A lot of people know that movie star Mae West was born in 1893 on Herbert Street and that she became a and one of Hollywood’s first sex symbols, but […]
Tag: History
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
A History of Greenpoint in 25 Buildings: St. Anthony of Padua Church
For many Greenpointers there is no more iconic local image than the façade of St. Anthony of Padua church on Manhattan Avenue at Milton Street. The 240-foot-high church steeple is […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
The Unlikely Story of The White Greenpoint Woman Who Co-Founded America’s Most Influential Black Political Organization
Sometimes an unexpected event is a turning point in a person’s life. The story of Mary White Ovington’s trip to Prospect Park was just such a turning point. Ovington was […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
Women’s History Month: Peter McGuinness and Dangerous Smoking Women
Local lawmaker Peter J. McGuinness began his first term as alderman at the end of World War I when female behavior was rapidly changing, outraging conceptions of proper female behavior. […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
The Richest Man Who Ever Lived in Greenpoint: Henry H. Rogers
Today Henry H. Rogers is a largely forgotten figure in American history, but this self-made tycoon became one of the twenty-five or so richest men ever in the history of […]
Posted inEvents
Check Out This Talk On The History Of Greenpoint Architecture (Tues. 2/28)
Our very own Greenpointers writer and local author Geoff Cobb is giving a free talk on some fascinating local history this Tuesday, February 28 at Gallery AWA (61 Greenpoint Ave. #306) from 6-8pm.
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
Greenpoint’s Most Famous Reputed Living Gangster Turns One Hundred Years Old
John “Sonny” Franzese turned 100 in federal prison on February 6, 2017. Franzese, from Leonard Street, is the oldest inmate in the Federal Prison system and was denied compassionate release last […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
Elegance Lost: Greenpoint’s Colonnade Row on Humboldt Street
For years I had admired Manhattan’s Greek Revival Colonnade Row, the imposing landmark row houses with their austere, yet graceful Doric columns on Astor Place in NoHo, never imagining that […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
A History of Greenpoint in 25 Buildings: 95 Commercial Street
Greenpoint became home to five industrial “black arts” in the 19th century, and one of those black arts was glass production. (Printing, pottery making, oil refining, and cast iron manufacturing are the […]
Posted inHistorical Greenpoint
Greenpoint’s Long, But Forgotten African-American History
It’s Black History Month when we celebrate African-American contributions to our country, but many born and raised Greenpointers who pride themselves on knowing local history would be shocked to learn […]