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Near 183 Lorraine Street
Posts & Stories
(9)
Red Hook Play Center
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Red Hook Play Center, June 26, 1961. The Red Hook Play Center, one of eleven public pools built by the WPA, opened to the public in August, 1936. Today, the Olympic-sized pool is named for benefactor Sol Goldman and is part of the larger Red Hook Recreation Area, which includes athletic fields and fitness facilities. The pool facility was built on a lot created by landfill in 1904 for a freight terminal that was never constructed. In 1939, three years after the Play Center’s opening, the Red Hook Houses development was completed across several adjoining blocks. By the 1980s, the pool’s condition had deteriorated, necessitating a three-year restoration project funded in part by Sol Goldman (Goldman was again called on to contribute funds when a budget shortfall imperiled public pool openings in the summer of 1991).
Smith—Ninth Streets Station, IND Culver Line
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View of the Gowanus Canal from the Manhattan and Queens-bound platform of the elevated Smith—Ninth Streets Station, December 15, 1958. The station, completed in 1933, is the highest subway station above ground level, worldwide.
Ninth Street Bridge
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The 9th Street Bridge, located just north of the Hamilton Avenue Bridge and under the Culver Viaduct, is a lift bridge. Formerly a bascule bridge, the current bridge underwent renovation and reopened in 1999; it has a lift span of 82 feet and a vertical clearance, when lifted, of 60 feet above the canal.
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
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By the 1830s, inspired by the Erie Canal, Alderman Daniel Richards built the Atlantic Basin at Red Hook, which was followed by the Erie Basin. This was a massive success in terms of industrial activity and the home to the first grain elevator in the burgeoning Port of New York. At the time, 80% of grain in the state traveled through Brooklyn. By 1869, the Gowanus Canal — a project through which the natural Gowanus Creek was widened and adjacent swampland was dredged for factories and warehouses — was complete, and 700 buildings were constructed here per year for the next decade. The current Hamilton Avenue Bridge, seen in the far distance in this image, was built in 1942 and, like the Union and 3rd Street bridge, is a vascular bridge (where two leaves lift up to allow marine traffic through). Today the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway also towers over the Hamilton Avenue Bridge.
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
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In this image you can see four structures above the Canal: in the foreground, the Hamilton Avenue Bridge; the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway; the 9th Street Bridge; and the Culver Viaduct, which carries the F and G trains. Built in 1927, the Viaduct stands 90 feet above the canal to avoid the need for tunneling under the canal, the 4th Avenue line, and the bedrock of Park Slope heading east. The Smith-9th Streets station, pictured far left, is the highest subway station in the world at 87.5 feet above the canal.
13 Dennet Place
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Bennett Place, 1958. A small alley between Nelson and Luquer Streets, Dennet Place, for many years, was mislabeled on maps as Bennett Place (the street's first unsolved mystery). In fact, Morrell, the photographer of this image, notes the name of the street as Bennett, also. Evidence of the street can be traced back to city directories of the 1870s. The residents of Dennet's homes have long been a small tight-knit community of Italian American families. Most refer to it as "Cat’s Alley" (the street's second unsolved mystery). The homes on the short block are two- and three-story attached houses. The houses have a peculiar feature: small street-level doors. Each home has a set of stairs that rise up to an above street level entrance, while under the stairs mini doors, more appropriate for a fairy tale creature than a New Yorker, sit at street level. And the purpose and origins of these doors remain a mystery (secret no. 3!), even to the families that have lived there for decades.
St. Mary's School
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St. Mary's School on New Year's Eve 1958. St Mary's, the parish school of the adjacent St. Mary Star of the Sea Roman Catholic Church, was established in 1867. Today, it is the private International School of Brooklyn.
18 Dennet Place
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Small fry beat the heat Boy in bathing suit in Gowanus area sitting on top of open fire hydrant; two girls in bathing suits looking on from sidewalk; iron fence and ground floor of building in background. Caption: "Small fry beat the heat -- Emilio Pastrawa, 8, does it the old-fashioned way by holding hot feet under stream of cold water from fireplug near his home at 18 Dennet Place."
Tugboat Strike of 1946
Story
The world's busiest harbor was left at a standstill when 3,500 tug boat workers launched a strike on the docks of New York City. The halt of sea bound coal and oil left New York without fuel for over two weeks, forcing subways to be left unheated and the closure of schools, stores, and restaurants.
Photos
(99)
183 Lorraine Street
Brooklyn: Lorraine Street - Henry Street Lorraine Street, north side, east from Henry to Clinton Streets, showing several old shacks. This area later became part of the Red Hook Houses, the government low rental housing development. On the right is the Sapolin warehouse. June 25, 1931. Views 1,2 F.L. Sperr
616 Court Street
Brooklyn: Court Street - Bush Street 600-616 Court Street, west side, from and including Bush, to and including Lorraine Streets. The houses concerned are frame. June 1926. Bg98n Brothere.
U.S. Post Office, Red Hook Station
\[U. S. Post Office, Red Hook Station.] U. S. Post Office, Red Hook Station, Brooklyn 31, N.Y. (on Clinton Street).
584 Court Street
\[Southwest corner of Court Street.] Southwest corner of Court Street (left) and Hamilton Avenue, Brooklyn Corner at far right.
360 Hamilton Avenue
\[Southwest corner of Court Street.] Southwest corner of Court Street and Hamilton Avenue.
147 Centre Street
\[#147 Centre Street, Red Hook.] \#147 Centre Street, Red Hook. North side of street between Clinton and Court Streets. Brooklyn, N.Y.
FDNY Engine 279/Ladder 131
Hamilton Avenue and Mill Street
Brooklyn: Hamilton Avenue - Mill Street Hamilton Avenue (right), at Mill Street, viewing north. View P shows the northeast corner of Hamilton and Swmith Streets, and demolition for the Gowanus Parkway. P. L. Sperr July 26, 1943 NO REPRODUCTIONS Views 1,2 -Ri T Neg Ne ~-97s ie2 VNy No.~-77G
Red Hook Playground
\[Red Hook playground] Playground located at Cramer Street, Clinton Street, and Court Street, with four parked automobiles in foreground, several pedestrians, and several residential and commercial buildings and large gas tank in background.
Red Hook Play Center
Brooklyn 15, Play Center, Clinton St & Bay St--Red Hook Rec. Area; Jerry Spearman, Photographer
Red Hook Play Center
\[Red Hook Play Center on Bay Street.] Red Hook Play Center on Bay Street between Clinton Street and Henry Street.
Red Hook Play Center
Red Hook tennis courts View of tennis courts at an unknown location in Red Hook with a large, commercial building, possibly a warehouse or factory, in the background.
562 Court Street
Brooklyn: Court Street - Garnet Street
562 Court Street
\[Northwest corner of Court Street and Garnet Street.] Northwest corner of Court Street and Garnet Street. Court Street at right.
581 Clinton Street
Brooklyn: Clinton Street - Hamilton Avenue Clinton Street, south from Hamilton Avenue and West 9th Street, showing where the Red Hook Houses--a New York City Housing Authority project--will be erected on the west side of the street (right). June 9, 1938 P. L. Sperr (2) The east side of Clinton Street, viewing south from Hamilton Avenue, showing the changes that have taken place. The building in modernistic design, beyond the taxpayer, is the Clinton Theatre. September 7, 1940 P. L. Sperr
546 Court Street
\[West side of Court Street.] West side of Court Street looking south Southwest corner of West Ninth Street and Court Street at far right (between Court Street and Garnet Street)
45 Garnet Street
\[#45 Garnet Street.] \#45 Garnet Street. On north side of street between Clinton Street and Smith Street.
41 Garnet Street
\[View of north side of Garnet Street.] View of north side of Garnet Street. #41 Garnet Street at far left.
51 Garnet Street
\[#51 Garnet Street.] \#51 Garnet Street.
West 9th Street and Hamilton Avenue
Brooklyn: 9th Street (West) - Hamilton Avenue West 9th Street, east from and across Hamilton Avenue. The Red Hook government houses are being built behind the fence on the right. View 1: April 9, 1939 P. L. Sperr 2,3-Buildings on the east side of Hamilton Avenue were torn down to make way for the widening of the avenue and the construction of Gowanus Parkway, a link in the Belt Parkway system. Views 2,3: October 23, 1940 P. L. Sperr
West 9th Street and Hamilton Avenue
Brooklyn: 9th Street (West) - Hamilton Avenue (1) West 9th Street, west from Hamilton Avenue. The houses on the south side of the street (left) were demolished later in the year to make way for the Red Hook housing project sponsored by the New York City Housing Authority. June 9, 1938 P. L. Sperr (2) The same, at a later date, showing the housiug center under construction. April 9, 1939 P. L. Sperr
West 9th Street and Hamilton Avenue
Brooklyn: 9th Street (West) - Hamilton Avenue (1) West 9th Street, west from Hamilton Avenue. The houses on the south side of the street (left) were demolished later in the year to make way for the Red Hook housing project sponsored by the New York City Housing Authority. June 9, 1938 P. L. Sperr (2) The same, at a later date, showing the housiug center under construction. April 9, 1939 P. L. Sperr
Red Hook Park
\[Red Hook view.] Red Hook view. Park opposite Red Hook Play Center looking south.
Mill and Henry Street
Brooklyn: Mill Street - Henry Street Mill Street, east from Henry to Clinton Streets. This and surrounding areas are to be demolished. The Red Hook Housing Project has taken over the area to erect low rent multiple dwellings thereby slowly removing the slum areas of Greater New York. June 9, 1938. P. L. Sperr
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
Subway & above Gowanus Canal Portion of Gowanus Canal beneath elevated subway bridge; docked barges on both sides of canal; silos, smokestacks, chutes, and other industrial structures lining canal; smaller drawbridge open beneath elevated bridge. Inscription: "Subway & above Gowanus Canal. Photo taken from Hamilton Ave. Bridge."
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
Waterway Portion of Gowanus Canal, with tugboats, barges, and rowboats; elevated subway bridge in background; warehouses, girders, steam shovels, and industrial debris on both sides of canal; industrial silo at right reads, "Cranford Ready Mixed Concrete." Caption: "Waterway -- Passing years have left little mark on historic Gowanus Canal, still a bee-hive of marine activity. Ships from every port in the world tie up near its mouth at the foot of Columbia St., above, and the canal itself is a constant scene of traffic congestion, as shown at the left, above the Hamilton Avenue Bridge."
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
Hamilton Ave. Bridge Men repairing or constructing Fort Hamilton Bridge at Gowanus Canal; three steel arches with ornamental lamps over bridge; round bridge house at left; work shed, tools, and construction debris in foreground; canal with docked barges at right; factory with smokestacks in background.
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
Bridges - Gowanus Canal Bridge - Hamilton Avenue - Brooklyn. Gowanus Canal Bridge--Hamilton Avenue: The south end of the Hamilton Avenue bridge. F. L. Sperr July 26, 1940
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
Hamilton Avenue Bridge Aerial photograph. Portion of Gowanus Canal showing Hamilton Avenue beneath elevated expressway; elevated subway line near station at Smith and Ninth Street in background; Brooklyn skyline and water tower beyond elevated subway line; parked truck and automobiles near warehouse in right foreground. Label: "Hamilton Avenue Bridge -- A movable bascule bridge carrying Hamilton Avenue over the Gowanus Canal and placed under the Gowanus Parkway Bridge . . . ."
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
Bridges - Gowanus Canal Bridge - Hamilton Avenue - Brooklyn. Gowanus Canal Bridge--Hamilton Avenue: Three views of the drawbridge. P.L. Sperr July 26, 1940 NO REPRODUCTIONS Views 1-3
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
Bridges - Gowanus Canal Bridge - Hamilton Avenue - Brooklyn. Gowanus Canal Bridge--Hamilton Avenue: The south end of the Hamilton Avenue bridge. F. L. Sperr July 26, 1940
Hamilton Avenue Bridge
Vital waterway Aerial photograph. Gowanus Canal with view to elevated Smith and Ninth Street subway station and Hamilton Avenue bridge; docked barges and tugboats on canal; warehouses, silos, smokestacks, and industrial debris on both sides of canal; warehouse at left reads, "Cirillo Bros. Coal and Fuel Corp."; silo at right reads, "Cranford Ready Mixed Concrete"; large water tank behind elevated subway tracks; Brooklyn skyline in background. Caption: "Vital waterway -- Old Gowanus, victim of a multitude of gags, rolls along with the help of an impeller which keeps the water moving. Industrial installations important to the life of the borough flank its turgid sides and in the right background may be seen the Williamsburgh Bank Building . . . ."
563 Clinton Street
\[East side of Clinton Street.] East side of Clinton Street at southeast corner of Huntington Street. The building is #563 Clinton Street. North side of Huntington Street view at far left.
503 Smith Street
\[Smith-9th Station (IND line).] Smith-9th Station (IND line), looking from west side of Smith Street.
503 Smith Street
\[Smith-Ninth Realty.] Smith-Ninth Realty at southeast corner of Smith and Ninth Street (agency now located at 26 Court Street).
110 West 9th Street
Heap big pow-wow Caption: Heap big pow-wow--Colorfully bedecked in full Injun regalia \[beating tom-toms], the three little Indians cavorting at the seventh annual circus of the Red Hook Community Center were, left to right, Teresa Seire, 8, of 146 w. 9th St.; Janet Kirkland, 6, of 604 Clinton St., and Frances Cimato, 6, of 165 Carroll St."
110 West 9th Street
Red Hook Community Center Children wearing Indian and other costumes in Red Hook Community Center circus parade with several parked and moving vehicles, including three trucks, several pedestrians, and portions of several buildings and houses in background.
110 West 9th Street
Red Hook Community Center Caption: "Children of the Red Hook Community Center, 110 W. 9th St. spent some time carving a plaque which they presented to Supreme Court Justice George J. Beldock, president of Youth United. Justice Beldock accepted the plaque from a group of representative of the center. Left to right--Beldock, Bernard Resnick, Rhoda Weinberg, David L. Clark, \[Charles Dial] and Salvatore Parrinello."
110 West 9th Street
\[Red Hook Community Building] Exterior view of the Red Hook Community Building located at 110 West 9th Street.
110 West 9th Street
Red Hook Community Center Closeup: five people dressed as animals and boy dressed as ringmaster at Red Hook Community Center circus with long, brick building, tree, and small boy in background.
561 Clinton Street
\[East side of Clinton Street.] East side of Clinton Street between Nelson and Huntington Streets, looking northeast. Northeast corner of Huntington Street at right. (Corner house is #561 Clinton Street).
204 Huntington Street
\[Smith Street and Huntington Street: IND Crosstown Line] Survey negative documenting the planning and construction of the IND Crosstown Line in Brooklyn. Image shows Smith Street sidewalk and roadway conditions looking toward Huntington Street.
167 Huntington Street
\[View of north side of Huntington Street.] View of north side of Huntington Street between Court and Clinton Streets, looking west.
722 Henry Street
Brooklyn: 9th Street (West) - Henry Street W. 9th Street, south side, west from Henry Street. June 9, 1938. P.L. Sperr
139 Huntington Street
\[North side of Huntington Street.] North side of Huntington Street between Clinton Street and Court Street. #139 Huntington Street at left.
468 Smith Street
\[Smith Street between West Ninth Street and Huntington Street, Brooklyn, NY] Smith Street between West Ninth Street and Huntington Street, Brooklyn, NY. Northward view of multiple trolley lines running beneath the elevated IND Crosstown subway tracks. Also showing cars and billboard posters.
497 Court Street
\[East side of Court Street.] East side of Court Street between Nelson and Huntington Streets. Northeast corner of Huntington Street and Court Street at right. Building on corner is #497 Court Street.
551 Clinton Street
\[East side of Clinton Street.] East side of Clinton Street between Nelson Street and Huntington Street, looking northeast.
551 Clinton Street
\[East side of Clinton Street.] East side of Clinton Street between Nelson and Huntington Streets looking northeast.
220 Huntington Street
\[Smith Street between West Ninth Street and Huntington Street, Brooklyn, NY] Smith Street between West Ninth Street and Huntington Street, Brooklyn, NY. Southward view of multiple trolley lines running beneath the elevated IND Crosstown subway tracks. The Gowanus Expressway is visible in the distance. Also showing cars, shops and a bus.
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