John B Manbeck - Chronicles of Historic Brooklyn

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2013 by John B. Manbeck

All rights reserved

Cover images courtesy of John Manbeck.

First published 2013

e-book edition 2013

Manufactured in the United States

ISBN 978.1.62584.027.1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Manbeck, John B., 1931

Chronicles of historic Brooklyn / John B. Manbeck.

pages cm

print edition ISBN 978-1-60949-959-4

1. Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)--History--Anecdotes. 2. Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)--Social life and customs--Anecdotes. 3. New York (N.Y.)--History--Anecdotes. 4. New York (N.Y.)--Social life and customs--Anecdotes. I. Title.

F129.B7M266 2013

974.723--dc23

2013013805

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

Nearly every page of Brooklyns storied history is filled with incredible charactersfrom longshoremen to labor leaders, storekeepers to soldiers, writers, waiters, strivers and schemers. In other words, real Brooklynites doing their best to fulfill the American Dream. From its beginning as the seventeenth-century Dutch settlement Breuckelen to its rise as Americas third-largest city in the nineteenth century and its prominence today asamong other thingsone of the hippest places on the planet, Brooklyn has long been the place for dreamers, inventors and creators. Its a place where prosperity comes to those willing to think big and work hard. When it comes to chronicling the character and characters of this great borough, who better than historian, author, educator and Brooklynite John Manbeck to take on the task? In addition to his distinguished career as a professor of English at Brooklyns own Kingsborough Community College, John was the official Brooklyn Borough historian from 1993 to 2002and that means John knows Brooklyn through and through.

In his weekly column Historically Speaking in the Brooklyn Eagle, John took readers on the fantastic journey that is Brooklyn. Since I believe that Brooklyn is the closest thing here on earth to the Promised Land, its exciting to be able to revisit Johns writing in this single volume.

John remembers some of Brooklyns most important and beloved activists, like Evelyn and Everett Ortner, who spearheaded the renovation of Brooklyn brownstones in the early 1960s, and Joan Maynard, who led the preservation efforts of the Weeksville Heritage Center, a nineteenth-century settlement of free blacks. (Brooklyn, of course, actively participated in the abolitionist movement, with sites in downtown Brooklyn playing a role in the Underground Railroad). The wonderful Olga Bloom is also remembered. She was the pioneer of one of Brooklynsand all of New York Citysmost unique music venues, having created a floating concert hall at the Fulton Ferry Landing called Bargemusic way back in 1976.

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz on the Brooklyn Bridge. Photo by Kathryn Kirk.

Along with prominent Brooklynites, Johns columns remind us of what a truly special place Brooklyn was and continues to be. Its a place that, even though called the Borough of Churches, still has room for religions of every kind. Its a place where the great-grandkids of the children who once cheered on Brooklyn Dodger Jackie Robinson at Ebbets Field now cheer on Brooklyn Net Deron Williams at Barclays Center. John takes readers to some of Brooklyns fabulous green spaces, from the historic Brooklyn Botanic Garden to newcomer Brooklyn Bridge Park, and from Fort Greene Park to the Brooklyn Promenade. And hold onto your hats as you journey back in time to go ice skating in the park or swimming in the pool at the Hotel St. GeorgeAmericas largest saltwater pool in the 1940s and 50s.

Brooklyn was also home to Americas largest restaurant, Lundys, which in its heyday could seat more than two thousand patrons. Take a ride on the antique steeds of the magnificent Janes Carousel, now housed in a spectacular pavilion in DUMBO designed by Pritzker Prizewinning French architect Jean Nouvel. No matter where John takes readers, whether it be Brooklyn during the Civil War or a twenty-first-century urban farm, he does so with insight, intelligence and sheer love of the borough he knows so well.

John Manbeck has written a true love letter to Brooklyn, and whether youre in Brooklyn by birthright or because you were smart enough to make the move here, youre bound to enjoy this ode to the greatest borough. (Lets face it, where else but Brooklyn and Juniors can you get the quintessentially American cheesecake experience?) And for you Brooklyn wannabes and couldabeens (after all, one out of seven Americans can trace their roots to Brooklyn), after dipping into some of these marvelous reminiscences, youre likely to want to become an actual Brooklynite, too. Because, truth be told, Brooklyn is really the heartland of America!

Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

INTRODUCTION

Brooklyn is all grown up now. Since the opening of the twenty-first century, Brooklyn has renewed its population with an influx of multiethnic young people endowed with a fresh, creative outlook. Newly constructed skyscrapers downtown reflect a mirror challenge to the City Across the River. A bold, rasping sports arena reintroduced a competitive entertainment venue that has worried Manhattan. The fall Brooklyn Book Festival captured the former New York Is Book Country and added more verve, time and focus. The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), the Brooklyn Museum, the Brooklyn Historical Society, the Brooklyn public libraries and other quasi-official institutions enliven a cultural scene that was envisioned at the close of the nineteenth century, back when Brooklyn was a standalone city.

But as history tells us, the City of Brooklyn already had created excellent hospitals and schools, literary institutions and libraries, according to the venerable Brooklyn Eagle. Using that institution as a soapbox, I produced a weekly column titled Historically Speaking for fifty weeks a year for eight years. This was my retirement project after I departed from Kingsborough Community College, where I taught English and journalism for thirty-two years, as well as a follow-up to my eight years as Brooklyn Borough Historian. My appreciation goes to the Eagles current publisher, John Dozier Hasty, who encouraged me to write and add feature stories to my dossier. My two guiding themes decreed that I include Brooklyn and history as a motif for each column. Sometimes I stretched this goal if I wished to make a point, but I had fun relating contemporary news to Brooklyns glamorous history.

John Manbeck. Guisinger Photography.