POTW: An Unsightly Approach

Anna Schwartz

Miklos Suba, Untitled (Brooklyn Bridge), circa 1926, crayon on paper. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

The Brooklyn Bridge is arguably one of the most--if not the most--iconic symbols of Brooklyn. It has been depicted in art, like Hungarian-born American artist Miklos Suba’s version above, and replicated the world over. So, it's hard to imagine a time when the bridge was ever considered ugly. In fact, in the early 1900s, the approach to the bridge from the Brooklyn side was referred to by some as "the ugliest spot in the whole, wide world." A group of concerned citizens, city officials, and religious leaders even formed a task force called the Brooklyn Bridge Plaza Association to tackle the issue. They argued the entrance and elevated approach to the bridge was marred by an unsightly tangle of dingy tenements, storage yards, and rail lines. The organization proposed erecting a massive plaza and grandiose memorial arch featuring George Washington instead. (The group eventually merged with another organization to form the National Washington Portal and Plaza Committee.) Their plan was never realized and the area later cleared to build what is today Cadman Plaza Park.

Proposed Washington Memorial Portal to Brooklyn Bridge, 1928-1934, BRID_0096. Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs. Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

Interested in seeing more photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal at Brooklyn Public Library. We look forward to inviting you to CBH in the future to research in our entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections. In the meantime, please visit our resources page to search our collections. Questions? Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org

 

This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.

 

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