These farms had previously been closer to the heart of Brooklyn City, but pressure to move them resulted then (as now) with their being moved as close to the political border of Brooklyn City as possible, and at the border of its neighbor.

• bob net

  if you look at kingston near 770 youl see a little bite of tracks.

• Itzik_s

  Is that yiroel shemtov standing outside his kapote store in the first pic :-)
  _____________________________________________
  Yisroel Shemtov opened his store in 1929, not 1927. However, I think his nickname of "Red Devil" dates back to an incident in 1925 or 1926, but I am a bit fuzzy on the details after so many years.

• yanqui

  The area was pretty Jewish back then, if not yet Chabadniks. My great-grandfather built the Brooklyn Jewish Center (now Oholei Menachem) in about 1918-20, and the biggest house in the area, 1323 President St.

  Last time I walked by the old house (they moved out in the 1930s, during the Depression), it had been gutted completely. 15 years ago, it still had much of its original detail: wood paneling, gothic ceiling in the living room, stained glass stairway & bathroom windows. Wonder if any of that was saved, or if it was all junked.