I lived in Crown Heights for most of my 20s so these photos filled me with nostalgia. I particularly love your photo of the old flower shop storefront on Atlantic. I used to pop in there once in a while and the old guy behind the counter was kind and humorous. The last time I went in there he let me know he was closing the shop to retire and I was happy for him because he was so excited about it.
I have passed that flower shop so many times, such a classic facade, from another era. Glad to hear that the owner went out on his own terms and wasn't forced out due to rising rent or some other factors. Thanks Jacob!
-"He described the female inmates as having “the eyes of wolves and brutal faces stamped all over with the unmistakable brands of vice.” Yet another example of the flowery prose of 19th century journalism. It makes me wonder what the MEN were like...
-Note to self: do more research into Nosey Kate Martin...she sounds badass...
-One thing you failed to mention was the fact that the neighborhood also lent its name to one of the more underrated funk bands of the 1970s. The Crown Heights Affair had mostly minor hits during its existence but their work set the stage for the evolution of funk into disco. My favorite of theirs is "Do It (The French Way)" which combines a great groove with a ton of humor:
I...had no idea about the practice of copy-pasting architecture. That is hilarious and fascinating. It looks so out of place in many of those photos. Like it was literally just...dropped into the image.
Aren't those amazing! I've been trying to see if there is anything comparable but besides copies of monuments like the Eiffel Tower of Statue of Liberty, I can't find anything. You should look at the rest of Robbins/Bechers work if you like that project.
Excellent post. When I first moved to NYC, Crown Heights was home. Right off Park Place. I'm originally from Somalia but everyone thought I was from Guyana. So I let it be.
Loved the article about Crown Heights. I lived on Montgomery street near Rogers avenue from 1942 to 1962. we always felt the borders for Crown Heights were Empire Boulevard to the south, Washington to the East which marked the border of the Botanical Gardens, Eastern Parkway to the North and Utica Avenue to the west. North of Eastern Parkway was considered Bed-Stuy. These boundaries pretty much defined the catchment area of PS 161.
I could talk for hours on growing up in this area which also housed Irish and Italian enclaves.
Thanks Michael! Yeah it looks like there has been quite a bit of border creep over the years. I imagine the neighborhood felt like a very different place back then!
I’ve been waiting for you to cover my neighborhood! :) you’ve captured it in its dormant state so well. In the summer the Eastern parkway malls are full of folks selling everything from fruits to books to homemade foods, especially by Utica. It’s a fantastic neighborhood, you’ll never see the same thing twice.
Thanks Hannah! It's such a great and vibrant neighborhood. I'm sure if I went back next week (not to mention in the summertime) I would come back with a completely different set of pictures!
Lots of Crown Heightsers here! Yes that’s the old East New York Savings Bank Building. I guess it’s also the old Modell’s building because when I went by this past week it had turned into a Snipes, whatever that is.
Amazing post again. I love that you mentioned Hilla Becher, I was obsessed by her photographs of water towers when I was a teenager and quite weirdly I once, unbeknownst to me, took a photo of her taking a photo of icon Doris Diether feeding a squirrel with a puppet that depicted Doris. Hilla‘s daughter in law saw the photo on the www and reached out to me as she recognized Hilla. Unfortunately I am a terrible photographer and had no more photos in the series. Anyway, thought you might enjoy the story and photo https://open.substack.com/pub/ironicsans/p/44-who-was-the-old-woman-with-the?r=ob13c&utm_medium=ios
What a fantastic story and photo! I can't believe you launched a meme! Even without the Hilla Becher component, it's a great story, but that pushes it over the top. So many levels! Thanks for sharing this!
I've been to the Weeksville Heritage Center and walked in the old Hunterfly Houses! There were a bunch of blueberry bushes growing around the houses and I might have sampled a few... They also do a Juneteenth celebration every year that's pretty cool.
From the New Yorker : The homes were largely forgotten until James Hurley, the head of the Long Island Historical Society, began a search for surviving Weeksville structures in 1968. After he failed to locate any walking through the area, Hurley enlisted a volunteer pilot to fly him over Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant, and he took aerial photographs of the former settlement. The pictures revealed four wood-frame houses, hidden in an overgrown alley that was once been known as Hunterfly Road. These houses had sat, decaying and out of sight but still inhabited, even as housing projects went up around them in the early years of the Second World War. By the time that Hurley visited, only one woman remained in one of the houses; it had belonged to her family since the early years of the century.
I think I met him! Right as I was taking a picture someone came out of the adjacent house. I asked if he planted it and he sort of smiled and nodded his head before walking off. I wasn't sure if that was an acknowledgment of the planting or an indication that he had no idea what I was saying but either way, I may have met him. Would have looked nice next to the Bed Stuy aquarium. RIP.
I lived in Crown Heights for most of my 20s so these photos filled me with nostalgia. I particularly love your photo of the old flower shop storefront on Atlantic. I used to pop in there once in a while and the old guy behind the counter was kind and humorous. The last time I went in there he let me know he was closing the shop to retire and I was happy for him because he was so excited about it.
I have passed that flower shop so many times, such a classic facade, from another era. Glad to hear that the owner went out on his own terms and wasn't forced out due to rising rent or some other factors. Thanks Jacob!
-"He described the female inmates as having “the eyes of wolves and brutal faces stamped all over with the unmistakable brands of vice.” Yet another example of the flowery prose of 19th century journalism. It makes me wonder what the MEN were like...
-Note to self: do more research into Nosey Kate Martin...she sounds badass...
-One thing you failed to mention was the fact that the neighborhood also lent its name to one of the more underrated funk bands of the 1970s. The Crown Heights Affair had mostly minor hits during its existence but their work set the stage for the evolution of funk into disco. My favorite of theirs is "Do It (The French Way)" which combines a great groove with a ton of humor:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTxmydFic8U
First off, Do It is now officially my song of the summer. I thought I had a pretty decent knowledge of 70s funk but have never heard of these guys!
As far as the men, "most of these men,,,are to all outward appearances as gentle as cooing doves."
Here is the link to the whole article:
https://www.newspapers.com/article/brooklyn-eagle-crow-hill-castle/168828514/
You're good at catching the vibe of an area. Enjoyed reading this one & the pics
With only a week to devote to each neighborhood, sometimes I worry I don't get enough so I appreciate the vote of confidence. Thanks!
I...had no idea about the practice of copy-pasting architecture. That is hilarious and fascinating. It looks so out of place in many of those photos. Like it was literally just...dropped into the image.
Aren't those amazing! I've been trying to see if there is anything comparable but besides copies of monuments like the Eiffel Tower of Statue of Liberty, I can't find anything. You should look at the rest of Robbins/Bechers work if you like that project.
I absolutely will!
As a current CH resident, I was eagerly awaiting this post and it’s a great one.
Want to call out this excellent podcast on the riots https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/love-thy-neighbor-four-days-in-crown-heights-that-changed/id1606986619
And how it helped shape New York (and arguably national politics)
Thanks so much, Ron. And thanks for sharing that link! Looking forward to checking it out
Excellent post. When I first moved to NYC, Crown Heights was home. Right off Park Place. I'm originally from Somalia but everyone thought I was from Guyana. So I let it be.
Sometimes it’s just easier to go with it!
Loved the article about Crown Heights. I lived on Montgomery street near Rogers avenue from 1942 to 1962. we always felt the borders for Crown Heights were Empire Boulevard to the south, Washington to the East which marked the border of the Botanical Gardens, Eastern Parkway to the North and Utica Avenue to the west. North of Eastern Parkway was considered Bed-Stuy. These boundaries pretty much defined the catchment area of PS 161.
I could talk for hours on growing up in this area which also housed Irish and Italian enclaves.
Thanks Michael! Yeah it looks like there has been quite a bit of border creep over the years. I imagine the neighborhood felt like a very different place back then!
I’ve been waiting for you to cover my neighborhood! :) you’ve captured it in its dormant state so well. In the summer the Eastern parkway malls are full of folks selling everything from fruits to books to homemade foods, especially by Utica. It’s a fantastic neighborhood, you’ll never see the same thing twice.
Thanks Hannah! It's such a great and vibrant neighborhood. I'm sure if I went back next week (not to mention in the summertime) I would come back with a completely different set of pictures!
I lived on Schenectady Avenue off Eastern Parkway from age three to age seven (1957-1961). I think that Modell’s was the bank on Eastern and Utica?
My favorite place was the library on the corner. Crown Heights was great.
Lots of Crown Heightsers here! Yes that’s the old East New York Savings Bank Building. I guess it’s also the old Modell’s building because when I went by this past week it had turned into a Snipes, whatever that is.
It's a sneaker store. How the mighty have fallen.
Ha! Nice to hear from you C.L.!
Really loved this snapshot of Crown Heights—rich history, layered cultures, and the sense of evolution is so clear in how you told it.
Amazing post again. I love that you mentioned Hilla Becher, I was obsessed by her photographs of water towers when I was a teenager and quite weirdly I once, unbeknownst to me, took a photo of her taking a photo of icon Doris Diether feeding a squirrel with a puppet that depicted Doris. Hilla‘s daughter in law saw the photo on the www and reached out to me as she recognized Hilla. Unfortunately I am a terrible photographer and had no more photos in the series. Anyway, thought you might enjoy the story and photo https://open.substack.com/pub/ironicsans/p/44-who-was-the-old-woman-with-the?r=ob13c&utm_medium=ios
What a fantastic story and photo! I can't believe you launched a meme! Even without the Hilla Becher component, it's a great story, but that pushes it over the top. So many levels! Thanks for sharing this!
Great edition, Rob. I love that you highlighted Robbins & Becher. Bernd & Hilla are my all time favorites.
I went to the parade last year. What a scene!
I love your shot of that London Plane tree growing right out of the sidewalk. Where is that?
Love the Bechers and the Robbins/Becher combo too! The tree was around Carroll and Schenectady. thanks Bill!
I've been to the Weeksville Heritage Center and walked in the old Hunterfly Houses! There were a bunch of blueberry bushes growing around the houses and I might have sampled a few... They also do a Juneteenth celebration every year that's pretty cool.
Yeah I wanted to fit in a tour but ran out of time. It looks like they are renovating them currently.
So interesting, as always.
Thank you!
Wot? Why did Hurley need a plane to spot the houses?
From the New Yorker : The homes were largely forgotten until James Hurley, the head of the Long Island Historical Society, began a search for surviving Weeksville structures in 1968. After he failed to locate any walking through the area, Hurley enlisted a volunteer pilot to fly him over Crown Heights and Bedford-Stuyvesant, and he took aerial photographs of the former settlement. The pictures revealed four wood-frame houses, hidden in an overgrown alley that was once been known as Hunterfly Road. These houses had sat, decaying and out of sight but still inhabited, even as housing projects went up around them in the early years of the Second World War. By the time that Hurley visited, only one woman remained in one of the houses; it had belonged to her family since the early years of the century.
Wow that is fascinating! I sure would have liked to have interviewed that lady!!!
So interesting about 770 and all the houses of worship. The neighborhoods got vibes!
I almost converted. Just couldn't decide to what
Must meet the person behind that daffodil situation!
I think I met him! Right as I was taking a picture someone came out of the adjacent house. I asked if he planted it and he sort of smiled and nodded his head before walking off. I wasn't sure if that was an acknowledgment of the planting or an indication that he had no idea what I was saying but either way, I may have met him. Would have looked nice next to the Bed Stuy aquarium. RIP.
I meant Ankara House!