POTW: National Oyster Day
POTW: Turrets Long Gone
POTW: Is Your Summer Booked?
Seeing Stars: Astronomical Observatories in Brooklyn
POTW: New York's Floating Cars
POTW: A Mournful Ouroboros
POTW: Opening the Pocket Doors: Here’s to Baseball!
POTW: The House on the Hill
The Rocks Cry Out
POTW: Opening the Pocket Doors: Voices of Brooklyn
Railfan Sandwich Man's Loco-Motive to Increase Business
Documenting a Brownstone's Rebirth
In 2018, the New York Times published a story about an unusual Carroll Gardens brownstone for sale. 12 Second Place had been painstakingly restored during the brownstone revival movement of the 1960s and 70s, and had been owned by the same couple, Jane and Thor Rinden, ever since. Moreover, the Rindens had documented their five-year renovation process (1968-1973) in a charming and intimate scrapbook filled with photographs and memories. Fascinated by this story, I left a comment on the article, and fortuitously enough, the Rindens' estate decided that the scrapbook should come to the…
POTW: Midwinter Remembrance
POTW: From the Vault: Majestic Theater
This From the Vault post was originally written by Tess Colwell and published on January 27, 2016 by the Brooklyn Historical Society. To see the latest Photo of the Week entries, visit the Brooklynology blog home, or subscribe to our Center for Brooklyn History newsletter.
Opening the Pocket Doors: A History of Education at the Brooklyn Historical Society
POTW: All this for the Dodgers!
Halloween Inspiration
I Married the Widow of the Man Who Shot Your Horse
Kevina, Center for Brooklyn History
POTW: Park Slope's Colorful Past
New York City History Day
Last June, 30 students from New York City participated in National History Day, a contest for Middle and High School students held at the University of Maryland in College Park, MD. After months of hard work crafting original historical research projects and competing in multiple contests, they were selected from over 500,000 students who competed internationally. The projects, all connected to the theme – Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas – ranged in topic and presentation. From performances examining the visionary of David Sarnoff and his impact on television; to papers examining…
International Lifeguard Appreciation Day
POTW: Remembering Summer 2020
POTW: Brooklyn Fire Headquarters
POTW: Penny-farthing
POTW: Olives on the Avenue
Assessing an 1848 Clairvoyant's Predictions for Brooklyn's Future
Brooklyn Goes Daffy - It's Spring!
POTW: One Pub's Layered History
A Tale of Two Schools: a Brooklyn-France Connection in the Aftermath of World War II
Opening the Pocket Doors: What Past Exhibitions Reveal
Sliding into the New Year
Stories a Photo Can Tell
An Open Book: Our New Audio Tour of Central Library
An Open Book By design, BPL’s Central Library has always been an open book. Now patrons can step into a multi-storied journey through the building designed to mimic the pristine pages of a new book with our recently-launched Central Library Audio Tour. From the Art Deco styling of the limestone façade to the aborted subway platform many floors below, you can take our audio tour with you as you wander around our historic building. If this legendary listen leaves you craving more, check out the reads below. Style of the Period The most striking features of Central…
Cutting a Rug: Evidence(s) of Social Dance in Brooklyn
POTW: Hurricane Sandy
LGBTQ+ History Resources at the Center for Brooklyn History
POTW: Wasted Space, But Not for Long
POTW: A Child's Bedroom in 1880
POTW: Eugene L. Armbruster photographs and scrapbooks, 1900-1939
POTW: Hot Dog Days
One-Woman Coney Express
UnBanning Books Since 1934
You might have heard of our recent initiative Books UnBanned, which allows individuals ages 13-21 nationwide to apply for a free BPL eCard, providing access to our full eBook collection as well as our learning databases, and which makes a selection of frequently challenged and banned eBook & audiobook titles always available for BPL cardholders. But obviously, banning books and restricting access to information is unfortunately not a new phenomenon. Did you know that in 1934, the Brooklyn Jewish Center founded the American Library of Nazi-Banned Books? Though it's…
Summer Reads for City Wanderers
Brendan, Project Manager, NYC Culture Pass
With the summer solstice now behind us, the days are going to start getting shorter, bit by bit. But don’t despair—there are still plenty of brightly lit evenings ahead! Taking a long, meandering walk is one of the great pleasures of living in a big city, and the extra daylight means this is one of the prime times of year for aimless urban ambling. If you need a bit of inspiration to get off that couch, we’ve got you covered with this list of books that explore the art of walking in the city. Bon voyage! Twenty Minutes in Manhattan - One-time Village Voice architecture critic,…
POTW: To Save Three Lives
POTW: From Factory to Community Hub
Introducing the Park Slope Civic Council Records
The Park Slope Civic Council (PSCC) was founded in 1896 as the South Brooklyn Board of Trade, a kind of chamber of commerce formed to lobby the city and state for improvements to infrastructure and services across the geographic area south of Downtown Brooklyn. In the late 1950s, the South Brooklyn Board of Trade changed its name to the Park Slope Civic Council in order to improve engagement in the neighborhood. As a result of this change, PSCC leaders planned to center civic projects and residents' needs, as opposed to focusing mostly on business owners. …
Fighting Metal: Keys to Victory
POTW: Miss Chien at the Book Chute
Community-driven Change in Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Greater Gowanus
Throughout the Center for Brooklyn History’s archival collections there exists evidence of grassroots community organizations mobilizing to improve the quality of life for Brooklyn residents. Two recently processed collections provide insight into the people, programs, and services of community-driven neighborhood associations in Prospect Lefferts Gardens and Greater Gowanus, meanwhile illuminating common and reoccurring issues faced by residents throughout the greater metropolitan area. This month we take a closer look at the history and impact of the Prospect Lefferts Gardens…
POTW: Jamel Shabazz's Portrait of Louis Reyes Rivera
POTW: April Showers Bring May Flowers and Floods
POTW: Bringing Swagger to the Court Since 1910
POTW: What’s Better Than a Bake Sale?
Changing Tides: 1965 Journal of Brooklyn CORE
POTW: Windows of Rare Beauty
POTW: An Unsightly Approach
Eubie Blake and the Legitimization of the Black Musical
"The Fastest and Most Thrilling Ride Ever Offered the Public": Flying Turns at Steeplechase Park
It's January in Brooklyn, but one can always take a journey into summer through the collections at the Center for Brooklyn History (CBH). CBH holds many archival collections and digitized photographs on our digital collections portal and online image gallery that document Coney Island and its fantastic amusement parks, such as Luna Park, Dreamland and Steeplechase Park.
POTW: A Million Possibilities
POTW: Encounter with Kismet on a Ride Through Bed-Stuy
POTW: Happy Birthday Marianne Moore
POTW: Eaglets on a Jolly Jamboree
POTW: A Tough Rowhouse to Hoe: On Agriculture and Urban Development
POTW: A (Maybe) Brooklyn Haunting for Spooky Season
The Art of Healing: Works from the Veterans Creative Arts Program collection
POTW: Dressing for Tradition
Faces of a Family in 19th Century New York: the Ramus Collection
POTW: April 1, 1949: A Day in Brooklyn Labor History
POTW: Inman's Vaudeville
POTW: An Unusual Ride to School
POTW: Housing Starts: The Riverside Buildings and the Push for Affordable Housing in Brooklyn
Celebrating Student Research: Brooklyn Connections 2020-21
Brooklyn Connections is a program run by the Center for Brooklyn History’s education department that cultivates 21st Century learning skills in students and supports teachers with the incorporation of archives materials into curricula. Click here to view a selection of this year's Brooklyn Connections final projects.
POTW: Wheeling in the Years: A Slice of Brooklyn Bicycle History
To close out National Bicycle Month, here's a little a celebration of bicycling in Brooklyn, from 1897 to the present.
POTW: A Mother's Immigration Story
The Librarian in Congress: The Life and Work of Major Owens
Representing Brooklyn From his roots as a librarian here at Brooklyn Public Library, to his ascent to the New York State Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, Major Owens' legacy is defined by his work as a tireless antipoverty reformer and as an advocate for education, civil rights, Americans with disabilities, workers' rights, and immigrants. As Brooklyn Public Library cautiously opens the doors to Central Library and a handful of other branches a little further this month, we are also unveiling renovations and improvements that have taken place during our…
POTW: Cleaning Up the Waterfront with N.A.G.
POTW: The Brief Life of a Fanciful Building
In Honor of Black Life
What does remembrance look like? As an archivist, special collections manager and lover of history, a large part of remembrance for me is representation. This and other similar threads are constantly a part of how I think about the work we do at the Brooklyn Collection. Who are we representing? Who has enough, and who does not? I ask this every time I think about a possible donation or addition to our collection. Our current climate and the awakening being experienced by others around Black life and its importance (it is), how history is repeating itself and the renewed calls to remove…
Photographs and Reflection in the Time of Quarantine
Larry Racioppo
I’m restless. I’m 72 years old and have been “sheltering at home” since March 7th. I’m not sure which I miss more – seeing my grandchildren or exploring the outskirts of New York City. I’ve spent many quiet hours photographing its waterfront and abandoned interiors. Almost every day since the 7th, I’ve scanned panoramic and large format negatives or made pigmented inkjet prints, and I expect to continue this routine in the weeks and months ahead. I’m lucky to have the means and equipment to do so, but man do I miss being out photographing. I’m trying to internalize the advice of my friend…
Hidden Ephemera in the Clippings Files
Beyond the stanchions, in the center of the Brooklyn Collection, sit two rows of cabinets. Clocking in at 110 drawers, they contain a collection of newspaper clippings that are finally getting some much-needed attention. The clippings files include folders with obscure labels such as "Local Color" and "Brooklyn Spirit", and the subjects they cover—the aforementioned included—are cataloged in a 447-page Word document. It is also one of our best-kept secrets. Though we use the clippings files to answer many reference questions, they are so sprawling and voluminous that even a…
On Native Land
On October 7th, I attended a convening of Brooklyn based cultural institutions, hosted by Brooklyn Museum in partnership with the Lenape Center. It was a 2-day workshop to discuss Living Land Acknowledgements and develop ongoing collaborative projects between Lenape-Delaware Nations and cultural institutions in Brooklyn. A Living Land Acknowledgment is a statement that recognizes the indigenous peoples who have been dispossessed from the homelands and territories upon which an institution was built and currently occupies and operates in. For Brooklyn, it was originally the “Lenapehoking…
A (Not So) Brief History of Red Hook
Shipyards, dry docks, and machine shops. The place with the IKEA and the Fairway. Home of the fabled wild dogs on Beard St. and the abandoned grain elevator. Former home of the Dell's Maraschino Factory and the Snapple Factory. A Brooklyn neighborhood with a "small town" feel, cobbled streets, and limited public transit. It's possible that no other section of the borough has been so readily defined by single facets of its complex character. A waterfront community with deep maritime and industrial roots, Red Hook—like many neighborhoods in Brooklyn—is in flux. This is vividly borne out…