Downtown Brooklyn

Coordinates: 40°41′38″N 73°59′14″W / 40.69389°N 73.98722°W / 40.69389; -73.98722
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Downtown Brooklyn
Zip Codes
11201, 11217
Area code718, 347, 929, and 917

Downtown Brooklyn is the third largest

MetroTech Center
office complex.

Since the rezoning of Downtown Brooklyn in 2004, the area has been undergoing a transformation, with $9 billion of private investment and $300 million in public improvements underway. The area is a growing hub for education. In 2017, New York University announced that it would invest over $500 million to renovate and expand the NYU Tandon School of Engineering and its surrounding Downtown Brooklyn-based campus.[3]

Downtown Brooklyn is part of Brooklyn Community District 2 and its primary ZIP Codes are 11201 and 11217.[1] It is patrolled by the 84th and 88th Precincts of the New York City Police Department.[4]

History

Early development

The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, a prominent symbol of Downtown Brooklyn

This area was originally inhabited by

City of Brooklyn
.

The city was home to many prominent abolitionists at a time when most of New York was indifferent to slavery. Many Brooklyn churches agitated against legalized slavery in the 1850s and 1860s and some acted as safehouses as part of the Underground Railroad movement. Walt Whitman was fired from his job as a reporter at the Brooklyn Eagle due to his support for the Wilmot Proviso when he lived at Willoughby and Myrtle Avenues. A group of buildings at 223, 225, 227, 231, 233, and 235 Duffield Street, in addition to the African Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church located in MetroTech Center, were believed to be among the safehouses.[6]

The middle 19th century growth of the Port of New York caused shipping to spill over into the City of Brooklyn; many buildings now used for other purposes were built as warehouses and factories. Manufacturing intensified with the building of the

Sperry Gyroscope Company building, now known as the Howard Building of the New York City College of Technology.[7] New, extensive infrastructure served the Brooklyn Bridge trolleys
.

20th century

Adams Street/Brooklyn Bridge Boulevard, a major corridor through Downtown Brooklyn (2006)
Tillary Street, another major corridor

Following World War II, the City Planning Commission, in conjunction with the Borough President’s Office, presented and adopted a Master Plan for the Civic Center, which included an ambitious public improvements program. The program included plans for new buildings for City and State agencies, significant street widening and major housing construction in adjacent areas. A study conducted eight years later highlighted the progress made, emphasizing the widening of Adams Street (and later Boerum Place), which created a long and sweeping approach to Downtown Brooklyn from a modernized Brooklyn Bridge.

By the late 1960s, the patterns of transition that affected much of urban America initiated concern to protect the borough’s Central Business District from deterioration. In 1969, a comprehensive plan for the entire city was completed and in the report the City Planning Commission stated, "Downtown Brooklyn’s economy is vital to the borough and important to the entire metropolitan region."[citation needed] In re-affirming Downtown Brooklyn’s central role and identifying its problems, the Plan was optimistic that a combination of public and private efforts would stimulate office and commercial construction. A 23-story privately financed office tower at Boerum Place and Livingston Street opened in 1971 and the anticipated growth of the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) succeeded far beyond expectations, giving this cultural institution an important role as a symbolic anchor amid increasing decay during the following decade.

After suffering with the rest of New York through the fiscal crisis of the mid-1970s, Borough President Howard Golden, first elected in 1977, moved forward with a more aggressive economic development program to revitalize Downtown Brooklyn. He identified the need for greater equity in resource allocation between Manhattan and the city’s other boroughs. An important moment in the history of Downtown Brooklyn came in 1983 with the release of a Regional Plan Association report for the area. According to the document, Downtown Brooklyn could become the city’s third-largest business district because of its proximity to Lower Manhattan (closer by subway than Midtown). It also could serve as a prime location for high technology industries and new market-rate housing. The State Street Houses Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[8]

Rezoning

Historically, Downtown Brooklyn was primarily a commercial and civic center, with relatively little residential development. Housing included a few apartment buildings on Livingston Street, and seven 15-story buildings that make up the over 1,000 unit Concord Village co-op development on Adams Street, at the borders of both

Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo
.

Lawrence Street in Downtown Brooklyn as seen in 2006

Since the rezoning of parts of Downtown Brooklyn in 2004 to allow for denser residential development, the area has seen the arrival of new condominium towers, townhouses, and office conversions. In all, 14,000 residential units were planned for Downtown Brooklyn at that time.[citation needed] A New York Sun article from November 7, 2007, reports on the arrival of Downtown Brooklyn as a 24/7 community, estimating that 35,000 residents will come to the area in the next five years.[9] In January 2008, residents started moving into the new residential buildings, according to a New York Sun article.[10] The

Fulton Mall area, which resulted in significant expansion of office space and ground-floor retail, such as those at City Point.[6] The rezoning consists of "zoning map and zoning text changes, new public open spaces, pedestrian and transit improvements, urban renewal, [and] street mappings".[11] The City Planning initiative also seeks to improve the connections between Downtown and the adjacent neighborhoods of Cobble Hill, Boerum Hill, and Fort Greene
.

As of March 2012[update], the rezoning of Downtown Brooklyn had caused gentrification in nearby neighborhoods.[6] Affordable housing was created in the area after the 2004 rezoning, with 420 affordable units in 2014. The housing increase has also resulted in positive effects on other aspects of Downtown Brooklyn's economy as well, with revenues for the area's hospitality industry having tripled since 2004.[12]

Some of this gentrification was controversial, however. In 2007, the city government was to acquire the houses at 223–235 Duffield Street via eminent domain, then demolish the houses and replace them with 500 new hotel rooms, 1,000 units of mixed-income housing, more than 500,000 square feet of retail space, and at least 125,000 square feet of new office space in the area; however, only 231 Duffield Street was replaced by a hotel.[6] Still, this caused historians to protest over the planned demolition of the historic houses because of their importance to abolitionists during the American Civil War.[13]

Institutions

Brooklyn Borough Hall with holiday lighting

Downtown Brooklyn is the civic and commercial

Fulton Mall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the New York Transit Museum and Barclays Center
.

Three days a week the Borough Hall

Greenmarket
, featuring fresh produce from local farmers, operates on the plaza fronting Borough Hall. Formerly called Supreme Court Plaza, the location was renamed as Columbus Park in 1986.

Points of interest

The Brooklyn Tower

Fulton Street Mall, and south of the busy Tillary Street.[14][15]

The original location of Junior's, founded by Harry Rosen in 1950.[16] The building, at the corner of DeKalb Avenue and Flatbush Avenue Extension, is 17,000 square feet of red-and-white-striped menus, flashbulb-adorned signs, rust-colored booths and a wooden bar. A shrine to the Brooklyn of old, it has become a must-visit for politicians from borough presidents to President Barack Obama, who bought two cheesecakes and a couple of black-and-white cookies during an October 2013 visit with Bill de Blasio.[17]

9 DeKalb Avenue, a residential skyscraper currently under construction adjacent to the Dime Savings Bank of New York. Once complete, it will become the first supertall building in Brooklyn and the tallest structure in New York City outside of Manhattan.[18][19]

liberal Protestant clergyman S. Parkes Cadman, provides 10 acres (40,000 m2) of green space in the neighborhood, and was recently renovated by the New York City Parks Department. These and other parks form a long mall from Borough Hall to Brooklyn Bridge. A new park is also planned for the area, known as the Willoughby Square Park.[20][21]

Panoramic view of the Downtown Brooklyn skyline

Bridge Plaza

Main article: Bridge Plaza, Brooklyn

At the northeastern corner of Downtown Brooklyn is Bridge Plaza, bounded by

acronym for Right Around The Manhattan Bridge Overpass[24][25][26][27] is sometimes applied to the area, comparing it to DUMBO. The neighborhood was connected to Vinegar Hill
until the 1950s, when construction of the BQE effectively isolated it from surrounding areas.

Post office and ZIP Codes

National Register of Historic Places

Downtown Brooklyn is served by two ZIP Codes: 11201 north of DeKalb Avenue and 11217 south of DeKalb Avenue.[28] The United States Postal Service operates the Brooklyn Main Post Office at 271 Cadman Plaza East.[29]

Transportation

Jay Street–MetroTech station entrance in the AVA DoBro Building

Downtown Brooklyn is connected with Manhattan by the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges.

The neighborhood has extensive public transportation accessibility; it is served by the

<F>​ trains) also feed subway trains from the Lower East Side
into Downtown Brooklyn.

Major stations in the neighborhood are:

A $130 million capital project to connect

<F>​ trains), which also included renovation of both stations, was completed on December 10, 2010.[30]
It features an underground corridor on Willoughby Street connecting both stations, which includes new escalator and elevator access to Lawrence Street.

The Long Island Rail Road stops at the Atlantic Terminal, located at the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues.

Education

Public schools are operated by the New York City Department of Education.

In 2021 the private school

German School of Brooklyn moved all levels to its permanent site at 9 Hanover Place in Downtown Brooklyn.[31]

Schools include

St. Joseph's College, Brooklyn Law School, New York University's Tandon School of Engineering, the Center for Urban Science and Progress, the New York City College of Technology, Adelphi University - Brooklyn Center and Long Island University's Brooklyn campus
.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "NYC Planning | Community Profiles". communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov. New York City Department of City Planning. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  2. ^ "New York City's CBDs (Central Business Districts) – The Office that Never Sleeps". ny-offices.com. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  3. ^ "NYU Invests $500 Million in Renovations for Brooklyn Campus". NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  4. ^ "NYPD – 84th Precinct". www.nyc.gov. New York City Police Department. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  5. ^ Jaffe, Herman J. (1979). The Canarsee Indians: The Original Inhabitants. Brooklyn: The Fourth Largest City In America, Brooklyn College Press. pp. 46–55.
  6. ^
    Forgotten New York
    . Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  7. ^ "Syndicate Takes Title to Hoffman and Albemarle Hotels for $1,700,000". The New York Times. June 13, 1915. p. XX8. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  8. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  9. ^ Stoler, Michael (November 8, 2007). "Downtown Brooklyn Finally Arrives". The New York Sun. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  10. ^ Hope, Bradley (January 24, 2008). "First Residents Arrive for Downtown Brooklyn 'Renaissance'". The New York Sun. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  11. ^ Downtown Brooklyn, New York City Department of City Planning. Accessed October 9, 2007.
  12. ^ Anuta, Joe (July 15, 2014). "Downtown B'klyn seen as 'shining example'". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  13. ^ Probasco, Mat (June 23, 2007). "Historians in push to 'save' Duffield Street". The Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  14. ^ Sanz, Cynthia (January 5, 1986). "Brooklyn's Polytech, A Storybook Success". New York Times. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
  15. ^ "George Bugliarello Dies" (Press release). The Marconi Society. February 18, 2011. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  16. ^ Asimov, Eric (October 11, 1996), "Harry Rosen Is Dead at 92; Junior's Restaurant Founder", The New York Times
  17. ^ Colvin, Jill (October 25, 2013). "President Obama and Bill de Blasio Have Cheesecake Date at Junior's". The Observer. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  18. ^ Stulberg, Ariel (November 9, 2015). "Brooklyn's future tallest building revealed in new rendering". The Real Deal. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
  19. ^ Staff, Curbed (November 9, 2015). "First Look at Downtown Brooklyn's 1,000-Foot Supertall Tower". Curbed. Retrieved December 25, 2015.
  20. ^ Calder, Rich (August 15, 2007). "Double Parking". New York Post. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  21. ^ "Help Design Willoughby Square Park". Brownstoner.com. April 19, 2010. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
  22. ^ "'MANUFACTURING CENTRE CREATED AT MANHATTAN BRIDGE PLAZA IN BROOKLYN". The New York Times. December 23, 1917. p. 31. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  23. ^ "Bridge Plaza Rezoning Proposal". New York City Department of City Planning. August 19, 2003. Archived from the original on August 18, 2006. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  24. ^ Calder, Rich (December 7, 2012). "Brooklyn residents bash new RAMBO neighborhood". New York Post. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  25. ^ Arak, Joey (February 16, 2006). "In RAMBO, Free to Be You and Me". curbed.com. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  26. ^ Cohen, Ariella (August 18, 2007). "Downtown going Williamsburg". The Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved November 4, 2007.
  27. ^ Weinstein, Robert (March–April 2008). "'Flattery' will get you somewhere". Brooklyn Boom. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved January 6, 2009.
  28. ^ "Park Slope, New York City-Brooklyn, New York Zip Code Boundary Map (NY)". United States Zip Code Boundary Map (USA). Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  29. ^ "Location Details". USPS.com. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  30. ^ Mancini, John (December 3, 2010). "Long-Awaited Subway Transfers To Open In Brooklyn, Queens". NY1. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved December 12, 2010.
  31. ^ "Home". German School Brooklyn. Retrieved July 30, 2021.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Downtown Brooklyn.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Brooklyn/Downtown.
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