CHB pal/historian Francis Morrone spoke last night at a Cobble Hill Association event informing residents on how to research their home and their neighborhood’s history.
Residents were also urged to begin contributing to the Cobble Hill wiki site to add their own facts about the area. Continue Reading →
This just in from the Cobble Hill Association:
Join us for a discussion with Francis Morrone about how to research the history of a house or other building in Brooklyn. Morrone will discuss some of the nuts and bolts of basic building research, as well as the myriad avenues opened up in recent years by the internet. The web has changed the whole game. For the serious researcher it has not replaced the necessity of consulting physical archives, but it has made stay-at-home research rewarding as never before.
Learn the secrets of the trade from a professional historian.
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Date: Monday, October 17, 2011
Place: Long Island College Hospital, Conference Room A
Enter at main entrance 339 Hicks (at Atlantic)All members of the public are invited. No admission charge.
The U.S. Coast Guard training ship Eagle will arrive at Pier 7, at the foot of Atlantic Avenue (just south of Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 6), this Friday, August 5, at about 9:00 a.m. She will welcome visitors on Friday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., on Saturday the 6th from 1:00 to 7:00 p.m., and Sunday the 7th from 10:00 a.m to 7:00 p.m. Thanks to PortSide NewYork for the heads-up.
The Wall Street Journal reports that yesterday’s inaugural day of nuptials for same sex couples at Brooklyn Borough Hall had a heart warming (and straight) twist:
WSJ: But the mood outside clerk’s offices was largely celebratory. Julie Irwin and her husband, Steve Landis, brought their twin 4-year-old daughters from Cobble Hill to the Brooklyn Municipal Building. They offered them as flower girls for marrying couples.
Ms. Irwin said she wanted her daughters to see what she called “the civil rights event of our generation,” and the girls decided it would be fun to pitch in.
“The first thing they said this morning was, ‘Is it time to go to the weddings yet?’” she said.
Read about it on BHB.
Tonight’s Cobble Hill Association Annual Meeting, to be held at LICH, Conference Room A (enter at the main entrance, 339 Hicks Street, between Atlantic Avenue and Amity Street) starting at 7:30, will feature presentations on the past–distinguished architectural historian Francis Morrone on the construction of “the ditch” that divides Cobble Hill and the Columbia Street Waterfront–present–an update on plans to reconstruct the triple cantilevered roadway that skirts Brooklyn Heights–and possible future–a look at the BQE Enhancement Study which considers ways to “fix the ditch”–of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. The event is free and open to the public.
Karl Junkersfeld, BHB’s resident video genius, takes a walk south, both geographically and gastronomically, noting the sights and sounds (including the roar from the BQE ditch) of Cobble Hill along the way. He then treats himself to some fine Southern cooking at Van Horn, especially liking the Brunswick stew. Relax; we’re pretty sure Van Horn’s version doesn’t use squirrel.
The Huffington Post reports that tours of the Atlantic Avenue tunnel may be over. The FDNY is threatening to shut down the underground visits for safety reasons. The tunnel once was the oldest underground subway in North America, and is now toured by those looking to take a glimpse at some of New York’s history.
Rooftop Films recently created an underground film screening in the tunnel, with a tour hosted by “tunnel aficionado” Bob Diamond. When Rooftop Films discovered just before their event that it would be shut down, they released this statement:
“This came as a complete surprise to us, as we had every reason to believe the events were entirely legal and sanctioned. While we believe that the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel is a valuable and historic New York City landmark, we also have a strong commitment to safety, and hope that arrangements can be made to reopen the Tunnel safely and legally so that it can again be enjoyed by all New Yorkers and visitors.”
Will we ever see below Atlantic Avenue again?
Nabe Chatter