Calyer Street has one of the most beautiful groups of landmark row houses in Greenpoint, where Calyer Street meets Clifford Place. These five Neo-Greek brick houses were built between 1879 […]
Posts by Author Archives: Geoff Cobb
Geoffrey Cobb is a Brooklyn high school history teacher and writer of the blog historicgreenpoint.wordpress.com. He has lived in Greenpoint for over 20years and is the author of a book on the history of the area, "Greenpoint Brooklyn's Forgotten Past."
Posted in(Not)Forgotten Greenpoint
The History Behind Grand Republic: A Modern Bar With a Storied Name
One of the most atmospheric bars in Greenpoint is the quaint cocktail club Grand Republic (19 Greenpoint Ave.), and it’s a great place to enjoy a cocktail amongst nautically themed […]
Posted inNews
The Greenpoint Palaces’ Rebirth and Revitalization
When Greenpointers hear the word ‘change’ lately, they shudder. Many of the recent changes affecting local institutions have not been positive. Beloved stores have closed, landmarks have been demolished and […]
Posted inUncategorized
The Greenpointer Who Hiked The World’s Longest Footpath
Trekker Laurent Empereur Many people fantasize about quitting their job to leave on some amazing, life-changing journey, but few actually do. Laurent Empereur though is one of those rare […]
Posted in(Not)Forgotten Greenpoint
Greenpoint’s Last Colonial Building: The Duryea House
The Duryea House, a 240-year-old Greenpoint landmark, was sadly destroyed in the days before New York awakened to its own history. The original colonial structure stood on the banks of […]
Posted inUncategorized
The Legend of Brooklyn’s Long Defunct Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Thanksgiving tale involving Thomas H. Cullen has been repeated in Brooklyn for generations and amazingly, it’s a true story from the 1890s that was retold at numerous political functions […]
Posted inCulture
Mae West’s Gay Drama That Shocked 1920s America
Mae West was much more than a local-born movie star or even a sex symbol. She was a playwright, a woman decades ahead of her time in dramatizing questions of […]
Posted inCulture
Renowned Polish Artist Joanna Sarapata’s Greenpoint Show
Greenpointers will have the chance to see the work of the celebrated Polish artist Joanna Sarapata this Friday, Nov. 16, at 7:00 p.m. at Klub Amber (71 India St.). Sarapata’s creations […]
Posted inNews
The Local Roots of “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” Celebrated
Arguably the best piece of literature ever written about North Brooklyn, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,” Betty Smith’s classic tale of a girl coming of age in early 20th […]
Posted inNews
Sto Lat: 100 Years of Polish Independence and the End of World War I
“Sto lat” means 100 years in Polish and many Polish people will be celebrating the anniversary of the Armistice that ended World War I this weekend. Sunday (11/11) marks the […]