With climate change at the forefront of the national conversation and April 2020 marking the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, it's high time to take a dive into Brooklyn's environmental history. This City Story explores the impact of industrialization along Brooklyn's waterways, sites of notorious pollution, sustainability challenges, the effects of increased temperatures on our coastlines, and the changing ecology of our urban landscape.

Monuments to Sarah Van Brunt Cashman, William Augustus Conklin, and Martha and Mary Titus, ca. 1890. (Lots 799 and 800, Sec. 64)

View from Highland Avenue, looking toward New York Harbor, ca. 1870.

Monument of the Cary sisters, ca. 1875. Poets Alice Cary (1820-1871) and Phoebe Cary (1824-1871) were important nineteenth century literary figures, leading the cultural circle known as the “Cary Salon” in their Manhattan home. When Alice succumbed to illness is 1871, her funeral, according to Horace Greeley was attended by more distinguished men and woman, and a larger audience, than any other funeral of which he knew. Phoebe was in good health until her sister’s death; her sorrow thereafter was so intense that, within five months, she passed away, joining her sister at Green-Wood. (Lot 13769, Sec. K)

View of Battle Avenue, ca. 1860, from the main entrance of Green-Wood. This photo may have been taken when the main entrance arches of Green-Wood were still under construction. At this time, the area to the left of Battle Avenue contained worker housing, stables, and storage sheds, which can be seen at the far left in this photograph.

Mausoleum of Marc Chambettaz, 1904. Of the three angels that adorn the roof of the Chambettaz Mausoleum, only one remains to this day, though the bases upon which the others stood are still visible. (Lot 20844, Sec. 89)

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), ca. 1875.

Receiving Tomb, from across Arbor Water, ca. 1880.

Green-Wood Cemetery Gates ca. 1865 One of the most splendid monuments of Brooklyn, this unique entrance to the cemetery combines offices, gates, a clock tower, and a spire in one imposing structure. It was designed by Richard Michell Upjohn, the son of the leading architect of the Gothic tradition in New York. The younger Upjohn also designed the Connecticut State Capitol at Hartford.

Growing plants in the Northeast year-round is no mean feat! Here is a look at greenhouses of all stripes throughout the city.

Monuments to William Henry Wallis and family, ca. 1875. (Lot 1209, Sec. 108/109)

At the center of the photograph is Betania Baptist Kirke (Church), a Scandinavian church which was not an uncommon sight in Sunset Park in the early and middle of the 20th century. Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians made up a large population of the neighborhood, with a section of 8th Avenue from Sunset Park to Bay Bridge called Lapskaus Boulevard, after the Nordic beef stew. The building, though somewhat drastically altered, does retain some of its original features, most notably the slanted peak of the roof seen behind the new second floor facade. The building is still used for religious purposes as Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal Alpha y Omega.

Weir's Greenhouse ARCHITECT: G. Curtis Gillespie DATE: 1895 The Weir Greenhouse is among the rarest of nineteenth-century survivors; it is the only Victorian commercial greenhouse known to be extant in New York City. Although the forms and massing of the greenhouse are bold and impressive, the detailing is simple and straightforward. The greenhouse is a wood- frame structure enclosing glass panes, and has glass and galvanized-iron roof surfaces. The double-entry doors are flanked by wide window expanses with transoms. A frieze and cornice separate the transoms from a narrow clerestory. The sloping roof is capped by an octagonal cupola with a ball finial.

Lot of the Spencer family, ca. 1875. (Lot 15471, Sec. K)

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), ca. 1870.

Horse-drawn hearse in front of the Receiving Tomb, as seen across Arbor Tomb, ca. 1865.

View from Bay Grove Hill, looking toward Green-Wood's main entrance, ca. 1875. Several of the monuments along Arbor Avenue, running through the center of this photograph, are still standing today, including the urn-topped monument of Clarkson Crolius (1773-1843) visible on the left. The mausoleum in the foreground is gone; a garden is now there.

Monument to Dixon Hall Lewis (1802-1848), circa 1870.

Monuments to William Henry Wallis and family, ca. 1875.

Main Entrance Gates of The Green-Wood Cemetery from Bay Side Avenue, ca. 1870.

View of Valley Water in The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1880.

Monument to Dixon Hall Lewis (1802-1848), circa 1865. Born in Virginia and educated in Georgia, Dixon Hall Lewis served as a states’ rights United States Senator and Representative from Alabama from 1829 until his death. Lewis was a strong advocate for nullification and secession. The stone obelisk monument to Dixon Hall Lewis at Green-Wood describes him as "A Patriot and a Statesman noted for integrity, candor and truth." Why would a states’ rights politician from the South be interred in Brooklyn? Lewis visited Green-Wood and was so impressed that he decided this was the place for him to be interred. (Lot 9931, Sec. 89)

View of Valley Water in The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1870.

The chapel was constructed in 1911 after designs by Warren and Wetmore, architects of Grand Central Terminal, and is a reduced replica of Christopher Wren’s Thomas Tower at Christ Church College in Oxford, England.

Monument to Clara Bartlet Gregory (1807-1845), wife of famed painter George Catlin (1796-1872), ca. 1865.

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), known as the "Soda Fountain King," ca. 1875. Dating to the early 1870's, the Matthews monument was created by prolific sculptor Karl Muller. Executed in terra-cotta and marble for the great sum of $30,000, it was named the "Mortuary Monument of the Year" in the year is was unveiled. The Mathews monument is adorned with the likenesses of members of the Matthews family, including John Matthews laying atop a sarcophagus at the center, and the faces of his daughters atop the four columns. The statue seated at the second level, which has greatly deteriorated over the years, typifies grief. Various flora and fauna can be found throughout the monument, as well as four gargoyles on the corners which spit water when it rains. The spectacular monument was once even more elaborate, featuring a central spire that loosened and has since been removed. (Lot 1345, Sec. 66)

DeWitt Clinton Monument, ca. 1870.

The Receiving Tomb, designed by Richard Upjohn, ca. 1875.

Green-Wood, with more than 600 mausoleums and other buildings, offers a spectacular display of nineteenth-century architectural styles. On the streets of New York, tearing down buildings every generation and replacing them with "the latest" has become something of a habit. But at Green-Wood, once a building goes up, it almost always stays up. Want to see what NYC's buildings looked like more than a century ago? You've come to the right place! This tour, a walk of about a half-mile, offers you a stroll through a quiet landscape as well as fascinating information about each of the five intriguing stops along the way. In order to walk it, you will proceed up the incline of Battle Hill to near the highest point in Brooklyn. Your legs will thank you! And if you would like to explore more of Green-Wood, get our app at the App Store. Trees, monuments, great stories, and more!

View of Bay Side Dell from atop Bay Grove Hill, ca. 1875. Bay Side Dell, also known as Clinton Dell, is home to the monumental statue memorializing DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828). In this image, circa 1875, elaborate landscaping featuring planters and a variety of trees can be seen on the central grassy expanse of the dell. This lot would later become the final resting place of Nathaniel Currier (1813-1888) of Currier & Ives fame. (Clinton Dell, Sec. 108)

Monument of Governor DeWitt Clinton (1769-1828) of New York, ca. 1860-1870. DeWitt Clinton, a United States Senator, governor, and mayor, and the visionary behind the Erie Canal, was at one time the most revered New Yorker. Having died in 1828, Clinton was originally interred in Little Albany Cemetery. Green-Wood, however, in an attempt to attract publicity to the newly-established cemetery, made arrangements to have Clinton reinterred, with an heroic bronze monument marking his grave. The statue of Clinton is by sculptor Henry Kirke Brown, and the bas reliefs that adorn the monument base were designed by Richard Upjohn. It was unveiled, with much fanfare, in 1853. (Clinton Dell, Sec. 108)

The Receiving Tomb, designed by Richard Upjohn, ca. 1875. Receiving tombs were a staple in nineteenth century cemeteries, serving as a holding space for caskets until they were ready for interment. They were especially important during the cold winter months, when the frozen ground made digging impossible.

Arbor Water, as seen from Sycamore Avenue, ca. 1875. Arbor Water, a glacial pond formerly located near the main entrance of the cemetery, was removed in 1911 to make way for Green-Wood's Historic Chapel. The pond is seen here from the rise of Bay Grove Hill, behind the angel sculptures that once adorned the Chambettaz Mausoleum. The spires of the Receiving Tomb are visible to the left.

"Portion of Weir's Greenhouse at southwest corner of 25th Street and Fifth Avenue, 1960." Weir's Greenhouse is the only 19th century commercial greenhouse structure to survive in New York City. It was in 1895 by James Weir Jr., whose family was in the local horticultural business. The original greenhouse on this site was built in 1880 by a prominent architect named Mercein Thomas, who is better known for his Romanesque Revival Brooklyn homes. The current structure was an 1895 alteration of the original building, though it is believed that very little of the original structure was retained during the construction. This wood, glass, and iron structure served visitors to Green-Wood Cemetery for nearly a century, and likely survived, while other nearby greenhouses disappeared, because of its location directly across the street from the cemetery's main entrance. In February 2012 the cemetery acquired the greenhouse and with a grant from New York State’s Regional Economic Development Council, they plan to restore the structure and use it as a visitors center and exhibition gallery.

Lot of the Spencer family, ca. 1870.

Monuments to Cornelia Polhemus and Jane D. Creed, ca. 1880. (Lots 182 and 1543, Sec. 61)

Green-Wood Cemetery Gates, 25th Street, 1899. The Gothic Revival entrance gates and clocktower were designed by the firm ecclesiastical architect Richard Upjohn and son Richard M. Upjohn — both Brooklyn residents, later interred at Green-Wood — and completed in 1865. As described the Landmarks Preservation Commission's 1966 Designation Report, the Upjohn-designed entrance "represents an ingenious linking together and piling up of architectural elements to create an impressive main gateway to the cemetery." Green-Wood's gates are also home to an unexpected population of cemetery guests: a colony of monk parakeets, allegedly escapees from an illicit shipment to Idlewild Airport (JFK).

Monument of William and Betsey Dunley, ca. 1860. (Lot 3320, Sec. 109)

Rear entrance of the Receiving Tomb, ca. 1860.

While most of this series has focused on some of New York's interior spaces as we've been stuck in our apartments, we thought for this one we'd try something different. So we've turned our gaze to some of the best places for New Yorkers to escape to: the parks of New York! Specifically, how three of New York's most iconic parks connect.

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), ca. 1870.

Monument to John Matthews (1808-1870), ca. 1870.

Arbor Water, a glacial pond formerly located near the entrance of The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1870. Arbor water was one of several glacial ponds on the land that would become Green-Wood. It was filled in in 1911 to make space for Green-Wood's Historic Chapel, designed by architects Warren & Wetmore and completed in 1912. As seen in this photo, rowboats were once available for cemetery visitors to take out on the water.

Arbor Water, with a view of the Receiving Tomb along Willow Avenue, ca. 1865.

Founded in 1838 and now a National Historic Landmark, Green-Wood was one of the first rural cemeteries in America. By the early 1860s, it had earned an international reputation for its magnificent beauty and became the prestigious place to be buried, attracting 500,000 visitors a year, second only to Niagara Falls as the nation’s greatest tourist attraction. Crowds flocked there to enjoy family outings, carriage rides, and sculpture viewing in the finest of first generation American landscapes. Green-Wood’s popularity helped inspire the creation of public parks, including New York City’s Central and Prospect Parks. This tour takes you through some of the monuments of Green-Wood and its famous denizens.

One sure-fire way to lose a presidential election? Become the mayor of New York City first. Running the country’s most populous city seems like an excellent résumé booster, but every NYC mayor who’s tried has failed to secure the nation’s highest office. By Serena Troshynski, Reference Librarian, NYPL Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History, and Genealogy.

DeWitt Clinton Monument, ca. 1860.

View along Landscape Avenue, near Valley Water, ca. 1865.

Monument to Doctor Charles Isaacs (1811-1860), ca. 1865. (Lot 13421, Sec. 61.)

View along Sycamore Avenue in The Green-Wood Cemetery, ca. 1880.