Crown Heights History: The Nassau Inn, The Evil Resort on Eastern Parkway

by Crown Heights Historian Shmully Blesofsky, Instagram account History of Crown Heights.

Crown Heights development map circa 1906: Albany and Eastern Parkway Saloon.

We’re all familiar with the southwest corner of Eastern Parkway and Albany Avenue, now home to a new luxury condominium building. This corner has always symbolized the new wave of development in Crown Heights, but it also has an interesting history worth exploring.

The Brooklyn Daily Times, August 15, 1871, mentions the Street Commissioner seeking proposals for grading Albany Avenue and Eastern Parkway. Eastern Parkway was originally called Sackett Street.

In the early 1870s, shortly after Eastern Parkway (then referred to as “The Boulevard”) was constructed and Albany Avenue was graded, John Lutz and his wife, Margaret, developed lots along Albany Avenue, stretching from Eastern Parkway to President Street. These lots were originally part of the Z. Coffin Farm.

The Lutz family built a two-story main house with an attic for themselves, along with two smaller rental houses. John Lutz, who had worked as a night scavenger since the 1850s, was praised as “an upright, honest man despite his modest means” after returning a lost woman’s pocketbook, as reported in the local paper. The Lutzes’ daughter was also named Margaret.

Brooklyn Evening Star 1848 John Lutz Night Scavenger 

The Brooklyn Eagle, February 14, 1870, published a tribute from Mrs. Lang to John Lutz, describing him as a man from the “lower walks of life” who nevertheless exhibited great honesty.

When financial difficulties arose due to high tax assessments, John E. Greany, Margaret Lutz’s husband and a prominent Brooklyn politician, came to their defense. Greany argued that the construction of Eastern Parkway had reduced the property’s size and that rental income barely covered costs.

Brooklyn Eagle Dec 14, 1881. John Greany argued that Eastern Parkway cut off the backyards which indicates that the houses faced Union Street which made sense for privacy reasons as mentioned in other descriptions. This also may indicate that the Lutz family lived there before the city developed Eastern Parkway. 

John E. Greany became an integral part of the property’s story. Born in England in 1820, Greany immigrated to Brooklyn and rose through the political ranks to become supervisor of the 24th Ward. Despite accusations of corruption, he held various city positions and later became a contractor. The so-called “Greany Gang” was accused of bribery for city contracts. Greany also founded the “John E. Greany Association” to encourage political registration in the neighborhood.

Brooklyn Eagle Tue, Sep 07, 1886. John Greany and the ‘Greany Gang’ accused of corruption

By the 1890s, after Margaret Lutz’s parents passed, the Greanys moved into 324 Albany Avenue. In 1894, they applied for permits to transform the main house into the Nassau Inn, adding a 12×60 wagon shed for guests. Over the years, the inn became known by various names besides Nassau Inn, including Driver’s Rest, Uncle John’s, and Con Duffy’s Casino, and was celebrated as a community landmark. During Crown Heights’ “Eastern Parkway Golf Links” era (1901–1909), old-timer Jay Wrenn fondly recalled how “after a day of golf, everyone would hasten to the Old Nassau Inn at Albany Avenue and the Boulevard.”

A 1905 photograph of Union Street shows Nassau Inn on the far right. With no development down Union Street or on Kingston Avenue, the inn on Albany and Eastern Parkway was clearly visible.

Circa 1906 men golfing on what is now Crown Street and the Nassau Inn can be seen on top of the hill on Eastern Parkway. The structure to the left is now the Berman mansion turned Lubavitch Youth Organization. Back then it was a one story golf club. The far left are Union Street houses

Brooklyn Eagle, New York • Sun, Feb 25, 1951 old timer Jay Wrenn talking about Nassau Inn

By 1900, as Crown Heights continued to develop, the Greanys sold much of their property to the Eastern Parkway Company but retained the Nassau Inn. Over time, the inn—then managed by Peter Glenn and Mary Meyers—gained a notorious reputation as a “disorderly house,” allegedly associated with gambling and prostitution.

In the pre-development days of “Crow Hill,” this arrangement made sense and aligned with another stopover at Frech’s in Malbonville (now Bais Rivka on Crown Street). However, by 1914, with Union Street already completed and Crown Heights South development well underway, this was no longer acceptable. Glenn, a former Salvation Army member, insisted that he ran a respectable establishment, but he couldn’t compete against the new forces of change in the area.

The 3 structures on this map are the Nassau Inn and the two homes they rented out. It also shows you the 12×60 wagon shed for guests. This map  places the structures closer to Union Street when they were actually closer to Eastern Parkway

A few local leaders joined forces: Father Smith of St. Gregory’s Church, Frederick Rowe, a developer and visionary of Crown Heights, and Assistant District Attorney Louis Goldstein, who spearheaded efforts to shut down the inn. In court, residents, including R.M. Johnson—who lived on the corner of Union Street in a house that would later become the Ladies’ Mikveh—testified against the inn. Eventually, Justices Forker, Fleming, and Herman fined Glenn and Meyers and ordered the inn to be closed. By 1915, the hotel was torn down.

Brooklyn Eagle Friday, May 22, 1914

Evil Resort on Eastern Parkway.

In the early 1920s, a two-story brick building with stores and apartments was constructed on the lot, transforming it into a bustling commercial area. I haven’t been able to determine who purchased the lot or built the structure, but it featured a simple brick design similar to other buildings in the neighborhood. Over the years, some store owners lived upstairs, which was common at the time. Among the early residents were the Maltov family (1920s), dentist Louis Cample (1924), and attorney Irwin Weinstein (1926).  

Benjamin Burdman and Rebecca Burdweiz, who lived at 864 Eastern Parkway, appeared in a 1936 report by the House of Un-American Activities Committee investigating members of the Communist Party of America. Along Albany Avenue, notable businesses included Harry Schinz’s auto supply store (1924), Madam Nellie’s Beauty Parlor (1926), and G&G Gift Shop.  

Over the years, the building changed hands and was eventually owned by a local Lubavitch family and a nearby yeshivah. At one point, there was a laundromat on the corner and, of course, the beloved Albany Bakery—but that deserves an article of its own.

Brooklyn Eagle, May 28, 1924, 326 Albany Ave. 

In May 1924, Harry Goldberg, a delicatessen owner at 326 Albany Avenue, led a legal battle against the enforcement of outdated Sunday sales laws targeting small Jewish merchants in Brownsville and his own business on Albany Avenue. Goldberg sought an injunction in court to stop police raids prompted by the Lord’s Day Alliance. The Jewish merchants were accused of selling prepared foods such as bread, smoked salmon, and cream cheese on Sunday afternoons. Although these items were legally permissible for sale under existing laws, Goldberg reported repeated harassment by police, who ordered customers out of his shop and threatened prosecution. At one point, Goldberg was even arrested.  

There are two potential explanations for this targeting. One possibility is 1920s-style antisemitism; however, I think it is more likely that the police station, located at Fulton and Schenectady during those days, had a longstanding practice of making arrests for excise law violations at that corner when it was the Nassau Inn. This pattern of enforcement likely continued even after it became a delicatessen.

Brooklyn Eagle June 3rd, 1924. 

By June 1924, Justice Russell Benedict addressed the issue, condemning the police’s focus on minor Sunday law violations instead of serious criminal matters. The case highlighted the unequal application of the law and the burdens placed on small business owners in immigrant communities.

In 2001, a local developer by the named Hayshe Deitch saw that the corner building was for sale and was inspired by the Rebbe’s idea of ‘Khan Tzivah Hashem Es Habracha’ and the concept of Shnas Habinyan, a period during which the Rebbe greatly encouraged construction of any kind. Driven by the idea of building something valuable for the community, Deitch embarked on creating luxury condos. In 2001, ground was broken, and the impressive building that stands today was completed, offering 23 beautiful condos ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom units, with upper floors providing views of the city and a comfortably laid-out branch of Apple Bank.

Picture of Nassau Inn Circa 1905

Demolished Nassau Inn Circa 1915

Circa 1940 Albany and Eastern Parkway, built in the early 1920s. Albany Bakery was part of the building as well but that will be a separate article.

Albany and Eastern Parkway, built in the early 1920s. Circa 1940

New Condo building Circa Today. 

Copyright (c) Shmully Blesofsky all right reserved. 

For any questions or feedback: sblesof@gmail.com