Remembering Brooklyn

Bushwick HS Class of 1960-1961 50th Anniversary Class Reunion

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:09:00 +0000

Bushwick HS Class of 1960-1961 50th Anniversary Class Reunion September 04, 2010 6:00 PM
Westchester Marriott Tarrytown, NY

Contact: Carmen Pace at carsonpace@yahoo.com

Bushwick High School 1959 Class Reunion

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 02:49:00 +0000

BUSHWICK HIGH SCHOOL HAD THEIR 50 YEAR HIGH SCHOOL REUNION FOR THE CLASS OF 1959 ON SEPT 19,2009..AT THE INN AT NEW HYDE PARK FLORAL PARK NEW YORK..THANK YOU JOSEPHINE RUSSO AT JRUSSO1940@VERIZON.NET

Astroland Closes 9-8-2008

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 10:52:00 +0000

Great Guitarist - Right!

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:50:00 +0000

A NEW BROOKLYN MESSAGE SITE

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:28:00 +0000

Join the NEW Brooklyn Friends
Message board.

Share your experiences of the
Fifties,Post photo's,

Post your
Reunions.More......

Contact:
sage150@optonline.net

Landmark Jersey Theater Organ

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Mon, 19 May 2008 01:30:00 +0000

A REAL OLD TIME MOVIE THEATER - Inside Beat

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:14:00 +0000

A REAL OLD TIME MOVIE THEATER - Inside Beat

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:07:00 +0000

I worked downtown NYC many years and was eyewitness to the 9/11/2001 attack. The Towers were my photographic neighbor and this series is my heartfelt salute to them... First in a series (and Set) about lower Manhattan "Before Ground Zero", all photos focusing on the World Trade Center's Twin Towers. This was taken about 1983-84 before the Brooklyn waterfont - with rotted pier pilings as ghostly sentinels - between the Brooklyn and Manhattan (out of view to right) Bridges was "cleaned up".

Click on picture for unknown writer

Most Holy Trinity Church~ Montrose Ave.

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Mon, 05 May 2008 02:30:00 +0000

Betty Smith, the author of the novel "A Tree
Grows In Brooklyn," was born on December 15, 1896 as Elisabetha Wehner (child of
Joannes Wehner and Katharina Hommel); according to the Baptismal Registry of
this church, she was baptized by the Reverend Nicholas M. Wagner here (then
simply known as “Holy Trinity”) on January 24, 1897. In the best-selling novel,
Smith wrote about a fictitious girl named Francie who grew up in Williamsburg,
Brooklyn. Although Trinity is never mentioned by name, the author clearly refers
to her own church.

Did you know . . .

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

“Francie thought it was the most beautiful church in Brooklyn. It was made of old gray stone and had twin spires that rose cleanly into the sky, high above the tallest tenements. Inside, the high vaulted ceilings, narrow deepset stained-glass windows and elaborately carved altars made it a miniature cathedral.”

Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1943) p 390.

From the Insider

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Sat, 03 May 2008 03:04:00 +0000

Coney Island
Brooklyn’s "Playground by the Sea"
Disney World or Six Flags Great Adventure it ain’t. For a refreshing alternative to corporate-owned amusement parks, take a day trip to Brooklyn’s Coney Island. One of America's most celebrated beach resorts during the first half of the 20th Century, Coney Island remains a Mecca for summer fun even today.
Yes, many rides are antiquated and the area is battling its way back from urban blight. But don’t let that deter you. It is all part of Coney’s charm.
Over the years, Coney Island has been referred to as a poor man’s paradise. Just an hour by subway from midtown Manhattan, Coney offers an abundance of sun, sand and surf, especially to city dwellers unable to afford costly summer getaways. The beach is free, wide, and groomed regularly. Exiting the train, you can practically taste the salty Atlantic Ocean lingering in the air.
The area has even taken on a chic honky-tonk hipness as of late, serving as a backdrop for music videos, fashion shoots, TV shows and movies. Remember the scene with the house under the roller coaster in the Woody Allen film "Annie Hall"? That was Coney Island’s now abandoned Thunderbolt.
The amusement area is open daily Memorial Day through Labor Day, although some attractions may be open earlier or later in the season, depending upon the weather. If you have never ventured to this peninsula at the southernmost reaches of Brooklyn, you owe it to yourself and your kids to join the millions who have left their footprints in the sands of Coney Island.
Major Amusement AreasAstroland and Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park are Coney Island’s two major amusement areas. Here are the highlights:
The CycloneThe warning posted outside the Cyclone reads "DO NOT RIDE IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, WEAR A PACEMAKER OR SUFFER FROM OTHER MEDICAL CONDITIONS," and they mean it. This 100-second, 9-hill legendary roller coaster has no upside-down corkscrew loops, but will make you lose your lunch, nevertheless. Winding its way over rickety wooden planks at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour, the entire structure feels as if it could collapse at any moment. What’s even more terrifying after the initial 85 foot plunge, is the way this relic of a roller coaster violently jerks you about. Built in 1927, the Cyclone is now included in the National Register of Historic Places. 834 Surf Avenue and W. 10th Street.
The Wonder WheelAt 150 feet, the Wonder Wheel is the world’s tallest Ferris wheel and the centerpiece of the Coney Island amusement area. Built in 1920, this one-of-a-kind ride includes 16 swinging and 8 stationary cars that provide a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean, the Jersey Shore and the NYC skyline. While the Wonder Wheel looks like harmless fun, in reality, the swinging cars are nasty nausea-inducing contraptions. In 1989, the structure was declared an official NYC landmark.
The HellholeYou stand inside a circular chamber with a dozen other sadomasochists, when suddenly, the chamber starts spinning as the floor drops out. Before you know it, the centrifugal force has you pinned to the wall like a sock during the spin cycle of a washing machine. Dare to throw up and the centrifugal force glues your spew to your body. When the nightmare finally ends, you agree to the ride operator’s offer of a second ride at half price. 12th street between Bowery and the Boardwalk.
El Dorado Disco Bumper Cars"Bump, bump, bump your ass off!!!" trumpets the recording over the PA system. Coney Island’s bumper cars are the perfect way to vent your frustrations. If you ever had the urge to ram your car into the jerk who just cut you off, here is your opportunity. And with blaring disco music shattering the decibel meter, your victim will never hear you coming. Surf Avenue and W. 12th Street.
The Parachute JumpBuilt for the 1939 World’s Fair and dubbed the Eiffel Tower of Brooklyn, this designated national landmark has not been operational for years. In its day, the Parachute Jump hoisted riders to its summit, then dropped them into a free-fall before deploying a parachute. While some view the 262-foot tower as wrought-iron wreckage, others value the distinctive structure as a permanent fixture on the Brooklyn skyline.
Coney Island Circus SideshowStep right up and witness the fire eater, the bearded lady, the snake charmer, the human blockhead (who hammers nails into his skull), and a bevy of other human curiosities. You will see 10 live acts in all in this good old-fashioned freak show. Staged by the non-profit organization Coney Island USA, shows last from 45 minutes to an hour. Friday nights from 7 PM past midnight, and Saturday and Sundays from 2 PM past midnight during the summer. West 12th Street off Surf Avenue. (718) 372-5159.
The BoardwalkOn sunny days, Coney Island’s 3-mile boardwalk brings out swells of joggers, bikers, leisurely strolling couples and mothers pushing strollers. Heading east, the boardwalk runs into Brighton Beach, nicknamed "Little Odessa" for the thousands of Russian immigrants who settled here in the 1980s. For a truly ethnic experience, enjoy a bite at one of the outdoor Russian cafes lining the boardwalk in Brighton.
The Aquarium for Wildlife ConservationWhen you have had your fill of cotton candy and stomach-churning rides, get splashed by the dolphins (a "Saltwater Souvenir") at the Aquarium for Wildlife Conservation (formerly known as the New York Aquarium). Considered one of the top marine facilities in the country, the aquarium features 10,000 living specimens including beluga whales, sharks, octopuses, penguins, electric eels, walruses and seals. Catch a show at the new outdoor theater, or reach out to a horseshoe crab in the touch tank. Surf Avenue and W. 8th Street. (718) 265-FISH.
Nathan’sNo visit to Coney Island would be complete without stopping off at the original Nathan’s Famous. Opened in 1916, some people swear Nathan’s makes the best damn hot dogs and French fries on the planet. And we agree. The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, held every July 4th, is a spectacle in gluttony not to be missed.
Other Rides & Attractions
Other rides and attractions, some of which operate independently of Coney’s two major amusement parks include carousels, a water flume, spook houses, go karts, batting ranges, BB gun shooting galleries and a variety of carnival games, like the watergun game pictured (left) where guys still win kewpie dolls for their sweethearts.
How To Get ThereThe heart of Coney Island is at Surf Avenue and the Boardwalk in Brooklyn. By Car: Take the Belt Parkway to exit 6. Go south on Cropsey Avenue to Surf Avenue. By Train: Take the B, D, N or F trains to Stillwell Avenue-Coney Island (the last stop), or take the D or F trains to West 8th Street.
By Mitch Lemus

Poetry by Bob Friedland

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:50:00 +0000

THE LAST KNISH-MAN

There are no more knish-men
on Pitkin Avenue.
No more flat knishes on waxed paper
sprinkled with too much coarse salt
so the crystals that did not adhere
slid off the smooth paper
on to the top of the sheet metal wagon,
or on to the wide sidewalks,
or off into the wind.
No more Litvaks.
No more Galitzianers.
Just black men in surplus greatcoats
burning beef fat in up-ended oildrums by the slaughterhouse.
Rubbing their hands, shaking and blowing on their knuckles,
passing a bottle, swallowing deeply to stay warm.
There are no more old tailors
not even Mr. Koenig, with numbers
tattooed around their wrists.
No more appetizing-store owners slicing lox,
or offering a taste of wooden-boxed cream cheese
to mothers' boys on the tip of a sharp knife.
No more push-carts,
No more delicatessens with spicy brown mustard
rolled up in small cones of heavy brown waxed paper.
Even Harry Cabot, who drove to Spring Valley with my father,
to buy milk, during the strike.
Even Harry Cabot is dead.

BROOKLYN 14, NEW YORK

1956, and
Father Knickerbocker in peeling paint,
Dutch colonial dress, cane
and a beer,
peers down from the wall of Dominic's Grocery
over rectangular reading glasses.
A gallon mayonnaise jar
filled with clear liquid,
and a note taped, hand-written,
on sandwich wrapping paper, says,
"Tears of Dodger Fans.
Wait 'til next year."
Across 18th Avenue
the new two-tone Pontiacs sit idle in the showroom,
the live poultry market is closing,
the men with the horse-drawn wagons,
the one who sells javel water,
the other who sharpens dull knives and collects rags,
are finishing their rounds.
The breeze off of Gravesend Bay
is smooth and salty.
The West End rumbles overhead on the El,
where it turns down toward
New Utrecht.
In Whitey's, the boys drink soda,
smoke,
and re-live the perfect game.

KINGS HIGHWAY

The wind roars up Ocean Parkway
and slices the Sunday morning volunteers
on the spot where Washington marched off
to meet Burgoyne in Long Island.
There's a mural in the high-ceilinged bank.
Now the icy wind freezes the windows thick
with the heavy moist condensate of the bagel bakery
on East Fifth Street.
Inside, platoons of doughy circles are pulled
from hot water, spread quickly on long narrow boards
and advanced into the ovens.
It is warm steamy and loud
with shouted commands and orders.
"A dozen assorted, no salt."
"Six and six."
Under their arms, the volunteers shoulder
the Times, the Mirror, or the Daily News.
The bagels that are almost too hot to hold,
will be frozen by the time they are home.
Its better to eat at least one right away,
plain,
and let the warm doughy softness dissolve.

Remembering Brooklyn

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:14:00 +0000

Remembering Brooklyn

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:11:00 +0000

The Execution of Ruth Snyder

On March 13, 1927, Ruth Snyder, a Queens housewife, and her lover Judd Gray, a corset salesman, murdered Ruth's husband Albert, the art editor of Motor Boating magazine. After a sensational trial, the duo was sentenced to death.
On January 12, 1928, Ruth (33) became the second woman who went to the electric chair at Sing Sing prison in New York. She wore an unpressed brown cotton smock, grey skirt and slippers. Her wrists were strapped to the chair arms and the leather helmet was adjusted to her head. The leg electrode was carefully attached underneath her skirt. The mask was lowered, and the executioner threw the switch. Ruth's legs strained back against the chair, arms went stiff against the fastenings, while her chest rose and fell. Thomas Howard, a Daily News photographer and one of the official witnesses had a camera strapped to his leg and he took the photograph of Ruth at the moment she was dying. When Ruth finally died, the straps were undone. Her body fell limply onto the white enameled stretcher, with gaping mouth and protruding tongue, and was taken to the autopsy room.
The day after the execution, Daily News had the front page filled by the enlarged picture showing Ruth at the moment of her death. The picture was such a hit that the News had to run off an additional 750,000 copies.
The state attempted to prosecute Howard and the newspaper, but nothing ever came of it. For many years afterwards witnesses to executions were searched and asked to hold up their hands so they could not operate hidden cameras.

RUTH SNYDER'S DEATH PICTURED! - This is perhaps the most remarkable exclusive picture in the history of criminology. It shows the actual scene in the Sing Sing death house as the lethal current surged through Ruth Snyder's body at 11:?? last night. Her helmeted head is stiffened in death, her face masked and an electrode strapped to her bare right leg. The autopsy table on which her body was removed is beside her. Judd Gray, mumbling a prayer, followed her down the narrow corridor at 11:11. "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing!" were Ruth's last words. The picture is the first Sing Sing execution picture and first of a woman's electrocution.

Brooklyn Native William D. Modell passes away

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:39:00 +0000

Brooklyn Native William D. Modell passes
away

Brooklyn native, sporting-goods magnate, and
noted philanthropist William D. Modell passed away on February 14th
at age 86.

Modell's is the oldest family-owned sporting
goods company in America, having been started as a general store on
Cortland Street in Lower Manhattan in 1889 by Morris Modell, William
Modell's grandfather. Morris Modell was an immigrant from Hungary
who supplied clothing for Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders during the
Spanish-American War and bought and sold surplus army clothing after
the war.

After World War II, Modell's announced they would
sell their entire stock of menswear exclusively to veterans, and
also provided on-the-job training to veterans. When the chain opened
their largest store in Brooklyn in 1946, the sales staff was
comprised of company-trained veterans.

Modell's now operates
136 stores in eight states.

In 1947, when Jackie Robinson
broke baseball's color barrier with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Modell
placed Robinson's image in company advertisements. Later, William
Modell told Crain's New York Business: "As Jews, we knew what
it meant to be outsiders. Nothing is more important than a sense of
community and harmony."

Mr. Modell grew up in the Manhattan
Beach section of Brooklyn, and was a founder of the Crohns and
Colitis Foundation of America and Gilda's Club New York and
Worldwide, and a patron of the Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center
for the Performing Arts.

I Love You So -- The Kents

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:12:00 +0000

The Kents - Happy Beat

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:52:00 +0000

Champagne Cat

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 18:23:00 +0000

Excellent job,Cousin Len.

Let cousin Len Guardino know how you liked his video at, www.champagnecat.com or click link.

Brooklyn Musical Tribute

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 02:26:00 +0000

Joe Rinando and the Kents

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:22:00 +0000

The Kents sing "Happy Beat"

Batterman's Department Store

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 11:11:00 +0000

This was located on Flushing Ave and Broadway in East Williamsburg.

History Of Bushwick

noreply@blogger.com (bushwickite) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 03:38:00 +0000

History of Bushwick

Early Days

The areas now called Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick (Community Boards 1 and 4) were originally one Dutch settlement, the Town of Bushwick. The land was purchased from the Canarsee Indians in 1638 and officially chartered by Governor Peter Stuyvesant in 1660. He also gave it the name of Boswyck (refuge or town in the woods).

The early settlers were Dutch, French, Scandinavians, and English farmers from the Plymouth Colony. They and their descendants for the next two centuries produced tobacco and food for themselves and the New York market, using their own and slave labor until 1827. (Kings County was the largest slave holding county in the north).

Dutch was the daily language until the 19th century. From 1758 to 1800, Dutch and English were taught in the schools and then English was taught exclusively. (Bilingualism is not a new issue in New York life).

Present day Bushwick, just one small part of the Town of Bushwick, was for a long time a jointly owned woodland used for grazing animals and gathering firewood. The road to the woods ran parallel to today’s Bushwick Avenue.

The area closest to the East River, today’s Williamsburg, developed early, while Bushwick remained rural until the 1850’s. The entire area was then mapped by a descendant of the original Lefferts and Suydam families and sold for homes. The former Town of Bushwick merged with the City of Brooklyn in 1855 and from then on the population doubled and tripled every 20 years. Shipping and ship construction, oil, ironworks, pottery, clothing, printing, and every type of industry flourished along the waterfront.

About this period, over a million Germans and Austrians came to the United States, many settling in northern Brooklyn and creating an important “Little Germany”. They opened breweries, beer halls and restaurants (to encourage beer consumption), organized singing societies, and built many Lutheran and Catholic churches. St. Barbara’s, a magnificent Baroque building on Central Avenue, is the most outstanding example of the brewers largesse. In 1880 there were 11 breweries in Bushwick and Williamsburg, and in 1904 there were 44.

Numerous transportation advances starting in the 1880’s created a continuous building boom. Elevated lines went up along Myrtle Avenue and Broadway. Then the electrified streetcars connected Bushwick to downtown Brooklyn and to Manhattan via the Brooklyn Bridge. When the Williamsburg Bridge began to carry trolleys in 1905 and subways in 1908, the direct connections with Manhattan were complete. Two to six family houses were built throughout the area. Bushwick Avenue, the street of mansions for brewers and doctors, was developed between 1880 and 1915: the Irving Avenue area between 1900 and 1913. Bushwick High School at 400 Irving Avenue was opened in 1913 and counts among its former students, Joseph Hirshorn and Irving Thalberg. The few large apartment houses were a product of the 1920’s. From then on no new housing was built in Bushwick in any quantity until the 1980’s.

Bushwick homes were designed in the Italianate, Neo Greco, Romanesque Revival, and Queen Anne styles by well known architects. The New York City Landmarks Commission considered two sections worthy of Historic District Status in the 1970’s and described the corner of Bushwick Avenue and Linden Street as “one of the finest groups of Romanesque Revival architecture in the City.” It is worth mentioning these facts, because people often assume that today’s slums were always that way, and thus they fail to understand that neighborhoods decline because of complicated outside forces.

The build-up of the neighborhood brought in many new residents in addition to the Germans and Austrians – English, Irish, Russians, Poles, Jews, and Italians. Bushwick was for a time the second largest Italian American community in Brooklyn.

Between the wars was Bushwick’s period of greatest affluence. Streets were spotlessly clean, homes beautifully maintained. It was a popular entertainment district, and the Bushwick theatre on Broadway between Palmetto and Woodbine was famous as the second most important vaudeville theatre after the Palace in Manhattan. The Claridge Hotel provided excellent accommodations to guests seeking a comfortable weekend in a country-like setting.

By the time of the Backout on July 13, 1977, Bushwick was in far worse condition that it had been in 1969. On that fateful night and the following days, hundreds of Bushwick stores were looted, many were destroyed permanently and fires burned everywhere. Flatbush, Pitkin, Utica and other shopping streets were looted, but none suffered as much as Bushwick’s Broadway or took as long to recover. One third of the stores closed after the Blackout and a year later 43% were vacant. An arson fire in an abandoned factory at Knickerbocker and Bleecker destroyed 4 blocks and 45 homes, the second worst fire in the history of New York.

Many people, including city officials, were quoted afterwards as doubting whether Bushwick could be rebuilt, or if it were even worth the effort to try. Some believe that that attitude resulted in wholesale demolition of far too many buildings.

Bushwick’s other shopping strip, Knickerbocker Avenue, lost fewer stores, because many of the owners lived in the area and spent Blackout night protecting their stores with the help of neighbors. Broadway merchants lived outside Bushwick, and few could get back in time to head off the looters, who appeared almost immediately after the lights went out, ready with their shopping carts to “get theirs”.

Broadway, from Flushing Avenue to Eastern Parkway, had been losing stores and its market population for years. By 1977 it was no longer a continuous strip, but three distinct strips separated by abandoned stores and factories. Stores regularly went out of business between 1975 and 1977, but the Blackout was the final blow.

The results of the Blackout can be quickly summarized in the population figures:
· 138,000 residents in 1970
· 122,000 in 1975
· 93,000 in 1980

Parochial schools were closing before the Blackout and even a church like St. Barbara’s was in danger of closing in 1979. Fortunately, it did not.