January 9th marks the one hundred thirty-sixth anniversary of one of the most destructive fires in North Brooklyn. On a frigid January night, the Havemeyer and Elder Refinery, which would […]
Tag: History
Posted inArt
Amazing Photos of the Domino Sugar Refinery on Display Until January 14th
There’s been a lot of activity and news lately about the iconic Domino Sugar Factory on the Williamsburg waterfront. Our own historical writer Geoff Cobb recently published a new book […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
A Short History of Noble Street
Noble Street is one of the shorter streets in Greenpoint, but though just two blocks long it still is one of the prettiest streets in our area. The folks on […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
How a Local Bartender Stunned the Political World and Defeated The Corrupt “Sugar Senator”
In 1893, one of the greatest upsets in New York State electoral history occurred locally when a bartender defeated one of the most powerful men in Albany. I have written […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
Love in Greenpoint in Wartime: How an Italian Prisoner-of-War Won a Brooklyn Girl’s Heart
About a year ago, I wrote a story for Greenpointers about a Brooklyn Italian-American girl who fell in love with a captured Italian soldier during World War II while he […]
Posted inCommunity, News
Landmark Commission Approves Design for Domino Sugar Refinery
The architectural firm Practice for Architecture and Urbanism has finally succeeded in winning approval for the redesign of the Domino Sugar refinery on Kent Avenue. An earlier redesign proposal was […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
A Stroll Down Historic Norman Avenue
Things have changed a lot over the years on Norman Avenue, but Scandinavian influence remains. It is highly ironic that two Scandinavian cutting edge entrepreneurs have just opened their modern, […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
From the Archives: Historical Photos of Greenpoint
While it’s true the more things change the more they stay the same, the changes certainly outnumber the sameness in these vintage photos of Greenpoint. The sameness is enough for […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
The History of Meserole Avenue
This post marks the first in a series of posts that will recount the history of different streets in Greenpoint. Meserole Avenue is named for the Meserole family who once […]
Posted inCulture
Julia Wertz’s Triumphant Illustrated History of New York City
Full disclosure—I have been a fan of Julia Wertz‘s amazing graphic work long before the publication of her recent smash hit entitled Tenements, Towers and Trash: An Unconventional Illustrated History […]