During your walk through Crown Heights you will notice some distinct houses. What makes these houses unique is that they stand as the only single houses on the block, and reaching them requires climbing a significant number of steps.
281 and 283 Albany Ave, two buildings steeped in Jewish and Crown Heights history.
Lefferts Park, formally known as Hamilton Metz Park, was originally known as Commercial Field, or Commercial High School Athletic Field, and has been used as a recreational field for well over a century.
On the morning of August 27th, 1776, British forces advanced towards the main American camp situated on Brooklyn Heights. Some American regiments were stationed on the strategically important Heights of Guan, which encompassed present-day Crown Heights.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the neighborhood south of Crown Heights was known as “Pigtown.” The boundaries were roughly Malbone St. (today Empire Blvd.), Midwood St., Albany Ave, and Nostrand Ave. Primarily inhabited by a small population of mostly low-income Italians and Irish.
On July 31, 1910, an extensive feature article appeared in the Real Estate section of the New York Times, highlighting the rapid growth of Crown Heights, known then as the Eastern Parkway Section. The headline read “Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway Section A Beehive of Building Operations.”
Water is the source of life for all peoples and communities. The reservoir mentioned here has been providing water for Crown Heights for many years, playing a vital role in sustaining the community’s needs.
Located at 324 Albany Avenue off Eastern Parkway, Nassau Inn was known by many names: Drivers Rest, Foresters Inn, Con Duffys Casino, and Uncle John’s. It was both referred to as the “best known landmark in Brooklyn” and disparaged as an “evil resort.”
Louis Cohen built this magnificent mansion on a 160 by 125 feet lot. It was intended to accommodate his 9 children and household servants, although having servants was considered outdated after World War I. Despite the changing times, the presence of 9 children made full-time help a practical choice.
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.
I’ve always wondered why this house sticks out and it’s probably one of the nicest and most stated houses on President Street.
By the time the 1970s came Chovive Torah was practically abandoned. At that point, United Lubavitcher Yeshiva took ownership of the building. They paid a severance fee of $6000 to the outgoing Rabbi Rabinowitz. The school has occupied the building since with the high school moving in in 1997.
Before the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Arch in Grand Army Plaza was built, it was the location of the Fountain of the Golden Spray of 1867. In 1873, the Dome Fountain by Calvert Vaux replaced the 1867 fountain with a two-tiered, double-domed structure of cast iron and molded sections of Beton Coignet.
The Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arch at Grand Army Plaza is one of the most iconic structures encountered by travelers to Crown Heights from Manhattan.
Uncovering Crown Heights before it was developed has lead to many interesting discoveries. One neighborhood that has been lost to history was that of Malboneville.
The Empress Theatre opened in 1927 and seated 1600 people. It was built by an architect Charles A. Sandblom who built theaters all over New York CIty.
Have you ever owned one of those houses or lived in one of those buildings and just wondered why it’s built on an angle?
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