The Center for Brooklyn History (CBH) was formed in 2020 by uniting Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) and the Brooklyn Public Library, combining materials collected over the past 157 years by BHS with BPL's Brooklyn Collection and becoming the most expansive catalogue of Brooklyn history in the world. CBH is housed at 128 Pierrepont Street, in the landmark building designed by George B. Post that was home to BHS, and the Long Island Historical Society before it, for nearly 140 years. While its home is on Pierrepont Street, CBH extends its collection and programming to reach every branch in BPL’s 60+ library system. CBH will democratize access to Brooklyn’s history and be dedicated to expanding and diversifying representation of the history of the borough by unifying resources and expertise, and broadening reach and impact.
After an extensive renovation, CBH is now fully open to the public! We look forward to welcoming you to dig into our combined collections, enjoy in-person programming and exhibitions, and visit our more publicly accessible building, with areas for reading and studying, and expanded hours of operation. Othmer Library hours vary from general CBH building hours. To view Othmer library hours click here.
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News from the Center for Brooklyn History
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Staff Picks
- Brooklyn History & Memoirs
- History of New York City
- Black History in Brooklyn
Prospect Park : Olmsted and Vaux's Brooklyn masterpieceDavid P Colley
The Brooklyn nobody knows : an urban walking guideWilliam B Helmreich
Brooklyn by name : how the neighborhoods, streets, parks, bridges, and more got their namesLeonard Benardo
The great bridge : the epic story of the building of the Brooklyn BridgeDavid G McCullough
Brooklyn's promised land : the free black community of Weeksville, New YorkJudith Wellman
In the country of Brooklyn : inspiration to the worldPeter Golenbock
The Three Graces of Raymond Street : murder, madness, sex, and politics in 1870s BrooklynRobert E (Robert Emmet) Murphy
February houseSherill Tippins
Two cents plain : my Brooklyn boyhoodMartin Lemelman
I remember Brooklyn : memories from favorite sons and daughtersRalph Monti
Song of Brooklyn : an oral history of America's favorite boroughMarc Eliot
A history of New York in 101 objectsSam Roberts
The power broker : Robert Moses and the fall of New YorkRobert A Caro
Nonstop metropolis : a New York City atlas
Tenements, towers & trash : an unconventional illustrated history of New York CityJulia Wertz
Inside the Apple : a streetwise history of New York CityMichelle Nevius
The colossus of New York : a city in thirteen partsColson Whitehead
Black Gotham : a family history of African Americans in nineteenth-century New York CityCarla L Peterson
Brooklyn's promised land : the free black community of Weeksville, New YorkJudith Wellman
A covenant with color : race and social power in BrooklynCraig Steven Wilder
Fighting Jim Crow in the County of Kings : the Congress of Racial Equality in BrooklynBrian Purnell