543 Atlantic Avenue

c. 1855 |

This now stucco-covered structure has had many lives. It was originally constructed as the Atlantic Street Baptist Church, a brick building dedicated in 1855. The building was subsequently home to St. Matthew’s English Lutheran Church, the Metropolitan Mission (Independent African Methodist Episcopal Church), the Swedish Baptist Church, the Salvation Army and the Brooklyn Tabernacle. Today it is home to the Ahlul Bayt Islamic Library. This fascinating turnover of cultures and denominations makes this seemingly insignificant building a great example of Brooklyn’s rich religious heritage. In fact, Brooklyn has long been known as the “Borough of Churches” for the many steeples that dot its landscape. Just west of this building, on the north side of the Avenue, note the row of brightly painted commercial buildings with intact storefronts.

552-554 Atlantic Avenue and 542 Atlantic Avenue

Henry I. Oser, 1928
c. 1925

The Art Deco store and office building at 552-554 Atlantic Avenue was originally called the Gross Building, after its first owner, realtor Joseph M. Gross. The six-story building replaced a group of mid-19^th century rowhouses. Its original tenants were real estate companies, trade union offices and lawyers. Since 1977, it has been home to a mosque, cultural center and related stores. The building is clad in white glazed terra-cotta and features neo-Classical details, like swags, garlands, grand arches and pilasters. Next door, the U.S. Post Office Times Plaza Station at 542 Atlantic Avenue is a civic building with elaborate brickwork. Its upper floor once housed the headquarters of the Brooklyn Local 361 of the Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Ironworkers’ Union. Beginning in the 1920s, a group of men from Mohawk reservations in Quebec came to New York looking for work during the steel construction boom. After a landmark court case in 1926 recognized the Mohawk as a separate nation with rights to move freely between the United States and Canada, many Mohawks came to the city, settling in Boerum Hill and joining the union (it is believed that the presence of the headquarters at 542 Atlantic Avenue was the reason for their settlement in this part of the city). When the building boom came to an end in the late 1950s, the Mohawks began to move elsewhere, and the community dwindled. However, through some of its buildings, this part of Brooklyn still tells their story. Hank’s Saloon, at 46 Third Avenue, was formerly The Doray Tavern, a popular Mohawk hang-out, and Cuyler Presbyterian Church at 360 Pacific Street (now a private residence) offered services in the Iroquois language

Times Plaza and Atlantic Terminal and Times Control House

Times Plaza- Intersection of Flatbush, Atlantic, and Fourth Avenues
Times Control House -Heins & LaFarge, 1908;
restoration: diDomenico/Parsons Brinckerhoff, 2005

The intersection of Atlantic, Flatbush, and Fourth Avenues has been the location of the LIRR terminal since the 1830s. The terminal has had a number of different homes since then. The first was constructed around 1877, when steam trains were reintroduced from this location to extend eastward to Long Island. In 1907, two years after the LIRR began electrifying trains, a new Beaux-Arts style building replaced the earlier structure. That building, in severe disrepair, was demolished in 1988 after the railroad suffered decades of diminishing use as patrons increasingly favored automobiles and planes as modes of transport. The site lay virtually vacant for the next 15 years. The process of transforming the area into a shopping, entertainment and transit hub began in the early 2000s, and is still underway. The terminal’s present structure includes an entry pavilion and ticket office (completed in 2010) and a shopping mall (completed in 2004). In addition to the LIRR station, Atlantic Terminal is the city’s largest subway stop, serving nine train lines. While this overhaul has completely modernized the intersection, the Times Control House, a Flemish Revival style kiosk, still stands as a reminder of the terminal’s earlier history. Built as the entrance to the IRT subway, the kiosk was designed by Heins & Lafarge, the architects of many subway platforms and control houses across the city, few of which remain today. The kiosk was named after its location in Times Plaza, which itself was named for the nearby offices of the Brooklyn Daily Times (later acquired by the Brooklyn Eagle). The little building is clad in glazed terra-cotta and features polychrome ornament in the form of cartouches, swags, fruit and floral garlands. In the 1970s, the building was converted to modern uses and, at one point, covered with modern lettering. For a long time, it was abandoned as the size of its small lot was not conducive to other development. The building was meticulously restored in 2005. The Times Control House is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

Historic tour of Atlantic Avenue! September 13

The Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District invites you to join a tour of Atlantic Avenue, one of Brooklyn’s most dynamic commercial thoroughfares for over one hundred years. This diverse retail and dining destination connects the historic neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill. Tour guide and Brooklyn native Joe Svehlak will guide us from 4^th Avenue to Hicks Street, discussing Atlantic Avenue’s architecture, social and commercial history, as well as areas that have been more recently redeveloped. The variety of commercial, religious, civic, and residential architecture combining the new with the old are a testament to the vitality of Atlantic Avenue. In addition to the many shops and restaurants on our walk, we will view a former brewery, several religious sites, and, near the entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park, a new mural depicting the avenue’s history and significance.

Saturday, September 13

11:00am – 1:00pm

Suggested donation: $10

To reserve your spot, please visit:

http://atlanticavebid.ticketleap.com/atlantic-avenue-historic-tour-july-12/

Historic tours of Atlantic Avenue!

Meet the neighborhood!

THREE DATES:

Saturday, July 12

Saturday, August 9

Saturday, September 13

11:00am – 1:00pm

Suggested donation: $10

To reserve your spot, please visit:

atlanticavebid.org/tours

Historic tours of Atlantic Avenue

Six To Celebrate Tours- Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn-Pictures

Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
Saturday, June 14, 2014(WALKING TOUR)

A commercial thoroughfare for more than one hundred years, Atlantic Avenue is a diverse retail and dining destination connecting the historic neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill. Tour guide Joe Svehlakleads walked between 4th Avenue and Hicks Street, discussing Atlantic Avenue’s architecture, social and commercial history, as well as areas that have been more recently redeveloped.

Free Tour of Atlantic Avenue

Atlantic Ave BID will host free walking tour this weekend

byJess Berry

A mural painted on the underpass last summer connects Brooklyn Bridge Park with Atlantic Avenue.

Walking into Long Island Bar on Atlantic Ave. is like stepping back into the 1950s.

All of New York City will take to the streets this weekend for the annual Jane’s Walk global festival, where over 100 cities across the world will host free, locally led walking tours.

Jane’s Walk is inspired by Jane Jacobs, a famous urbanist, activist and writer. She dedicated much of her life looking at how cities function and how to improve them.

This weekend, New York City will host over 100 of its own Jane’s Walks, covering neighborhoods across the five boroughs. One of those walks will be run by the Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District (BID).

Executive Director of Atlantic Ave. BID Josef Szende will lead the tour, taking participants from the end of Atlantic near the waterfront and walking them through the businesses and history that now make up the BID.

Szende will share the various layers of Atlantic’s fascinating history, starting with the days where it was a port for the South Ferry and working his way through the transitions to a Middle Eastern hub, a street full of antique stores and finally to modern day.

“I hope we get people out who have never been here before and want to check out the area,” Szende said, “but also some people who live here and don’t know all of the layers of history.”

Many will be surprised at some of the hidden gems of Atlantic Ave. Szende will discuss a secret tunnel under the avenue as well as the disappearance of Red Hook Lane and why Brazenhead Bar is built at an angle.

The walk will take place on Saturday, May 3 at both 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. It will be the first of a series of walking tours the Atlantic Ave. BID will be hosting throughout the summer.

Another walk will be hosted on June 14 by BID and the Historic Districts Council (HDC) as part of HDC’s Six to Celebrate, a program that celebrates six neighborhoods throughout the boroughs, which Atlantic Ave. has been selected for this year. That walk will also be free.

“It’s not about making money off of the tour,” Szende said. “It’s about getting to know the neighborhood.”

Those who are interested in Jane’s Walk should meet Szende at the southeast corner of Columbia and Atlantic. The full list of Jane’s Walks being hosted this weekend can be found at the Municipal Art Society of New York’s website

COMMUNITY BOARD 2-Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District (BID)

COMMUNITY BOARD 2 MEETS: BROOKLYN NAVY YARD’S PLANNED EXPANSION AND CB2 VOTES TO OVERSEE ALL OF ATLANTIC YARDS

BY BROOKLYN READER

Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District (BID)— Simeon Bankoft, executive director of the Historic Districts Council discussed the “Six to to Celebrate,” program, which chooses 6 community groups annually to provide consulting and support service on landmarking and other issues. He discussed the six current projects for 2014, one of which includes the Atlantic Avenue BID: “One of the things that really excited us about working on Atlantic Avenue is that this is the first time we’ve partnered with a BID,” Bankoft said. “And also because we feel it is an interesting addition to working with the community and we’re very exited.”

Josef Szende, executive director of planning at the AABID provided an update on planned activities for the BID through 2012 {2014}. He said plans include developing the area as a local tourist destination: “We want people visiting the borough and those who also live here to begin thinking about Atlantic Avenue as a place where you want to spend the day; we really want to highlight ourselves and be an important place on the itinerary when visiting Brooklyn.”

On May 3, the BID will begin leading a tour for those who are interested, that will go the length of the avenue, pointing out historic buildings and providing some history of how Atlantic Avenue developed. They are working to be included on the National register, fundraise and provide Kids Activity sheets for local restaurants to build interest and involvement in the historic value of the area.

To read the full article click here

Six to Celebrate Tours 2014

Meeting Location Information Will Be Sent To Those Who Have Registered A Week Prior To The Tour

——————————————————————————————————

Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn
Saturday, June 14, 11:00AM (WALKING TOUR)
SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tour
A commercial thoroughfare for more than one hundred years, Atlantic Avenue is a diverse retail and dining destination connecting the historic neighborhoods of Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill. Join us as tour guide Joe Svehlak leads this walking tour between 4^th Avenue and Hicks Street, discussing Atlantic Avenue’s architecture, social and commercial history, as well as areas that have been more recently redeveloped.

Forest Close, Queens
Saturday, June 7, 11:00AM (WALKING TOUR)
SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tour
Led by architectural historian Barry Lewis, this walking tour will cover some of the highlights of Forest Hills, one of the city’s most beautiful suburban-style communities developed in the early 20^th century. Featured on the tour is Forest Close, a nook of 38 neo-Tudor houses surrounding a communal garden. Designed in 1927 in the spirit of the garden city movement, Forest Close can be described as an enclave within an enclave, its private orientation and country-inspired architecture lending charming appeal.

Park Avenue, Manhattan
Tuesday, June 17, 6:00PM (WALKING TOUR)
SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tours
After a years-long preservation campaign by a coalition of residents, activists and community groups, 2014 is Park Avenue’s year! In February, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held an important Historic District hearing to landmark Park Avenue’s unprotected blocks, and in April, the Commission voted to landmark the district! Votes by the City Planning Commission and City Council are expected in the coming months. Join tour guide Justin Ferate on this walking tour of New York City’s premier historic boulevard and learn more about the effort to protect Park Avenue’s historical and architectural significance.

From Yiddish to Chinese and Beyond: A Walking Tour of Historic Libraries in Chinatown
Thursday, July 10, 6:00 PM (WALKING TOUR)

View Pictures of the Tour
Visit two of the busiest Carnegie libraries in the New York Public Library system as well as other sites of interest between and near them, including one of the oldest graveyards in New York, Al Smith’s childhood home, and Knickerbocker Village, a forerunner of later urban renewal projects. The tour, led by John Bacon, HDC board member and Director of Planned Giving at The New York Public Library, will start at the McKim, Mead and White-designed Chatham Square Library and conclude at the Seward Park Library, which became a New York City landmark in 2013.

Madison Square North, Manhattan
Sunday, September 14, 11:00AM (WALKING TOUR)

SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tour

This architecturally diverse neighborhood includes pre-Civil War rowhouses, late 19^th century hotels, early 20^th century loft and commercial structures, and the remaining buildings of the famous Tin Pan Alley. To better reflect the neighborhood’s boundaries, local residents and advocates have submitted a Request for Evaluation to the Landmarks Preservation Commission to expand the Madison Square North Historic District. Join us as HDC Board member and Madison Square North expert Marissa Marvelli leads a walking tour of this fascinating neighborhood.

Staten Island’s Historic Cemeteries
Saturday, September 27, 11:00AM (TROLLEY TOUR)

SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tour

Celebrate Halloween early with a visit to Staten Island’s historic places of memory and rest. Led by Lynn Rogers, executive director of the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island, this trolley tour will explore three cemeteries dating to the early 19^th century. Stops will include the Marine Hospital/Quarantine Station Cemetery, where thousands of Irish Famine Immigrants were reinterred in April 2014; the Staten Island/Fountain Cemetery & Native American Burial Ground, a haunted site and the city’s largest abandoned cemetery (8 acres); and Lake Cemetery, a working class cemetery where many Civil War and WWI Veterans were buried.

Park Avenue, Manhattan
Monday, October 6, 6:00PM (Walking Tour)

SOLD OUT !!
View Pictures of the Tour

The June 17 Six to Celebrate tour of the newly designated Park Avenue Historic District quickly sold out and was extremely well received. As such, Urban Historian Justin Ferate will conduct a second tour – beginning at Park Avenue at 91st Street and traveling south along the avenue. The upper segment of the new district boasts of elegant apartment houses by such impressive architects as J.E.R. Carpenter, George & Edward Blum, Mott B. Schmidt, Emery Roth, Mills & Bottomley, and others. In addition, we’ll view religious structures by some of America’s noteworthy ecclesiastical design firms: Patrick C. Keely, Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, and Schickel & Ditmars.

Join us on this walking tour of New York City’s premier historic boulevard. Learn more about the histories of these remarkable architectural treasures and the effort to protect Park Avenue’s historical and architectural significance for future generations.

A Tale of Three Carnegies: A Tour of Historic Libraries in Harlem and the South Bronx
Saturday, October 18, 2:00PM (WALKING TOUR)

SOLD OUT !!

Following the July tour of Carnegie libraries in Chinatown, John Bacon, HDC board member and Director of Planned Giving at The New York Public Library, will return to lead another tour of Carnegie libraries in Harlem and Mott Haven. In Harlem, we will visit the 115th Street and Harlem Libraries, and view the impressive Mount Morris Historic District in between. Bring your Metrocard, as we will then hop on the subway to the South Bronx to visit the beautiful Mott Haven Library and take in its notable children’s floor.