College of Immaculate Conception, c. 1915. The College of Immaculate Conception was a preparatory school and seminary established by Bishop Charles E. McDonnell in 1914 in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. In the first year of the program, a class of 110 young men met in the vestry of Saint John's Chapel. Construction broke ground for their own school at 555 Washington Avenue in December of 1914. The program consists of a four-year high school program followed by a two-year college program. Students who wished to continue the priestly vocation were then assigned to a major seminary, where they would study for an additional six years. The program moved to a new Elmhurst campus in 1963.

Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew ARCHITECT: John Welch DATE: 1888-91 STYLE: Romanesque, Northern Italian The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew on Clinton Avenue (once the “Gold Coast” of Brooklyn) is the masterpiece of Brooklyn architect John Welch, who established himself as a church architect, designing a number of notable Greek Revival and Gothic Revival churches. Welch’s designs for the church are loosely based on twelfth-century Romanesque churches of Northern Italy but adapted for use by a nineteenth-century urban congregation in America.

983 Fulton Street, ca. 1958 The northwest corner of Fulton Street and St. James Place featuring what was formerly a drugstore (no. 983) and candy-store (no. 985). Part of no. 983 (at left) was substantially redeveloped into a Met Food supermarket in 1964. The grocery, now a Key Food, has been something of a community landmark since its opening. Known for hiring youth from the community, the famous rapper, Biggie Smalls, was once a cashier there.

Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew ca. 1914 The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew is the largest Episcopal Church building in the Diocese of Long Island. Architect John Welch was commissioned to design the church after a fire in 1887 destroyed much of the structure. Welch drew inspiration from the churches built during the Italian Renaissance, particularly those in Modena and Verona. The current interior decoration is the fourth reworking of the inside of the church. The romanesque design and elaborate plaster work were completed in 1915. Almost all of the stained glass was produced for the church by the Tiffany Studios of New York. The first pair of lancet windows were installed in 1897. Our Rose Window was given by the children of the Sunday School at the time of the rebuilding in 1890. It is 28 feet in diameter and one of the larger windows of this type in Brooklyn. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission considers the Church to be "one of the grandest 19th century ecclesiastical buildings in Brooklyn" and in 1981 designated it as a landmark.

Christoper Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, aka Biggie, aka Notorious B.I.G., aka Big Poppa, was raised by his mom, Voletta Wallace, at 226 St. James Place. In front of 226 St James. Clarence Davis/NY Daily New He went on to become one of the greatest rappers of all time. Smalls was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in 1997. He was just 24 years old. His only two LPs, whose titles eerily bookmarked his death, were Ready to Die and Life After Death, which came out just 16 days after his murder. In 2019, the corner of St. James Place and Fulton Street was named "Christopher Wallace Way." The Orient Temple Masonic Lodge, the site of some of Biggie’s first gigs In a sign of how the neighborhood has changed, the "one-room shack" that Biggie rapped about in his hit single "Juicy" was recently listed for rent at $5,100.

489 Washington Avenue is a property that has worn many hats. Before it was a Pentecostal Church, this Second Empire mansion was a dance studio, a Grand Army Republic meeting hall, and a private family home to a descendant of the father of Irish Republicanism. With every new inhabitant, a piece of the building's architecture was changed. Lascelles and Grace Maxwell, the original owners of the home, raised their seven children in this house. The Maxwell's children sold the house in 1904 after both of their parents had died. It was then acquired by the Grant Chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1906. The old boy's club was a fraternal organization that supported veterans of the Union Army who fought in the Civil War. The ground floor was converted into a museum to display military memorabilia, which touted all sorts of firearms, uniforms, and possessions of Ulysses S. Grant, whom the chapter was named for. The second story had its walls removed to be converted into a large meeting room, where a variety of social events were held. The groups' membership had dwindled by the late 1920s, and the Hall was sold. Weber Studio operated out of the space, teaching ballroom, Foxtrot, and the waltz led by A.J. Weber. The hall was still rented out for meetings and other events until 1940 when the property was sold to the Evergreen Church of God. The white stucco was removed and covered with a false brick facade, revealing the original brick in certain areas.

Grand Avenue, north from and across St. Marks Avenue, showing a W. P. A. sewer project,1936.

941 Fulton Street, 1958. This four-story brick building was the home or workshop (it is unclear) of inventor Burton H. Cook from at least the 1890s until the 1910s. Cook invented and patented a number of mechanical products including a rotary ash sifter, a new and improved percolator, and a culinary grater and slicer. According to a search of his patents, he also worked on new types of suspenders and hair pins. The building listed on his advertisements still stands, though the twin double height projected bay windows, interestingly set back in the facade, have been removed. The ground floor commercial space has also converted into additional residential units.

This lesser-known Brooklyn armory was built in 1884 by Robert Dixon. It was first occupied by the Third Gatling Battery until the group moved to the Clermont Armory in 1895. The Gatling Battery stored all of their weapons (and horses) in this masonry fortress. After the first occupants moved out, architects Robinson & Kunst renovated a great portion of the building. The battery underwent so much remodeling between the years 1909 and 1911 that by the time the Second Company Signal Corps moved in, the building was unrecognizable. The Second Company Signal, whose name is still inscribed over the entrance of the building, stayed at the armory until 1964. Since then, it has seen a number of different occupants from the Crown Heights Boxing Association to the Nigerian American Muslim Integrated Community.

937 Fulton Street, ca. 1928. Originally home to the Rubel Coal and Ice Corporation, this building was erected in 1928 by architect Edward M. Adelsohn. The company was started by Samuel Rubel, who got his start selling ice and coal from a pushcart in East New York, Brooklyn. In its heyday, the company was very prosperous because coal and ice were two commodities that were in great demand. As the coal and ice business floundered, he invested in the Ebling Brewery of the Bronx. Rubel was said to be worth $8,000,000 at the time of his death – quite a considerable sum for that era.

Public School No. 42, 1929. Likely designed by C.B.J Snyder, Public School 42 was first occupied by students in 1907.

The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew is the largest Episcopal Church building in the Diocese of Long Island.