Brooklyn Heights

A part of New York many don’t know

It is Sunday morning. We are in NYC, but it is surprisingly quiet. The sun is still low and throws interesting shadows from trees, houses, chimneys and people. We are in Brooklyn Heights and I am guiding a group of 12 people on a Photo Tour.

Have you explored this part of the city? It is a wonderful place within the city with a breathtaking promenade overlooking the Statue of Liberty, Governor’s Island, the financial district, the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges.

Brooklyn Heights has a rich history. Since 1965 this area has been protected from over development to maintain its beauty. Famous since 1834 for it’s low-rise architect, many of the brownstone houses were built prior to the Civil War (1861-65). Ferries ran as early as 1642, but it really started to develop once Robert Fulton’s New York – Brooklyn Steam-Ferry Boat Company began scheduled services in 1814.

In 1807 were only 7 houses on the hills. But by 1860, there were over six hundred; and by 1890, it was almost completely developed. The masterpiece Brooklyn Bridge was completed in 1883. Artists began to move into the neighborhood. Large hotels, like the St. George, were built. The hotel (1885) was once the largest in the States with 2800 rooms. Most famous was the indoor salt-water pool with a mirrored ceiling. It was so well known that a good part of the Godfather movie was filmed there.

In the 50s and 60s, novelists Norman Miller (The Naked and the Dead) and Truman Capote (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) lived at Willow Street. Bob Dylan mentions Montague Street in his song “Tangled Up in Blue”. He sings of the Street’s lively cafe and air of revolution.

“I lived with them on Montague Street

In a basement down the stairs

There was music in the cafes at night

And revolution in the air”

The Street names are all named after famous or important people. Here are a few examples.

 Adams Street – after John Adams, second President of the United States.

Fulton Street – after Robert Fulton, introduced steam ferry services between Brooklyn Heights and Manhattan

Livingston Street – Philip Livingston, the only signer of the Declaration of Independence who was from Brooklyn.

Middagh Street – the Middagh’s, a pre-Revolutionary War family

Clinton Street – De Witt Clinton, mayor of NYC, Governor of NY and three time Presidential candidate. Governor Clinton’s administration is most known for the construction of the Erie Canal. Construction lasted from 1817-21 and has 83 locks.

The population here is very unique and mixed. So are the religions.

Muslims are close to Atlantic Avenue. They come from Egypt, Yemen, Morocco, Somalia and Syria. There is a great deal of cultural diversity here.

There is a truly unique population of Jews in Brooklyn Heights. Here live a mixture of Reform, Conservative, some Orthodox and all the “in-betweens”. Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur bring so many people to the synagogue that they simply are not able to fit into the synagogue. On those days, the services are held in the Plymouth Church. Since more than 25 years is the synagogue home to the homeless women.

There is also a large Christian population. Soon after they arrived, the region was named “the borough of churches”. The Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims was one of the most influential church during mid to late 17th century. The minister Henry Beecher spoke about issues such as slavery, tolerance and women’s right to vote. One day, Beecher brought a mulatto slave girl into the church and “auctioned” her off to the highest bidder to pay for her freedom. He assisted runaway slaves by concealing them in his home and in a tunnel network that was built in the basement of the church. For this reason, Plymouth Church was nicknamed “The Grand Central Terminal of the Underground Railroad”.

 Did I wake up your interest in visiting Brooklyn Heights? Enjoy all of the above and much more.

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Ashlee Meyer wrote a blog as well. Here is the link to her blog.