86-94 Garfield Place
1892, Philemon Tillion
This group of 5 two-story Romanesque Revival rowhouses were built by Theodore P. Cooper with designs by British architect P. Tillion, who established his practice in Brooklyn in 1880, before moving to Manhattan in 1905. Tillion’s early work includes rowhouses in the Greenpoint Historic District and this group in the Center Slope. Most of his known work, however, was done after his sons Philip and Clement joined the firm. Some examples are the additions to the Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory and the Masonic Temple and the Home for the Blind in Greenpoint, and the Trinity Baptist Church on New York Avenue in Crown Heights. All five houses are brownstone-faced, featuring a mixture of rough-cut, smooth and undulating stone. Carved ornaments include quoins around the upper windows, a stone bar bisecting the stained-glass transoms from the elements below, and decorated cornices. All of these elements make it a cohesive group, while at the same time giving each house their own individuality.
1897-1981
Born to American parents in Rome, Edmond Romulus Amateis grew up in Washington, DC. His father Louis was a renowned sculptor, and founded the School of Architecture at George Washington University. Amateis began his studies at the Beaux- Arts Institute of Design in New York in 1915, leaving temporarily to serve in the US Army during WWI. Upon his return, he worked in the studios of sculptors Henry Shrady and John Clements Gregory, winning a three-year fellowship to the American Academy in Rome in 1921. For the 1939 New York World’s Fair, Amateis created three bas-relief panels for the Medicine & Public Health Building. The panels (Benevolence, Efficiency, and Humility) depicted scenes from heroes of American folklore. He went on to receive numerous awards for his work and became an Associate in Sculpture at Columbia University. In 1936, Amateis was elected an Associate member of the National Academy of Design, and from 1942 to 1944, he was president of the National Sculpture Society. Photo: “Girl with Doll” by Edmond Amateis
1906-2001
Born in Maryland, Raymond Granville Barger was an artist best known for his monumental outdoor sculptures, including works for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. He graduated from the Carnegie Institute of Technology and the Yale University School of Fine Arts, receiving a special fellowship from the American Academy in Rome. For the 1939 World’s Fair, Barger was commissioned by the Heinz Company to create a sculpture for their Dome. The 65-foot high piece had a column encircled by 22 golden figures, crowned by a figure of the “Goddess of Perfection.” While living in New York, Barger also had a successful business in model- making and photography for architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. He moved to Pennsylvania in 1966, where he wrote prolifically and referred to himself as both a poet and sculptor. Over time, Barger’s work became more abstract, with “Transition” deemed the culminating example of his evolution. The 25-foot- long bronze sculpture was originally commissioned for the J. C. Penny Headquarters Building in New York City in 1965, and is currently displayed at the James A. Michener Art Museum. Photo: “Bear” by Raymond Barger.
Prospect Park
Ca. 1960
In the late 1960s, demographic changes in the areas east of Prospect Park consolidated them as Afro- Caribbean enclaves. Local musicians then began congregate in this area near the southeast entrance of the park, calling themselves the Congo Square Drummers, referencing the historic Congo Square in New Orleans. Before the Civil War, open spaces like these were crucial for safeguarding African culture, providing enslaved people a place to gather, socialize, express their spirituality and perform traditional music. Drum circles took inspiration from these sites, offering new generations a connection to the broader African diaspora. Through the years, performances at Drummer’s Grove became highly anticipated events, attracting an increasing number of people during the spring and summer months. This prompted the Prospect Park Alliance to officially recognize it as a place of importance, launching a renovation project in 1997 that included seating for drummers and spectators. Photo: Artists performing at Drummer’s Grove, courtesy of I Am Caribbeing.
553 Rogers Ave
1922
Established in 1970 by Lawrence P. Dorsey, Dorsey’s Fine Art Gallery is one of the oldest Black-owned art galleries in New York City. For over 50 years, it has showcased works by some of the nation’s greatest African-American artists. Born in St. Louis, Dorsey attended LeMoyne- Owen College in Memphis, Tennessee, where he majored in journalism and was editor of the college newspaper. During World War II, he served as a supply sergeant and was stationed in Germany, before being honorably discharged in 1945. In 1953, Dorsey moved to Brooklyn and worked as a head waiter on a cruise ship, where he would begin collecting works of art. Upon his retirement, he bought a framing business located at this two-story brick building to open an art gallery, which fostered and displayed pieces by renowned artists like James Denmark, Jacob Lawrence, Ernest Crichlow, Ann Tanksley, Emmett Wigglesworth, Otto Neals, Elizabeth Catlett, and the late painter and illustrator Tom Feelings. The gallery also held an annual holiday art auction to raise funds for the neighborhood. Dorsey passed away in 2007. In 2011, a section of Rogers Avenue between Fenimore Street and Hawthorne Street was named after him.
5101 Church Avenue
1928
Conrad Ifill was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago. He had a large family but few resources, so he learned to bake in order to help feed them. He emigrated to Canada in 1968 and later moved to New York, working in computer data processing and accounting on Wall Street for over 10 years. In 1981, Ifill decided to change careers and open his own bakery. He rented a space in a commercial building at the corner of Utica Avenue and Union Street. It was so successful that in 2015 he opened a second location at this corner of Church Avenue. The bakery specializes in Caribbean pastries, like currant rolls, guava tarts and nine-rum cake, as well as hard dough bread and many other traditional baked goods. It became a fixture of Little Caribbean, and Ifill was an active member of the community. He passed away in 2019 due to COVID-19, and the Utica Avenue store was closed in 2021.
736 Flatbush Ave
1926
In 1995, Gavin Hussey co-founded a small restaurant called Danny & Pepper’s at Flatbush Avenue, mainly selling jerk chicken. The dish originated on the island of Jamaica, where it descended from a cooking technique developed by aboriginal Arawaks. Ten years later, Hussey -nicknamed “Peppa” since childhood- opened his own restaurant on Flatbush Avenue, where he continued to serve chicken and escovitch fish, along with a few other traditional dishes. Born in St. Andrew Parish, Jamaica, Hussey grew up helping his mother cook for their large family. His unique style of jerking made the restaurant a neighborhood favorite, and the menu was soon expanded. Two new locations were opened in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan, all run by his family, consolidating Peppa’s as a staple in the Little Caribbean community. Photo courtesy of I Am Caribbeing.
624 Flatbush Ave
1926
In 1984, Trinidadian Tony Fongyit opened this ice cream parlor and vegetarian store on Flatbush Avenue. The shop’s menu was inspired by his adherence to Rastafarianism and an Ital diet, which advocates for the consumption of pure and natural food, directly from the earth, avoiding animal byproducts. Scoops quickly became one of the neighborhood’s
important cultural hubs, with loyal customers supporting it for over 40 years. In 2015, the six-story converted tenement building that hosts the shop was sold to a local developer who attempted to evict Fongyit after his lease expired in 2019. He was able to continue operating on a month-to-month agreement, but a court ruling in 2024 stated that the storefront be evicted by the end of August.
2123 Caton Ave
2022
Located at one of the main intersections of Little Caribbean, the Flatbush Caton Market was established in 2000 as an open-air market for West Indian goods. The initiative was led by Dr. Una Clarke, the first Caribbean-born woman elected to the City’s legislature, who partnered with the City of New York to provide a permanent space for street vendors. The site was a former municipal parking lot, where merchants would set up tents. Over time, the need for a more permanent structure prompted a fundraising campaign, which resulted in the construction of a one-story brick building at the same site. The now- enclosed market opened in 2001, allowing vendors to grow their businesses and hosting community events. In 2013, plans for the re-development of the site were announced by the New York City Economic Development Corporation. The project included commercial, residential and community uses, and a new space for the Flatbush Caton Market. The new 14-story mixed-use complex was completed in 2022, with the market occupying the ground floor and renamed Flatbush Central Caribbean Marketplace.
1109 Nostrand Ave
1906
Born in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, an island country in the eastern Caribbean, Allan Smith moved to the US in the 1950s. He began working at hospitals, and by the late 1950s he and his wife Gloria started baking products at home and selling them from the back of their vehicle. In 1961, they rented a storefront at 425 Saratoga Avenue and opened their first bakery. Due to its popularity, by 1967 the family had relocated the business to its current address at Nostrand Avenue. The bakery is known for its Caribbean and West Indian breads, pastries and cakes, as well as savory
preparations. It is one of the longest-standing Caribbean businesses in the neighborhood and is still owned and managed by the Smith family.
