420-426 Ralph Avenue (no. 420 is at right), June 13, 1940. This row of four apartment houses (at left) with ground level retail was demolished in the early 1940s to make way for the NYCHA-Kingsborough Houses. In the 1930s Shirley St. Hall (later Chisholm) lived with her family above a candy shop at no. 420.

Richmond Barthé, an African-American sculptor who gained prominence during the Harlem Renaissance, created an 8-foot by 80-foot frieze "Green Pastures: The Walls of Jericho" (1938), which has been located at the Kingsborough Houses since 1941. Barthe’s largest work, "Green Pastures" was originally intended for the Harlem River Houses (1936-37), one of the nation’s first federal public housing projects, that was built for African Americans. He was recruited as part of a team of sculptors commissioned to create public art for the project through the Works Progress Administration. Barthé was interested in creating a site-specific work for the back wall of an amphitheater that would be used by African-American residents. The frieze was inspired by Marc Connelly’s 1930 Pulitzer-Prize winning play The Green Pastures, which portrays episodes from the Old Testament through the eyes of a young African-American child. This was Barthé’s first work in relief and he depicted scenes of African-inspired figures in two 40-foot Art-Deco stylized panels that he titled Exodus and Dance. Months after the Harlem River Houses were opened, Barthé’s panels were still in storage since the amphitheater project was never built. As a federal employee, he had no control over what was done with his work and in 1941 the panels were installed without his consultation on one of the main walks at the Kingsborough Houses. Barthé was disappointed since, although low-income federal housing, African Americans were not the primary residents and therefore he felt the inspirational power of his work was diminished. Today, residents fondly refer to the work as “The Wall.”

Loew's Pitkin Theatre, 1929. Thomas Lamb knew how to build a glamorous theatre. The Scottish-born architect became the go-to designer in the early 20th century for the Loew’s, Fox, and RKO chains. The Pitkin Theatre was completed in 1929 with an “atmospheric” design. The interiors were meant to transport patrons to another world. While the facade was a lovely mix of Art Deco, Mayan, and Art Nouveau touches, inside the auditorium was “a vast garden under blue sky, enclosed by high sculptured walls, surmounted by carved towers and balconies.” A popular venue for the Jewish immigrant population of Brownsville, the theatre's audiences diminished with the changing demographics in the mid century. The movie house closed in 1969. Like so many other old theatres in New York City, the Pitkin became home to a church. Later it housed a furniture store and warehouse, before finally standing vacant for nearly 40 years. In 2008 the full-block structure was purchased. With a massive renovation and restoration between 2010 and 2012, the new owners converted the ground-level into retail spaces and the rest into a charter school.

"Dean Street, east from Ralph Avenue. On the north side (left) of the street, and extending to Howard Avenue, is Brooklyn Hebrew Orphan Asylum, 1940." In 1878, the Hebrew Benefit Society and Orphan Asylum, a Manhattan organization decided to only accept children from Manhattan. As a result the Brooklyn Hebrew Orphan Asylum was created, and was housed in the ivy covered building seen at left after 1892. In 1936 more than 1000 children were being cared for by Brooklyn institution (some of whom were in fosters homes throughout the boroughs).

1549-1583 Prospect Place, north side, east from Buffalo Avenue, 1936. While the two large apartment buildings remain (no. 1549 at extreme left and no. 1583 at far right) the three wood-frame structures at center have been demolished. Somewhat surprisingly the lots are currently empty, with an overgrown field in their place.