More Development in Eastern Clinton Hill
Clearing and digging work started at this vacant lot on the corner of Grand and Greene in Clinton Hill a couple of weeks ago. We’ve yet to hear any specifics about what’s going up or who’s doing it. Anyone got the 411?
Clearing and digging work started at this vacant lot on the corner of Grand and Greene in Clinton Hill a couple of weeks ago. We’ve yet to hear any specifics about what’s going up or who’s doing it. Anyone got the 411?
I lived at 153 Clinton Av. just north of Myrtle Av from 1934-1941.As a kid I played in the abandoned Pratt Mansion (which had been damaged by fire) @ Clinton,Willoughby,and Waverly Av.It was demolished to be replaced by wartime Navy housing and are now co-ops.I then moved to 110 Cambridge Pl.(previously mentioned)from 1941-1955,so I know a lot about the area and the great mansions adjoining Pratt’s.I recently revisited both areas and was pleasantly surprised at the improvements.Glad to impart any knowledge that I may possess to anyone interested
How did my post come to read posted by Shahn Andersen?
I lived at 153 Clinton Av. just north of Myrtle Av from 1934-1941.As a kid I played in the abandoned Pratt Mansion (which had been damaged by fire) @ Clinton,Willoughby,and Waverly Av.It was demolished to be replaced by wartime Navy housing and are now co-ops.I then moved to 110 Cambridge Pl.(previously mentioned)from 1941-1955,so I know a lot about the area and the great mansions adjoining Pratt’s.I recently revisited both areas and was pleasantly surprised at the improvements.Glad to impart any knowledge that I may possess to anyone interested
From what I can gather, the only remnant of the name Adelphi are the street and the post office, which as someone mentioned is called “Adelphi Station”. I do find it strange that the post office with that name is some seven blocks from the street with that name. Shouldn’t it be “Cambridge Station”?
I can’t believe I’m posting 3 times in a row, but this is kind of fascinating. If you use Mapquest to look at the area, Mapquest identifies the following locations as neighborhood centers:
Fort Greene: corner of Myrtle and Washington
Bed-Stuy: Hancock and Throop
Adelphi: Underhill, Atlantic, and Washington
Park Slope: 5th avenue & 8th Street
South Brooklyn: DeGraw and Court
Red Hook: corner of Wolcott and something I can’t identify
Brooklyn Heights: Henry and Montague
Eastern Parkway: EP at Albany
Greenpoint: Bedford and Lorimer
So far as I can tell, Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill, Williamsburg, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Windsor Terrace and Sunset Park don’t exist. I wonder what year the Mapquest map is from.
Anyway, Jimmy Legs, there apparently was a neighborhood named Adelphi. No other unknown names though.
Re: Bed-Stuy vs. Clinton Hill…
I found this description of the area’s changing boundaries on the web, it’s pretty funny given the tenor of the discussion here:
“Before the early 1900s, the whole area was known simply as Bedford. In the early 1900s, the part of the west was known as bedford, while the part to the east became known as Stuyvesant. In the 1920s and 1930s, a large part of central Bedford where many blacks had settled became known by the hyphenated name of Bedford-Stuyvesant. By the 1960s, this name was used not only for all of what we now know as Bedford-Stuyvesant but also for much of what we now know as Crown Heights. In 1968, the city established its system of community planning districts and defined Bedford-Stuyvesant as extending south to Eastern Parkway. In 1977, the city changed its mind and decided that the area between Atlantic Avenue and Eastern Parkway was Crown Heights, not Bedford-Stuyvesant. Even so, some community development organizations continued to define Bedford-Stuyvesant as extending to Eastern Parkway. Confused yet?”
http://www.bedstuy.org/history.php
Re: Adelphi…
My grandmother grew up on Adelphi Street, probably sometime between 1913 and the 1930s. I never heard her say that she was from Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bed-Stuy, or whatever. She was just from Adelphi Street. I’m sure there was technically a neighborhood name, it just never seemed that important.
Less personally, I found this on the web, which explains that the whole area could have gone by “Adelphi”:
“Adelphi University’s roots reach back to 1863 and the founding of the Adelphi Academy, a private preparatory school located at 412 Adelphi Street, Brooklyn, New York….
“The appointment of Dr. Charles H. Levermore as the head of the Academy in 1893 was an important moment in Adelphi’s history. Realizing the city of Brooklyn was without a liberal arts college, Levermore seized the opportunity to establish Adelphi College [in 1896]…..
“In 1929, Adelphi moved to its present location, on 75 beautifully landscaped acres in Garden City, N.Y.”
Shahn Andersen and Veggie, I owe you both a public apology for my rude comments from the other day. It was totally uncalled for and counterproductive to the discussion at hand. Please accept my sincere regrets. On another note, I went through the ENTIRE blogsite over the weekend and though I disagree with some of the “inflammatory/condescending” remarks regarding “certain” members of our community, it’s also abundantly clear that the vast majority of bloggers are extremely passionate about architecture and have tremendous respect for Brooklyn, its people and its historic communities. I salute you all for your efforts and for bringing such positive energy to our great borough. The best is certainly ahead!
I have a book called “The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn”.
The author says the southern limit of Bed-Stuy is Park Place! It’s in a book! But I think, as do my neighbors, that Park Place (my street) is squarely in the core of Crown Heights.
So go figure.
“Crown Heights” contains parts of four zip codes, three community boards and three police precincts.
I doubt The City of New York maintains any official neighborhood boundary data. Some boundaries are clear and obvious. Others are vague, debatable and subject to trends and fashion.