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About the East New York ProjectThe East New York Project is a multimedia archive of the history of my childhood neighborhood. It is intended to be a collaborative effort, and contributions in the form of stories, pictures, and even video are welcome. Use the menu bar above to navigate to areas of interest. |
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2024 Nov 20 - Some old post cards with rare early views have turned up recently, and this one shows East New York had its own flatiron building long before New York City's famous one appeared. We are looking east from Jamaica Avenue and Wyona Street, toward the point where Arlington Avenue begins. The small wedge created by Jamaica, Arlington, and Bradford Street once housed buildings. In this circa 1912 view we see Klembs Pharmacy housed at the tip of the wedge. That building dates to the 1890s. We can see two buildings on the right, one marked "Upholstering" which are older, with the corner building dating to 1886. Those two buildings, surprisingly, are still standing today, housing a pawn shop. That wedge lot was cleared in the 1970s and remains vacant today. Sep 21 - Although the sign in this 1959 image reads "Norwood Laundry" this isn't near Norwood Avenue. We are looking at the south side of Fulton Street, between Autumn Avenue and Hemlock Street. Although this area of Cypress Hills is fairly intact, none of the buildings in this stretch are still standing. The laundry and buildings west of it were cleared by 1985 for a Manufacturer's Hanover branch (now Chase) and a Social Security office now stands where the buildings left of the laundry were situated. This image, along with some rare early post card views, prompted me to update the Autumn Avenue section under Zone 4. Sep 16 - East New York is undergoing a lot of changes, most of it driven by New York City's need to add more housing and the willingness to replace a lot of ENY's older stock and empty lots with 8-9 story residential buildings. The latest arrival is The Grove, which was recently completed on the north side of Fulton Street between New Jersey and Vermont Avenues. The rendering on the left conveniently omits the elevated line on Fulton Street running right next to it. This development has a number of rent-controlled units for families within specific income ranges, and demand is high enough that a lottery is being used to allocate the units. Media coverage of the development only mentions that the property was a used-car sales lot, but true ENY nerds know this was once the site of P.S. 61 (1884-1939)and later converted to Sam Feldstein's dinette factory and showroom. Sep 1 - I've had a lot of distractions, but I can't go on without noting the passing of my mother a few months ago. This site would never had existed without her. She was the one who was constantly taking out her camera at every opportunity, and it was all the shots of the neighborhood she took that was the starting point for this website. She is pictured here outside of her home on Georgia Avenue, on her Graduation Day from J.H.S. 149. She was a tomboy, often chided by her piano teacher for showing up to lessons with her hands swollen from playing handball at Highland Park. She even tried to form a girl's baseball team but couldn't find enough friends who would take it seriously. She maintained a diary for over 70 years, and left behind a treasure trove of her artwork including numerous ink and watercolors of the neighborhood. Needless to say, she will be missed. March 28 - We're looking at a protest march, taking place along Liberty Avenue. The view is east towards Miller Avenue in 1966. The buildings in the background is the stretch from Miller to Van Siclen. In response to a number of issues, Mayor Lindsay proposed a Civilian Review Board that would oversee complaints against the police force. The proposal was soundly defeated in a referendum that November. 2023 Dec 20 - The wise guy in me wants to caption these images with "Brooklyn's first drive-thru pizzeria". Jerry's Pizzeria was on the northwest corner of Snediker Avenue and Linden Boulevard when this car came crashing through sometime around 1960.  Jun 30 - Summertime, and thoughts drift back to the Cypress Pool. This ad for the Roller Rink at the pool brought up three thoughts; 1) Disney would have sued their pants off today for using Mickey's image, 2) What's a 'life-sized' television? and 3) I haven't updated the Cypress Pool page in years. Some research indicates in this era 19-inch TV screens were being marketed as 'life-sized' as compared to early first-generation televisions. As far as updating the page, over the years I've had conversations with the family of the original builder but the sometimes promised trove of pictures has never arrived. Nonetheless I have finally updated the history and added some images to the Cypress Pool page. May 16 - Van Siclen Avenue, south of Atlantic, has held my attention recently, thanks to this circa 1900 image. George A. Sommers Stationery and Confectionery occupied the southwest corner of Liberty and Van Siclen Avenues. The picture is a cool timestamp with the horse-drawn company carts and the woman in period attire sitting in a carriage. The building was constructed around 1884 and lasted over a 100 years before demolition about 30 years ago. The only building I believe still standing today is the woodframe three story a couple of doors down. The structure after it with the second-story porch intrigued me enough to track down the tax photo and some interesting history. That can be found on a heavily updated Van Siclen section under Zone 5. Also included in that update is this 1961 image looking west at the intersection of Pitkin and Van Siclen Avenues. That large 4-story brick building on the left almost looks like a school, with some impressive architectural details. It was originally occupied as the offices of one of East New York's early development companies, and you can find out more about that under the Zone 5 page. Surprisingly, it still stands today and appears to be in very good shape. The buildings on the right across from it were cleared over 50 years ago for a housing project. April 23 - Back from snowbirding, this shot was sent by Bruce Perez, a color slide taken by his father. It's a 1972 parade view taken during a political rally featuring Blessed Sacrament's drum majors. I believe the view is east along Fulton Street from Euclid Avenue. 2022 Nov 12 - Once again the acquisition of a long-sought post card triggered an update. The old 75th Precinct house on Liberty and Miller Avenues is on the Register of Historic Places but was undergoing a full gut renovation a couple of years ago. If anyone can capture an updated photo I am interested in knowing where the project stands today. Constructed in 1892, at the time of this early 1900's post card is was known as the 153rd Precinct. My research shows the designation "75th" came about 1930. The precinct moved to Sutter Avenue between Linwood and Essex Streets in 1973. I used this image to motivate me to significantly update the Liberty Avenue page with a number of images from the early 1960s. Oct 19 - I've been updating some pages and viewing updated images of the locations when I saw this unusual structure that now stands on the northeast corner of Pitkin Avenue and Linwood Street. Visit the Elton and Linwood Streets.page in Zone 6 to see newly added images from the 1930s and 1960s along with updated views. Oct 1 - Some of the Cypress Hills site fans have mentioned Jack's Pizza in the past, so I was thrilled to stumble on a photo taken in 1961 in front of the store advertising pizza at 15 cents a slice. It was located on the south side of Fulton Street just east of Pine Street. That 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville (thanks Lou) almost steals the show parked in front of it. There is a second shot taken on the same date looking east down Fulton Street which can be seen on the Pine Street page. Sep 10 - A few years back I posted an image of Jamaica Avenue off the corner of Hendrix (scroll down to 2019 to see it) which featured Angermeiers Candy Store, a neighborhood favorite. Angermeiers was flanked by a deli and a butcher shop. This circa 1912 photo post card shows the butcher shop at 266 Jamaica Avenue dates back to at least that time, and the business next store was also a candy shop. The image had me thinking about those storefront businesses that were attached on both sides. To get to the second story, people would have to enter the business. By the time of the 1940 tax photos, the front had been modified to provide a second doorway to the stairs.I would like to give a shout out for Dr, Frances Collato, a site fan and former East New Yorker whose new novel, Shadows on the Pathway: A Family Saga, is now available. A family saga stretching over seventy years from the Lower East Side and East New York, you can find more information at Francescollato.com.  Aug 25 - Courtesy of Larry Efferstein; "One of the best Little League baseball teams in Brooklyn from 1961 through 1963. Players such as John Gotkin, Larry Eferstein, Jeffrey Eisenberg, Steve Levy, Tommy Zotts, Clancy Zotts, Coach, Marty Leibowitz.This team was sponsored by Carvel ice cream on Pennsylvania Avenue near Flatlands Avenue. We played at George Gershwin junior high school on Linden Boulevard. The teams in the league as I remember were, Saint Fortunato, Saint Gabriel, Saint Malachys, and us the Carvel Bullets." Although there is speculation this was taken at the old Thomas Jefferson field, the background doesn't line up. July 6 - I've been chasing this Fick Post card of National Cemetery on Hale Avenue for a number of years, and finally posting it allows me to record some interesting tidbits:The National Cemetery Act was signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1862 to provide burial space for Civil War dead. Cypress Hills National Cemetery is the only National Cemetery in the five boroughs. It contains both Union and Confederate soldiers; Confederate graves are pointed at the top, Union are rounded. Burials include veterans as far back as the Revolutionary War (via re-interment) to the Vietnam War.   June 15 - A sad day for ENY historic preservation. The Stoothoff house, East New York's oldest, is gone. Marc P. sent over this image of the bulldozers at work. Sitting on Jamaica Avenue across from the Highland Park playground, evidence suggests the house was built circa 1800. There is some background and images on the Linwood Street page but I'm hoping to dig up more including any interior photos. May 27 - It has come to my attention that a spammer is using my email address and images from the site to request money from people. This is a scam, ignore it!! There is an exciting new development that preserves the old Borden Dairy plant along Atlantic Avenue while creating residential apartments and shopping around it. For more information visit the New York Yimby site.  April 7 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Foundation -The Wall of Faces photo project reached out to me for help. The project is attempting to find images of all veterans lost to the Vietnam War for their memorial. One East New Yorker, Steven Calhoun, is missing a photo. He attended East New York Vocational High School from 1962 to 1965. If anyone has the 1965 Yearbook or an image of Steven please let me know at tapeshare@yahoo.com. March 23 - CBS is shooting a pilot for a police drama titled "East New York" and Jimmy Smits, Jefferson High grad, is slated for the lead role.  I did my own version of Finding Your Roots when I came across this real photo post card image taken in front of 250 Pennsylvania Avenue. There were enough clues on the card (including the house number) for me to identify the family. The sender was John Maier jr., written in 1917 to his soon-to-be bride Freida Zipke. John Maier Sr. immigrated from Baden in 1889 and was a brewer; given the family’s location he likely worked for the Piels Brewery on Liberty Avenue. They were on Sheffield Avenue by 1907 before buying the house on Pennsylvania Avenue, where they appear in the 1910, 1915, and 1920 census. John’s sister Mary is standing the doorway and she would be married by year’s end. It’s the timing of the card that interested me- shortly before Prohibition and World War I. John Sr. is still listed as a brewer in 1920, but on his 1924 death certificate he is identified as a “Handyman”, suggesting Prohibition ended his career. I wondered if his son John had to fight against his father’s former homeland? Although John jr. lists himself as a WWI veteran in the 1930 census, I could not uncover a military record.The modest woodframe house probably dates to the 1880s. It was still standing at the time of the 1940 tax photos. Most of that block was cleared about 1972 for the Grace Towers Housing development. 2021 Oct 16 - The view here is looking south down Richmond Street from Fulton on Sep 2, 1971. After the Embassy Theatre on Fulton Street closed, a new building was constructed to act as a day care center. Local residents opposed the plan, and a number of organized protests were held, including the march we see here. It was a big enough situation to make the local TV news and the fight was even covered by the New York Times. The resolution was to make the facility a Senior Center, which it remains today. This view had only recently opened up across Atlantic Avenue after the old pumping station had been demolished. A new structure was completed recently which now obstructs this line of sight. Aug 31 - Thanks to Ronnie Amerise, a former P.S. 64 classmate of Msgr. Charles Boccio, for letting me know of his passing and sending over an obituary. The Boccio family resided on Pitkin Avenue off Shepherd Avenue. Aug 12 - A reminder that we have an ENY Wall of Fame page. Walter Yetnikoff (1931-2021) the former head of CBS records, passed away the other day. Pictured here next to Billy Joel in 1977, he led the company during the golden era of megastars Joel, Springsteen, and Michael Jackson (on CBS-owned Epic records.) Yetnikoff and his family resided at 464 Miller Avenue in the 1930s and 1940s, between Blake and Sutter Avenues (the building still stands today.)A tip of the hat to Frances Abbracciamento (May 9, 1913 - July 25, 2021) who passed away recently at the age of 108. The family's restaurant was not only an East New York landmark, but Frances and her husband Sal were integral members of the community. The family lived above the restaurant at 787 Liberty Avenue (corner of Berriman Street) for 40 years. She attended St. Michael's Grammar School, St. Edmond's Academy High School, and Brooklyn College. In addition to raising 4 children she would go on to open Sal Abbracciamento's restaurant on Bourbon Street at the New York Wold's Fair in Flushing and own Bay Terrace Restaurant in Breezy Point and Abbracciamento on the Pier in Brooklyn (opened by her son Frank, a great restauranteer as well, who passed away earlier this year.) P.S. 108 Sal Abbracciamento school on Arlington Avenue is named after her husband in honor of the family's commitment to the neighborhood. Our condolences and prayers to the family over the loss of this amazing woman. 2020 Thanks to Jim Peretto, who sent in this image of his uncle and his kiddy ride truck, The Merry Go Round. To be honest, I remember The Half-Moon and The Whip, but not this one. It dates to the early 1950s, and the address on the truck door is 676 New Jersey Avenue, just north of New Lots Avenue. There are a number of buildings with the same brick architecture seen in the photograph, but I did not identify an exact match. July 12 - It's been difficult to get motivated to update the site, but the lack of baseball reminded me of some images sent by Robert Friedman some time ago and now seems like the time to roll them out.  We believe the image is circa 1920. The view is of course south over lower Highland Park towards Jamaica Avenue. A baseball game is in progress ringed with spectators. Across Jamaica Avenue, the fence covered with billboards surrounds the block between Essex and Linwood Streets. The structure in the park to the right of the spectators is situated in the location of today's playground.The pumping station and its smokestacks are visible in the distance.  This image was taken at "field level", but it's clearly not the same day (just look at the foliage.) It's not clear what event is taking place, though it looks like some kind of performance. The three-story building on the left with the awnings is 3 Essex Street, which is also visible in the first image.  April 14 - I'm saddened to report East New York lost one of its finest historians when my Aunt Mary Cornell passed away on Easter morning. She is pictured here on the left next to my mother on Georgia Avenue in 1949. She was the unaccredited historian of the website, corroborating a lot of details about the old neighborhood. Known as "Rusty" for her flaming red hair, she was my mother's lifelong friend, and became her sister-in-law when she married my mother's brother at St. Malachy's church in 1954. She became an accomplished genealogist before the era of computers, tying my mother's family back to Thomas Cornell, who came to America in the late 1630's. She also assisted numerous Cornell descendants in her work with the Cornell Cemetery Foundation and Queens Historical Society. She was also a very talented artist, with extraordinary creativity across various media. Her razor-sharp memory was intact right to the very end, an asset I will surely miss going forward. When Marianne Kobbe sent me this image from the back page of a 1960 cookbook, it reminded me that I've had a copy for some time but got hung up researching it. Still standing today, it is located at 3480 Fulton Street, right at the Queens border off Elderts Lane. The building was designed by prominent architect Theodore Englehart, who designed a number of breweries in the East New York/Bushwick area. Originally constructed for the Premium Diary Company about 1915, it was acquired around 1927 by W.M. Evans Dairy. Their name can still be seen at the corner entrance and painted atop the building even though they sold it back in 1949. The buyers, Holland Dairy, created the product "Reddi-wip" and produced it here.March 19- I guess I should have stayed in Florida. I received some submissions, a 1967 P.S. 108 class picture from Josephine Passantino, and a 1947 St. Michael's first communion group photo from Lisa Palmer. I also obtained this rare RPPC of Nichols Avenue, looking south from Etna Street in 1913.  The recently completed P.S. 171 (1912) can be seen in the distance. I rarely post the back of these cards, but the message struck me as funny.  If you are having difficulty reading it, essentially the writer is sending a postcard to a piano teacher on Logan Street, telling her not to come "next Thursday". Jan 5-A Happy New Year to everyone. As I usually sneak off to Florida around this time, I thought I would thrown in a "snow" photo just to rub it in.  It's not a terribly interesting picture, and would be very difficult to identify. The view is east along Glenmore Avenue, towards Logan Street, in 1964. My only observation is that Glenmore Avenue now runs in the opposite direction these days. So just to leave behind something more interesting, I'm posting this image from the 1930s.  This is a pretty rare view which I had not seen before. The elevated lines provided the clue and orientation. We are looking westward along Jamaica Avenue towards the intersection of Fulton Street, Jamaica, and East New York Avenues, as if your back was to today's ENY bus depot. Not only are the wood frame structures behind the trolley gone, but that block is gone as well. Jamaica Avenue was widened somewhere between 1954 and 1969 (still researching when) from Pennsylvania Avenue, and that block was eliminated. 2019Oct 3 - Richard Adazzio has been keeping me updated on the shocking (to me) change in real estate values in the old neighborhood. He sent this listing for 181 Arlington Avenue, just a few doors down from his childhood home, completely renovated with an asking price of $1,388,000!  This was how it looked just as renovation was beginning. The siding dates from our era.  I dug up the 1940 tax photo image and marveled at the original woodwork and details.  That prompted a little research into the early owners. The house appears to have been built about 1898 for Cyrus Washburn, a lawyer who was involved in local real estate. His wife sold the house in 1903 to Edmund Day, who was listed in the census as a "Playwright", an unusual occupation in ENY. He had minor success, his most notable work being "The Roundup", which was turned into a movie in 1941. Edmund died young, at age 46, from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1912, and the house would be sold to Theodore Kiendle, another lawyer. Kiendle owned a stretch of marshy land down by the Old Mill that would eventually contain about 50 houses built on stilts. The area became known as Kiendleville, one of Brooklyn's most obscure residential enclaves. One architectural note; that porch on the second level was originally open, as seen in a circa 1910 Brooklyn Eagle postcard view (third house in on the left.)  Aug 28- Here's a cool submission from long-time site fan Tommie Atanasio. This is allegedly the first graduation class at St. Rita's. The year is 1931, and Tommie's mother is in the top row on the right. Josephine Capasso Senatore, now 101 years old, identified Fr. Manno in the center of the image.    On the right is a young couple. The man is dressed in full British Invasion fashion. Yet the image was taken in April, 1963, long before the Beatles arrive and start the British Invasion. Was he that hip? Note:Update: through the magic of Facebook, the couple was identified as George Sinacore and Jeanne Romano. The second view is with the camera turned south across Fulton Street along Norwood Avenue.  The Curci law office can be seen on the left, and the old Norwood Palace on the right. In the distance is Atlantic Avenue and the old Eclipse Manufacturing plant. On the right, however, is an old classsic car that appears to be in excellent condition. My brother Lou identified it as a 1936 Buick 40 Special. What's a 27-year old classic doing parked by Fulton Street? Mar 2- Well, its early March and Spring Training has begun so I dug out a photograph from March of 1964. The view is southeast toward Jamaica Avenue and Hendrix Street:  The Luncheonette/candy store visible on the left was Anglemeiers, and you can see interior shots and some stories on the Hendrix Street page. The Bohack's chain was prominently advertising "Self-Service" for a number of years. They didn't invent self-serve groceries, but they did expand the concept to include other aspects like the deli counter, a new concept at the time. In the window of the store there is a poster that documents a little baseball history. Here is a closeup:  The poster is advertising free tickets to the Met's first game at their new ballpark, Shea Stadium. This is an alternative view taken that day, looking straight east down Jamaica Avenue:  Jan 15 - A rare photo postcard which we thought would be easy to identify turned into an adventure as I was tricked by how quickly features changed over time.  The houses (left to right) are 43,45, and 49 Ashford. They are on the east side of the block. Starting on the left, here are the houses in 1940:    43 Ashford had a porch added to the left side of the house, and moved to a more shingle-style design. 45 Ashford had removed all the Victorian trim on the lower porch and also moved toward the shingle style. 49 Ashford was almost completely hidden by a series of awnings that was popular in the days before air conditioning. When I had originally glanced at the tax photos looking for those gothic-style arches on the porches, they were mostly already gone. Ironically, I had photographed this stretch of houses back in 2005.  The changes are jarring; vertical siding and most details removed. 45 Ashford is boarded up. I'm pleased to note that today they look a lot better, though our view is obscures by the trees:  2018For many years I have utilized the New York City 1940 tax photos to help us time travel about the neighborhood. This has involved going down to the municipal archives on Chambers Street and straining my eyes looking at bad microfilm to find the desired images. Often the microfilm was so poor I couldn't make out anything. Recently the archives put the entire library of 1940 tax photos online, a real boon for us researchers. Here's an example of something that I was seeking that was not discernible on microfilm:  The Gotham Lanes were on Fulton Street under the el, catty-corner from the Gotham Theatre. My uncle worked there as a pinboy about the time of this image, in the days before automatic pinsetters. There were also pool tables, and he would tell me stories about the shady characters who hung out there, passing slips under the table for various gambling arrangements. Unfortunately he passed almost 8 years ago, but my aunt got to see the image and told me the candy store on the right is where her father used to send her to get his cigarettes! Sep 27 - My brother Gary tipped me off that Maxwell's Bakery, an ENY fixture for almost 90 years, is notifying their customers their lease is up and they intend to move in December. If you scroll down, you can see some images from 1959. July 23- I thought I would blog a bit about the intersection of Bradford Street and Liberty Avenue. If you were to look near those corners today, it would not be particularly interesting, but scraps and hints remain of East New York history that has long vanished. If we look east along Liberty, we see the Love Fellowship Tabernacle on the right.  I have pointed out on the Liberty Avenue page that this building was constructed in 1915 for Duman Textile. If we wind the clock back to 1963, we can see it was still serving the textile industry as Hendrix Coat Co.  However, with the camera looking north up Bradford Street in 1962, we can see the fading sign of another company that occupied the building earlier.  Now we push the camera a bit further north beyond Liberty Avenue in 1964; on the right hand side, behind the corner building on the right, we see an eave peeking out.   The building is the former P.S. 62, one of East New York's oldest structures, dating to about 1856. When it was constructed there were no bathrooms, only outhouses in the rear yard. By 1959 it was operating as the Brownsville Welfare Center. It would be demolished by 1980 and is now home to FDNY Engine 332 and Ladder 175. On the left we see a few timestamps; a pay telephone and the gas station is advertising 'Plaid Stamps.'The second building beyond the gas station is pretty nondescript, and it still stands today. But over 120 years ago, it looked like this:  This building was constructed in 1889 for the New Lots Exempt Firemen's Association, a clubhouse for the volunteer firemen of the era. . May 11-It's getting harder to recognize ENY these days. Richard Adazzio tipped me off to this listing at 500 Jamaica Avenue (corner Linwood)  Asking price; $1,490,000!! Do you recognize this?  It's Arlington Village on Atlantic Avenue and Berriman, refurbished and now renting!  The view is looking west down Pitkin Avenue from Montauk Avenue circa 1913. The publisher was Fred Plate, and his pharmacy can be seen on the right. At the extreme left is a one-story theatre, the Montauk Arcade. This small 245-seat Theatre operated from 1913 to 1929, presumably shuttered when the talkies arrived. This is the only image I have ever come across.  This 1913 Kraus Post card is a view north along Pennsylvania Avenue toward Liberty Avenue. No traffic, the old 26th Ward YMCA is on the left, and the woodframe on the right was the old Homestead Bank. Although P.S. 173/Maxwell Vocational occupies most of the block on the right, that corner was the site of a diner after the bank moved and remains a small diner today. April 21 - Here's links to the pages for the mystery cards below, along with update photos. Click here for the top image, and click here for the bottom image. April 8 - Hard to believe I can still find post card images I haven't seen before, but these two rare Cypress Hills cards turned up recently. For fun I will post them without more specific location/orientation details, and see if you can figure them out. Answers with the next post. 
 March 20 - A very belated Happy New Year, and though it has been awhile since I have posted, the good news is I have acquired an all new set of images from the 1960's. I am going to change the approach a bit, as I have spent some time researching the content in the images. I thought I would start with an ENY classic- Mrs. Maxwell's Bakery, on the southeast corner of Vermont Street and Atlantic Avenue. The first image was taken in 1959 looking at the southeast corner of Vermont Street and Atlantic Avenue.  My recollection of the bakery was that it was the go-to stop prior to visiting relatives on Long Island, which we called "the country" back then. Maxwell's still operates there today, and I have always assumed the "Maxwell" family sold the business and the owners kept the name. What I didn't know was that there never was a Mrs. Maxwell. The New York Times featured Maxwell's in a March 6, 2014 article passing along early history via George Jograj, the current owner: "George Jograj, 74, who bought the bakery in 1984, revealed that there never was a Mrs. Maxwell. When the business was established in 1928, he says, it was called Essential Cheesecake and served a primarily Jewish clientele. During World War II, Mr. Jograj said, the bakery secured a contract to supply the troops stationed at Fort Hamilton with poundcake, and the management decided to change the name to Maxwell’s, inspired jointly by Maxwell House coffee and the local high school, W. H. Maxwell Career and Technical Education. The owners tacked on “Mrs.,” he added, “so it seemed like there was a little old lady back there making the cake.” Now I do know the business was incorporated as the Essential Baking Co., owned by Isaac and Harry Grossman, and you can find small want ads under that name in the 1930s. But the timing of the anecdote is off; William H. Maxwell Vocational was not formed until 1950, so the World War II timing seems a little off. Nevertheless, there never was a Mrs Maxwell. Jograj also talked about a legend that a former employee stole the cheesecake recipe and brought it to Junior's, a claim that Junior's unsurprisingly denies. The second view is looking east along Atlantic Avenue, also in 1959.  Minnie Ospa lived around the block from here, and passed on her recollections: " The store right next to Mrs Maxwell’s Bakery is Mrs Maxwell’s Bulk Candy store. They had barrels of candy there and you brought candy by the pound. Everyone brought their Easter Candy and their Heart boxes of candy there for Valentine’s Day. Across the street on the left, the second store with the awning is definitely Ben Franklin’s Hardware store. There was a major fire there in the late 60’s and the owner Ben lived upstairs from the store and was badly burnt in the fire. There should be newspaper articles about it. If you continue to walk down that block on Atlantic Ave past Ben Franklin’s going towards Wyona Street, (there are several stores in the photo I can’t identify). You would then pass a Funeral Parlor (now named Ponce Funeral Home). Then an Ice Cream Parlor, (parents treated their kids to an ice cream there when they got promoted to the next grade), and then there was the A&P grocery store." 2017 December 8 - This was a timely piece of ephemera I picked up recently, a 1915 promotional Christmas card issued by Trinity Hospital. We have a Trinity Hospital page devoted to the unusual history of this long-ago ENY institution. I also picked up some 1940s and 1960s images of the eastern end of Liberty Avenue, so I have redone the Liberty Avenue page . November 15 - Thanks to Anna for sending in this early shot of 147 Norwood Avenue, built between 1900 and 1905. She also provided a 1960 image of her house at 189 Richmond Street, along with update photos of both, which can be seen under Zone 3. September 21 - Sadly, Our Lady of Loretto is no more. This photo is a sad reminder of what was lost. September 5 - End of summer, start of school...this aerial was taken in 1960, looking east from Jerome Street over St. Michael's, and we can see the rides and game tents in the lot along Liberty Avenue for the annual bazaar. Donald Vinson sent over a 1962 class picture from 171 which prompted me to dig into some unposted material like a 1940 yearbook and some early postcards, all found on the P.S./J.H.S 171 page. July 31 - First, a reminder that the battle to save Our Lady of Loretto from demolition continues, and I have provided a link above to the group fighting to preserve it. On the left is pretty cool shot of Civil War veteran John W. Peck posing in front of his 211 Sunnyside Avenue home in 1913. Matt Rini sent in some shots of Miller Avenue from the 1960s that prompted me to assemble my other views and create a Miller Avenue page under Zone 1. After Joe Heredia confirmed an ENY address for actor Vince Schiavelli, I added Vince to our ENY Wall of Fame page, which can now be found under the 'Home' dropdown menus. July 3 - A Happy 4th to all, I'm still posting photographs by P.L. Sperr, and the one on the left is a favorite. Taken in 1930, looking east along Atlantic Avenue from Montauk Avenue, we can see the pumping station and a LIRR train bearing down on us. Additional images of his include a playground on Pitkin and New Jersey Avenue, a shot of Glenmore and Atkins Avenue in Zone 5, a view down Atlantic from Georgia Avenue, and a shot up Pennsylvania Avenue.June 24 - The Brownsville book has been released (see cover above) and those interested in more details can click here. I was also contacted by Charles Carillo, author of the 1986 work Shepherd Avenue, who is releasing a followup to this work entitled Return to Shepherd Avenue. He has released a promotional video which can be seen here.  May 4- The Brownsville book is almost wrapped up, so I finally get to start playing catchup. On the left is a cool shot of the Pennsylvania Avenue Station on the old Fulton Elevated line along Pitkin Avenue. Other transportation shots added were Jamaica Avenue by the Interboro entrance, Shepherd Avenue near Pitkin, Chestnut Street by Pitkin on the Fulton Elevated line page. Bob Jurgens sent in his 1959 P.S. 108 kindergarten class picture and on the Showboat page I found another great interior shot from 1946 as well as a 1960 marketing card showing the lobby. Finally a great 1914 RPPC of Shepherd Avenue looking north from Arlington Avenue has been added. March 11- Percy Loomis Sperr was a photographer who took thousands of image of New York City in the 1930s and 40s. A huge collection of his negatives was sold over a year ago and they have been trickling out via Ebay. I haven't won all the ENY ones, and I finally had a chance to post them. A number were taken really far down; this one here of a pushcart vendor was taken on Pennsylvania Avenue looking north toward Stanley Avenue in 1934.Check out Ashford Street, Pennsylvania Avenue under Zone 1 and under Zone 5; on the Zone 5 page under Sheffield and Van Siclen Avenues,, Atlantic Avenue under Zone 5, and even The Old Mill under Zone 6. Feb 26 - Returned from travels, and too far behind to catch up quickly. Thanks to Tom Hammond who is keeping us updated on progress and changes in ENY; he noted they were doing significant cleanup around the old Indian Bridge this winter. I have a lot of posting to do, I started with something simple, a few rare post cards of several churches; St. Peter's (Hale Ave page)Andrews Methodist, and St. Clements (Penn. Avenue page.)2016December 23- A very Merry Christmas to All!!!  Nov 20 - Here's another update, courtesy of Peter Stango's brother Mike. They have finally cleared the old Blue Ridge Farms site, which was the old Columbia Machine Works property on Chestnut Street and Atlantic Avenue. Blue Ridge Farms was destroyed in a fire back in July 2012.  Nov 6 - Thanks to some former ENYers for keeping us up to date. Tom Hammond sends over a shot of construction progress on the former ENY Savings Bank site. Tom also sent over some FK Lane mementos from the 1963-64 school year I put on the Lane page. Mike and Tony Della Croce tipped me off to an article from last month when Cardinal Dolan honored our own "Barney" Samartino for his WWII service (right). The full article can be found here Leonora Licata now has a date for the St. Michael's Class of 1967 reunion - October 7, 2017. Sep 22 - It's not often we receive a family photo from the 1880s, and this one comes courtesy of Catherine Alt O'Neill. The Alt family were one of the early German families to come into New Lots. In the picture is Johann Peter Alt, in front of his shoemaking shop on today's Wyona Street. With him are his wife Elizabeth and daughter Mary. Peter bought the land south of today's Pitkin Avenue by Wyona in the 1840s and eventually built two houses. Catherine also sent in a picture of those houses; that image and more history can be found on the Zone 5 page under the Wyona Street section. On the same page, under Sheffield Avenue, I added an image of the old Sheffield Theatre, supplied courtesy of Mitch Kahn. Mitch also tipped me off the old Talmud Torah on Pennsylvania and New Lots Avenues was once the site of the New Lots Theatre. Sep 1 - Summer slips away, and I realized I never posted about my latest book project with Brian - Brownsville. We've worked throughout the summer on it and I have a Brownsville book page to solicit history and photos. One book project (not mine) was released recently that may be of interest to East New Yorkers and the cover can be seen on the left. It is the story of the Piels family and the brewery on Georgia and Liberty Avenues. This well-researched effort cites our East New York book quite frequently and is quite revealing about the links between the brewing industry, German culture, World War I, and Prohibition. July 29 - Well I really blew my chance to post this picture on the 4th of July as I intended, but I never fully convinced myself on the view orientation. I believe it is the northwest corner of Nichols and Etna Street, opposite of the view I posted a few months ago. That woodframe on the corner was replaced by an apartment building in the 1920s. Jack Russell sent in some shots of Elton Street where he grew up in the 1940s and a shot of himself on the swings at Highland Park as well. Anthony Messina added a name to our Wall of Fame page, actor Frank Sivero. June 30 - I've been informed that Our Lady of Loretto Church is in danger of demolition; I will post some details shortly. On the left, author Alvin Toffler passed away yesterday. His 1970 Future Shock was a seminal work on the impact of the information age. Yes, he was an East New Yorker and has been added to our Wall of Fame page. May 27 - I've been acquiring old news photos and this one is from 72 years ago. I believe it was in the Daily News and announced the city's intention to close P.S. 72 on New Lots Avenue. They ID'd the 3 children in front of the school; Jules Saks, Donald Weinstein, and Isabel Rosati. Maybe someone on the site knew them? Other news pictures include the operating room in Trinity Hospital, an empty shop in East New York Vocational, and Atlantic Avenue off Linwood Street. We also received a JHS 149 1943 class picture from Jacky Abromitis.May 14 - I've been getting help and tips on my ENY Wall of Fame page so keep the info coming. Yesterday, the world's oldest living person, Susanna Mushatt Jones passed away at the age of 116. She was living at the Vandalia Houses in ENY, so she will join our list.  April 24 - Baseball season is upon us, so when Linda Morris recently sent in this picture of a St. Malachy's team from the late 1940's I figured it was the perfect time to post it. April 14 - First, please note the alert above regarding Michael Padwee's effort to preserve the historic tiles on the old Bordens plant on Atlantic Avenue.I'm sure everyone recognizes Jerry Stiller in the image; I finally got ground to old project idea of mine, an ENY 'Wall of Fame" to list all the celebrities big and small from the neighborhood. Ironically, I was just asked if anyone knows any St. Rita's attendees who would belong a such a list. If you can offer ideas or more people for the list, check out my starting effort on the ENY Wall of Fame page April 2- As proof I can't know everything about East New York, Wes Kent informed his grandfather built the house at 106 Interboro Parkway - and address I didn't even know existed. Wes offered a number of wonderful recollections; the story about the house is now on the Interboro Parkway page. His recollections of P.S. 76 are on that page, and memoried of George T. Gruman, longtime pastor of Trinity Episcopal Church are on that page.  March 11 - This very cool RPPC (real photo post card) came on the market recently. It was taken on Nichols Avenue in 1913; if you want the precise location and a view of that corner today, visit the Nichols Avenue page. Marie (Sullivan) Raffio, who not only attended St. Rita's but returned to teach there, sent in a number of faculty and class pictures from her teaching days. They can be found on the St. Rita's page and the St. Rita's Class Pictures page. January 16 - I never get tired of views of this area; though the trolley in this late 1940's shot is blocking a view of the entrance the the Cypress Pool, we can see the wall to the left. Dan Bivona sent me his JHS 149 class picture from 1960, which prompted me to finish posting sold older class pix; JHS 149 (1933), PS 171 (1932), and P.S. 173 (1940, on the Maxwell High page.)2015 December 10 - Brian Merlis and I are working on our next project (more on that shortly) which is keeping me busy but I want to make sure I wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. On the side I have been working on Paul Gallagher's St. Michael's material and I posted a series of First Communion group pictures from the 1950s on the St. Michael's page. The group picture on the left is from 1955. Maybe you will recognize yourself or a relative, let me know! October 22 - The East New York Savings Bank is gone - Art Pirozzi sent over this picture showing the corner of Atlantic and Pennsylvania Avenue and the historic building has been demolished. I've had a few class pictures come in, the 1953 Class 9-308 of JHS 149 (courtesy Yvette Scharf) and 1960 Class 9-5 of JHS 171 (Thanks Kathleen Mauro)and they've done a pretty good job of IDing classmates but if you help ID the rest have a look a drop a line. October 6 - The last of the 'accident' series was a group of images I grouped as a 'City Line' series. This shot is looking south down Conduit Avenue from Liberty Avenue about 1966 seen in our The 1960s - Part 10. August 14 - It's time to return to the 1960s. St. Michael's used to host a "ragamuffin parade", and this shot comes from 1967. Our entire 1960's series is based on the photography of Paul Gallagher, and in this update I feature different events he shot for St. Michael's in the 1960s. I'm hoping some people recognize themselves (or their parents) as we head to The 1960s - Part 9. August 7 - This great picture circa 1915 comes from Eileen Bogdanoff. The address is right on the wagon, 814 Jamaica Avenue. Edward Haarman bought the hotel about that time and it was sold about 1926 to John Weismantel. After prohibition ended Weismantel would tear it down and construct The Showboat, a catering hall we all remember from our days. This picture, and the history of the old hotel and later the Showboat can be found on the Showboat page. Cynthia Rivera sent over 2 class pictures from P.S. 108 and Sandy Solano sent over a 1941 tax photo of their house at 100 Ridgewood Avenue which is on the Elton Street page. July 22 - This picture has been on the website for a number of years, courtesy of John Clemente. The view is east along Atlantic Avenue from Wyona Street in 1955. Brian Merlis contacted me looking for a picture of "Rini's Bakery off Wyona Street" and there it is in the background. It turns out Brian knows a descendant of Matteo Rini, who owned the bakery. More interesting is that Matteo's brother Ned boxed professionally under the name Jackie Coburn. He fought many times at Ridgewood Grove and boxed at Dexter Park as well. Ned would even work at the bakery when needed. Matt Rini informed me the family sold the bakery to the Morabito family in 1956 and took over the diner on Georgia and Jamaica Avenue across from the bus depot. Over the last 9 months Brian has sent over old trolley and bus shots taken in ENY and this is a good time to squeeze those in. The bulk can be found on our Liberty Avenue page, while more can be found on our Atlantic Avenue page. I also squeezed in a 1953 JHS 149 class picture courtesy of Iris (Bailin)Bachman on the 149 page. July 2 - A Happy 4th of July to all!! Ilene Cohen sent in this picture of her father's graduation class at P.S. 149. It's from 1924, our oldest class picture from that school, and I have no explanation as to why the females so outnumber the males in the class. This was a very Jewish section of ENY at the time, it is unlikely they had dropped out to work. Ilene also sent a 1921 image of her father in front of 433 Schenck which can be found on the Zone 5 page. Tom Atanasio sent over the "other" 1968 graduation class picture from St. Rita's. June 24 - Thanks to Therese for letting me know the Yankees saluted one of East New York's own, Barney Samartano, during the 7th inning last night. Known here for Barney's on Atlantic Avenue and Essex Street, but rightfully honored last night for his service during World War II. Therese has a full video on her Facebook page. Anthony Messina also tipped me off that the world's oldest (documented) living person is in East New York. Susannah Mushatt Jones is 115 years old and is one of only 2 people alive today born in the 19th century. June 10 - The Brooklyn Public library is looking to capture an oral history of East New York; I have put contact information above for those who are interested. Julius Freeman sent us an update shot of the demolition of the East New York Savings Bank. Since they are not simply knocking it down perhaps they are trying to preserve a part of it. Ronnie Perrone also tipped me off they are redoing the baseball fields up at Highland Park - wish they had done that 50 years ago!! A small break from my 1960's series, we have two old school submissions. Donna Meyer sent me a 1931 class picture from P.S. 108, and Judith Berlowitz submitted a classroom picture of P.S. 63 vintage 1914 which can be found on the Williams Avenue page. . May 2- Whatever happened to 'chop suey'? This 1966 view is along Sutter Avenue, looking east to Williams, and its the latest addition to our "accidents" series. We feature the real southern end of ENY, Sutter Avenue on down in our 1960s - Part 8 update. April 11 - I receive class pictures all the time, but I've never received a 1950s class picture from the teacher of that class! Mario Barone taught at JHS 171 from 1954 to 1961 and sent in this image of the 1956 class. Mario admits to "pushing 90" and would like to hear from any of his former students!April 5- A Happy Easter to everyone! The Mysteries page has grown a bit stale but one of our best researcher/site fans, Anthony Messina, recently cracked 2 of the oldest. Meanwhile, Sandy Solano and Harold Moskowitz, each solved two of our riddles from the Blizzard page. Thanks to everyone for making the effort and contacting me. In what was a little less of a mystery, the year of those St. Michael's parade pix in the 1960's part 7 was 1964.  March 21 - Although I'm well aware most East New Yorkers are unfamiliar with Greenpoint, Brian Merlis and I have just completed our latest project and will be appearing at Word Bookstore in Greenpoint as part of release event. It takes place April 2 at 7:00 PM and the store is located at 126 Franklin Street. For those of you who collect our works we are still running our pre-release offer prior to this appearance which can be found here. March 12 - I have never had a St. Patrick's Day shot to use on this website - until now. I discovered in a large batch of St. Michael's negatives these images of the school marching in the St. Patrick's Day parade along Fifth Avenue in New York City. I don't know the specific year, but I'm hoping someone recognizes themselves and can fill in some details. I used these parade shots to set a theme for part 7 of our series on the 1960s, dedicated to several of the Catholic churches in our neighborhood. For more St. Patrick's parade shots and time travel, visit The 1960's - Part 7. March 1 - Back in September Tom Hammond tipped me off that the old ENY Savings Bank building on Atlantic and Pennsylvania Avenues had been shuttered, and sent over this picture. The Brownstoner website has confirmed the building is slated for demolition (if it isn't gone already).If anyone passing by captures a picture of demolition send it over. In the meantime I have been updating the site with images that have trickled in. Jim Perretto sent over his P.S. 214 class pic, infamous because it includes "Goodfellas" Henry Hill in it. That can be found on the Pitkin Avenue page. Jim Celovsky sent over a vintage punchball picture for the Wyona Street page. The old Fulton Elevated line is featured twice, Appearing on the Pennsylvania Avenue page and Liberty Avenue pages courtesy of some circa 1950 photos in the Brian Merlis Collection.Feb 21 - An old pal, Pete Colantuoni, called me last night to let me know his mother passed way on Tuesday. Both his parents were long time East New Yorkers. His father, who passed in 2012, attended P.S. 64 and his mother attended P.S. 108 back in the 1930s. I will always remember how warm and friendly they were whenever we crossed paths. Our condolences go out to Pete, his sisters and their families.  Feb 13 - You have to love this shot - check out the car (you can't even see the top of the antenna) and some really old Victorian woodframes to boot. This was taken on Belmont Avenue in the 1960s, and as you can imagine it looks nothing like that today. In fact, that's the theme of our latest installment of the 1960s- a series of then and now shots of the area between Liberty and Belmont Avenues. Once again, travel back in time in our latest update, The 1960s - Part 6. Feb 8 - Brian and I have finally finished our Greenpoint book project, so I can catch up with work on this site. While I regroup, I found this P.S. 64 class picture on EBay, maybe someone can identify themselves or a friend. Jan 6 - Happy New Year to everyone! Allie Sherman passed away yesterday, and us old Giant fans will remember him as coach of the Giants during the 1960s. But here's a little bit of trivia - he was an ENY guy. He was born in 1923 in ENY and the family was still there in the 1930 census at 798 New Lots Avenue, off the corner of Linwood Street.2014 Dec 23- I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This Christmas picture isn't from the 1960s, but it is tied to our 1960's series. It is 234 Jerome Street in 1932, and I believe Paul Gallagher, the photographer for this series, lived here. That's an intro to our next installment which is an odd series of floods, fires, and whatnot in our 1960's, Part 5 page.Dec 11 - A tip of the hat to one of our best researchers, Anthony Messina, who located an 1891 Brooklyn Daily Eagle article describing our mystery tower and confirming its use. It was located behind the Bradford Street police station and was 85 feet in height. When the force moved to the castle-like building on Liberty and Miller in 1892, the tower was removed. I will post the full article at some point. In the meantime, for the mystery picture below, you can visit the Atlantic Avenue page to find the answer.  Nov 24 - I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, and also give thanks to Harold Moskowitz who solved a couple of mysteries. Harold identified one of our mystery blizzard page shots, and I included an update shot with his ID for comparison. Harold also supplied a very plausible guess on the use of the mystery tower on our 1885 page. I'm taking a short break from our "1960's" series to present a new puzzle, though I know the answer. The 1932 picture on the left shows a woman posing in her back yard. In the distance is a very ornate building. Two hints; the building is on Atlantic Avenue and it is still standing. Oct 31 - Happy Halloween! Our first installment of the 'accidents' series featured a lot of shots in the southern section of ENY, so this set will focus on Atlantic Avenue and north. This shot, looking west from Highland Place around 1966, shows the familiar White Castle. For many more, head to the The 1960s- Part 4. Oct 10 - Well, as we get closer to November and Election Day, it seems appropriate that we turn to politics for our next installment of the 1960s. John Lindsay had a local office on Fulton Street just off Euclid Avenue, and On July 7, 1965 it was "Meet John Lindsay" Day in Cypress Hills. Head to the The 1960s- Part 3and see if you recognize anyone. Sep 26 - On February 7, 1967 a blizzard hit New York that would close schools for 2 days. Our freelancer photographed the neighborhood, but unlike the accident photos, the locations were not recorded. It took a lot of research, and I still didn't nail them all. I decided to make a challenge out of it; if you want to try to test your ENY memories, go to the unlabeled page. If you just want to time travel back, then head to The 1960's - Part 2 Sep 17 - Slight housekeeping; part 3 of the 1885 page has been added to complete that great find. Carol Courcy sent some great St. Rita's shots and early shots of Essex Street by Liberty Avenue. Tom Hammond notified me the ENY Savings Bank is getting a facelift and is for lease. Meanwhile I have added more shots to our The 1960's - Part 1 page, including the one on the left taken at Essex and Fulton Streets in 1965. I thought that might be 'Junky Joe's' on the left but Judy Close tipped me off it was 'Tom's', Junky Joes was on Linwood. Sep 3 - Well summer's over, but I've been acquiring a series of negatives taken in the 1960s by a freelancer who probably sold them to news services. They document accidents, fires, blizzards, etc. The first in this series will be the fender-benders, and the one pictured here was on Schenck and Liberty. There are more coming in, but I have The 1960's - Part 1 up and started. If you recognize anyone, drop me a line!July 31- Tom Atanasio sent over his 1962 third class picture from P.S. 108, and it reminded me I had some 1937 memorabilia from the school I had not posted so it all can be found on the P.S. 108 page. July 23 - Peter Stango and Paula Curci sent over articles regarding DeBlasio's plan to revitalize Atlantic Avenue stretch in East New York. Major changes are planned that would completely change that area. Here is one link to the story. We're spanning a lot of time as I return to 1885 and added the second image from that series, see the 1885 page for that update.  May 23 - It's been awhile, so I thought I would put up something unusual. Miniature golf in ENY? The building address is 3016 Fulton (between Linwood and Essex), and is no longer standing today. The building was new in 1930, and I have no idea who built it and why there was a miniature golf course inside. A few years later it was known as Marwede's Hall. The family was in the restaurant business and it may have served as a catering hall. Joe Schuchman recalls it was a tudor-style building, a bar in our time which burned down. The 1941 tax photo was poor, but it confirmed a one-story tudor style building. The building was gone by the 1980's. April 3 - Following the passing of Pastor Huneke in the fall of 2013, the Synod formally closed my family church, the Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Barbey Street. The final service was held on February 23, 2014. My family and I attended and I have posted some pictures and portions of the program on the Reformation page. Feb 25 - It's too cold up north to think about tennis, but Ronnie Amerise sent this great shot of Brooklyn-born tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis up at the Highland Park tennis courts in 1978. Ronnie identified Carl Pergola on the right. Ronnie also supplied several other Highland Park shots from the 40s and 50s which are on the Highland Park pages. Evelyn Nieves notified me of an upcoming Maxwell Vocational High School reunion (details above) and sent pictures from the 2011 reunion which I have placed on the Maxwell page under Zone 5. Mitch Kahn sent over some photos of his grandfather's grocery on New Lots Avenue just off New Jersey Avenue, they can be found on the New Jersey Avenue page under Zone 5.Jan 22- More updates; super contributor Peter Stango found another shot of that September 1942 support rally by Crescent and Fulton ( Crescent Street page). John Marasco filled a gap in our St. Rita's class pictures with his 1970 and 1971 class shots. The descendants of Sussman Pickles on Blake Avenue sent me a 1941 photo which included pushcart vendors so I added my own picture from the same era in Zone 5 under Sheffield Avenue. Though its nowhere near Halloween, I added pix from Mike Pastore of local legend Mr. Miller's parties on Arlington Avenue.  January 10 - I acquired this 1942 image from Brian awhile back, which is a view along East New York Avenue. It was awhile before I realized that it documents the removal of Trinity Hospital, which would have been on the left after the row of wood-frame houses. I had built a page a long time ago for the hospital, but over time accumulated additional and colorful history on the institution, so I have finally added all this to a rebuilt Trinity Hospital page.January 3- Happy New Year! As sort of a resolution, I vowed to clean up all those old emails where people have sent one-off pictures and information that never made it to the site, as well as chase up those who promised to send in pix. Dominick Mondelli had sent me a picture of the Carvel on Atlantic Avenue (Highland Place page) so that prompted me to check the 1980 tax photos for Jack Haggery's Dog Training school (Crescent Street.) Ronnie Amerise had tipped me off to a prominent P.S. 64 attendee, and Richard Perez had done the same for JHS 171 . Rick Constant's grandfather photographed the Old Mill back in 1903, and Karen Held sent an equally old shot of descendant Hugh Kenney's business. Though it was just outside ENY, it had an unusual business tied to the cemeteries so I placed it on the Evergreen Cemetery page. Roberta Beary sent an old photo of her mother's home on Essex Street and Tom Atanasio added a 1970 Class pic from St. Rita's. I'm still grinding away but hope to catch up soon! 2013 December 23 - A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! That's a 1966 shot of our front porch window, replete with large bulbs, tacky Santa and a crèche. You can even see our tree through the window, waiting to be put up.November 22- I would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Diane Lenz sent me her St. Gabriel's First Grade picture from 1963, and on a timely note passed along her recollection of this day when Sister Rose led all the children into the church to pray for President Kennedy. I was in first grade as well, and recall someone bursting into our classroom in tears to pass the news. Tony Della Croce had just recently sent me some 1940s images of Essex Street, and you can find Diana's picture and Tony's recent contributions on the Essex Street page under Zone 6.  November 3 - Thanks to Tony Della Croce for sending over a shot from the St. Rita's 100th Anniversary celebration. Seen in the picture are Barney Samartino and Gus Sabatino who were honored at the celebration. They were classmates of the class of 1935, and received Lifetime Achievement Awards. Thanks to Gus' daughter Carol for correcting this post for us. October 30 - I've returned from traveling and saddened to report the passing of Rev. John G. Huneke. Pastor Huneke served my family's church, Lutheran Church of the Reformation on Barbey Street, for the last 40 years. Also in recent news, St. Rita's celebrated a 100th anniversary and we're looking for some photos of that reunion event. I also made an update to that new Jamaica Avenue page, adding Gerry Carter's reminders of Tommy Gallagher's Golden Glove victory in 1959.October 11 - I've have requests to build a Jamaica Avenue page over the years, though many pictures can already be found on the individual street pages. I have made an attempt to add new images combined with ones already on the site to forma new Jamaica Avenue page. October 1- A short while ago Jeff Alexander, a musician, approached me for permission to use a picture from the site for a music video. I directed him to Gloria Galloway, who had submitted pictures of her father playing stoopball on Sunnyside Avenue. Jeff has completed the acoustic version of his project, "Brooklyn in My Bones", and here is a link to the video which is a photo montage of Brooklyn. "Brooklyn in My Bones".  July 27 - It's been a quiet summer; Tom Atanasio sent over some St. Rita's class pictures but otherwise thee have been few new submissions. A few months a go I picked up an estate sale of photographs belonging to a George Hennessey, who lived on Liberty Avenue in the 1940s. Alas, the only picture I could identify of the area is seen on the left. The women are standing across from 476 Grant Avenue, just north of Liberty Avenue. That tailor/furrier in the background is all bricked up today. If anyone knows the family or its descendants, contact me as I would like to give them the this collection some of which dates to the 1920s. June 11 - Now here is a timely photograph! Richard Nowak sent this image taken in front of 18 Vermont Street on June 14, 1954 - Flag Day. Flag Day commemorates the recognition of our national flag on June 14, 1777. This section of Vermont Street lies north of Jamaica Avenue and is included on our Sunnyside page where we have more images including update images. Steve Rothamel sent over some shots of his parents 1948 wedding at Reformation Church on Barbey Street. Roberta Beary sent over some pix and documents of her parents which can be found on the Blessed Sacrament, P.S. 64, and Franklin K. Lane pages. May 22 - Heading into Memorial Day and summer I have been working on uploading this classic film footage shot in 1954 by the DiPrisco family. These scenes were taken in Highland Park and I'm happy to say that after obtaining this footage I was able to track down the family and return the original film reels to them. This current version is small, but I am wrestling with my video editing software to create a larger version doesn't generate a huge file size. Click on the image to launch the file. April 30 - My apologies for all the Guestbook spamming, what a waste of time. It appears the reservoir work will not be finished soon, and now the projection is for the end of summer. On the left is a view of some of the work; at several key locations there will be sitting areas featuring granite benches. They are also building new fences, lighting, paths, etc. that will make it a great walking destination once again. Last month I added a P.S. 76 page , and James Celovsky sent over 3 class pictures from the 1950's as well as his 1961 Class 9-2 picure from P.S. 171. Recently Joann Montgomery had sent me a matchbook cover for the Norwood Grill (Palace) and while doing some research I heard from a Lynette Maheu, whose great-great-grandfather owned the Palace. She shared some memoirs all of which can be found on the Norwood Avenue page. April 6- Play ball! Baseball has begun, and I finally got around to building a page devoted to Dexter Park. Though it was located in Woodhaven, Dexter Park was closely tied to Brooklyn throughout its history. We also received some contributions for the Blessed Sacrament page; Louis Sarcona sent in a class pic and diploma from 1961, and Linda Feiling Weiss sent in the 1963 graduation program. March 9 - It would be hard to find anyone alive that could recall this historic site. Distler's Hotel and Brewery was located across from Cypress Hills Cemetery and was torn down in the 1930s to be replaced by Weismantel's Showboat. We dated this image to 1877 because it marks the 15th anniversary of a regiment that was formed in 1862, during the Civil War. Ironically I just found a great 1946 image of the main banquet hall inside the Showboat, so you can find more history and see those images on the Showboat page. Rick Constant sent a cool picture of his Cub Scout pack inside Trinity Episcopal and Richard Moore sent a picture of the girls in his 1961 P.S. 108 class. Anthony LaViola sends over more 1950s images on Pine Street which can be found in Zone 6. Barry Mendelsohn tipped me off to two more stars from Thomas Jefferson which I have added to that page.Feb 8 - While we batten down for the blizzard I've posted some pix that were sent while I was on the road. Anthony laViola sent over an image of 610 Pine Street, and a 1955 First Holy Communion pic from St. Fortunata, both of which are in Zone 6. Dr. Frances Collato enlightened me about the Glenmore Community House and sent pix which can be found on the Elton/Linwood page under Zone 6, as well as a 1956 graduation program for P.S. 171 under that school's page in Zone 4. Another new contributor, Richie Rittmeyer, sent war-era images of Georgia and Sheffield Avenues by Glenmore Avenue which can be found in Zone 5 and the Georgia Avenue page.  Jan 16 - A Happy New Year to everyone! A short while ago, it was brought to my attention that the underground artist Bill Griffith, creator of the Zippy comic strip, hailed from East New York. This strip, used with his permission, features a drawing of his home on the southeast corner of Hendrix Street and Arlington Avenue in 1949. I have long been collecting information on all those homes along "Doctor's Row", the majestic stretch of Arlington Avenue from Hendrix to Cleveland Street. So I finally got around to putting it together and it can be found on the Arlington Avenue page. Of course if anyone has additional background, drop me a line as I continue to research the subject.2012 Dec 20 - I was looking for a winter image to send along Christmas wishes when Rick Constant sent over this turn of the century image of Ridgewood Avenue. Taken near his great-grandparent's house on 135 Ridgewood Avenue, my guess is the view is west towards Linwood Street. Rick also supplied great early images of 135 Ridgewood and 101 Linwood Street, both of which can be found on the Linwood Street page. Rick's grandparents attended St. Clement's and he also sent early family pictures of the church which can be found on the Pennsylvania Avenue page. Since we are on early churches, I came across an early postcard view of the original St. Gabriel's, with the rectory (still standing) behind it. That can be found on the Elton-Linwood page in Zone 6. Merry Christmas to everyone! Dec 14 - There were a few passings noted in the Guestbook and I also want to mention the passing of Ralph Colantuoni on December 11. Mr. Colantuoni was an Assistant Principal of I.S 171 and later Principal of I.S. 271. The family lived around the corner from me on Arlington Avenue, across from the library, and Mr. Colantuoni was a strong supporter of that institution for the neighborhood. He is pictured on the left in the 1970s during the library's re-dedication. He was also a fixture at St. Rita's. Our condolences go out to his family on the loss of this great East New Yorker. Nov. 25 - Let's go to the movies! I came across a number of old ENY theatre handbills for the Miller, Lyric, Embassy, Kinema and Earl Theatres, and decided to update the information I had uncovered in prior research. In the process I realized I had never posted the Premier and Supreme Theatres on the site so I added those as well. If you don't recall where these moviehouses were located and want to find them on the site, I direct you to our updated index page which lists the key landmarks around ENY and where they can be found on the site. In the meantime I received submissions from Vincent Anello (1956 P.S. 158 class pic, Ashford Street in Zone 5), Michael DePaoli sends over a 1971 St. Michael's graduation pic. Marylu Kelly adds a 1963 St. Michael's class pic. Nov. 6 - First of all our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the hurricane; though I lost power for the week it was a minor inconvenience compared to what many people faced. Also a big shout out to Tom Atanasio for all his efforts to help and provide information. Ironically the photo here is almost 90 years old, but it looks like images we are seeing today. It is Jamaica Avenue by Jerome Street in 1923 after a huge storm hit New York, leaving downed trees all over. I was midway through an update when the storm hit. Joann Montgomery had sent over a number of pix from the St. Rita's school reunion and I have posted them on the St. Ritas page. Rich Adazzio sent over a 1980s photo of 148 Arlington, a huge house that is no longer standing, so I did some research and put it all on the Arlington Avenue page.Oct 20 - Bushwick book release event - Brian and I will be at Spoonbill & Sugartown booksellers on Tuesday, October 30 to celebrate the release of the Bushwick book. The venue is located in Williamsburgh at 218 Bedford Avenue. Their website is here. Oct 17 - We've had some recent school picture submissions, and can always use help IDing the classmates. Anthony LaViola sends in JHS 171 Class 9-2 picture from 1960, as well as the 1955 Confirmation class picture from St. Fortunata (Zone 6). Anthony also sent over a picture in front of 610 Pine Street which can be found in Zone 6 as well. Marylu Howell Kelly sends over both 1966 3rd grade class pictures for St. Michaels , noting that her class included actor Steve Buscemi. Finally, Wendy sends over a 1993 class picture from P.S. 108   Oct 13 -A while back, Mike McGrath sent some Arlington Avenue parade pictures, and identified the band as the Blue Knights of Blessed Sacrament. But he found this circa 1967 image of the Blue Knights and noted the uniforms were different. The view is north on Grant Avenue toward Ridgewood Avenue. On the right is one of the Arlington Avenue photos, maybe someone can ID the band. Mike also sent a great 1941 image of his father's class at St. Malachy's. I found a 1933 image so I did a bit of work updating the St. Malachy's page Oct 6 - Joey Perrone and Tom Hammond were at the reservoir recently, and were able to grab a number of pictures of the renovation project taking place. After 100 years, its finally getting a new fence, walkways, lighting, benches, and even handicapped access. I placed some of the shots on the Reservoir Page to show the progress. Maybe next spring we can all meet to see the final results! Sep 13 - OK, I know it's not winter, but it has been a slow summer so when JoAnn LaForte sent over a classic from friend Diane Moore Villaseca I couldn't resist. Diana also sent over a shot of the Norwood Avenue station, and Neal Cassoria sent over class pix from 171 and P.S. 213 (Zone 5). August 1 - I haven't had much chance to post, but Donald DeGennaro sent over a shot from the Liberty Park reunion from a month ago, and Tim O'Reilly sent over his mother's 1945 P.S. 108 class picture along with some IDs.July 24 - We have all seen the news of the 7-alarm fire which consumed the old Blue Ridge Farms plant Monday morning. Therese Panariello pointed out to me that there is a Facebook group devoted to Blue Ridge Farms.  June 7 - I'm calling this my 'church' update. I've picked up various materials from ENY churches and have finally gotten around to posting them. This great Fick postcard was just acquired recently showing Reformation Church on Barbey Street. It's a great view of the block, and I believe that is a hitching post for a horse at the bottom of that image. I found a 1943 Easter memorial for Reformation, with an interior and exterior picture, which I have posted on the Reformation page. I also found a 1934 Fair program for Andrew's Methodist and a 1956 copy of The Sylvestrian, a monthly newsletter of St. Sylvester's I have placed with the church in Zone 6. I have also added under Zone 6 an image of St. Lydia's and an anecdote from Lawrence Smith. Finally I added an old postcard and a rare photo of St. Clement's under the Pennsylvania Avenue page. May 25 - Wishing everyone a happy Memorial Day weekend and it is appropriate that we have a patriotic image to post, courtesy of Peter Stango. It's literally a gem, because it is a view along Fulton Street from Crescent on September 13, 1942 and it features the Gem Theater in the background. It's from a Service Flag Parade and you can find another image of the parade on the Crescent Street page. Anthony Messina supplied us with some 1940s shots of Euclid Park and the surrounding area which can be found in Zone 6. Al Pugliese sent over a 1908 image taken by St. Michael's school which of course can be found on the St. Michael's page.May 12 - You may have noticed a Fr. Augustine posted in our Guestbook; formerly known as Lorenzo Bilello, St. Rita's class of 1967, Fr. Augustine forwarded over some pix of the nuns who served at St. Rita's in the early 1960s. Those can be seen on our St. Rita's page. Fr. Augustine is seeking some fairly clear photos of Srs. Anthony Miriam and Mary Lidwella. Given that the class of 1967 is holding a reunion, the timing is good and perhaps someone can help! Update - Tony Della Croce and his sister (Sister Mary Serafine, SSND) helped supply some IDs to these images. May 6 - Its been a long time between updates, but I've been busy working with Brian Merlis on a Bushwick book. Back in January I picked up a series of photographs from Art Huneke taken along Atlantic Avenue around 1940 and I've put those together on a temporary Atlantic Avenue Special page. Mar 21 - Just a quickie update. Theresa (Badalaty) Yocca sent over her 1972 I.S. 171 Class 8-H picture and that prompted me to investigate the rumor that 171 was closing. It appears that they are moving the 5th grade out of the school (moving to P.S. 7) but it will continue to serve grades 6 through 8. Bill Marino manged to dig up the 'other' 1967 graduating class picture of St. Rita's, so that has been posted on the St. Rita's class pix page. Mar 3 - I'm playing catch-up on a number of submissions, starting with Joey Perrone, who sent a Cypress Pool shot from the 1940s, and a 1950's shot looking up Essex Street to Fulton. I heard from Sam Leftow, who also lived in the Linden Veteran's houses (he knew them as 'the barracks'.) Sam supplied a couple of pictures of the houses as well as his sister's 1951 P.S. 213 class picture. Those can be found in Zone 5. Vinny Capasso sent over update pictures of a few classic Liberty Avenue spots and St. Rita's and they can be found on the Liberty Avenue pages under Zones 5 and 6. Evelyn Israel sent over shots from the Thomas Jefferson High School 1958 yearbook. Judy Close sent over a copy of the front of a 1962 St. Michael's The Victor, the school newspaper, courtesy of her sister Erin. Judy also noted that in our search for St. Sylvester's history there was a 90th anniversary booklet published so if anyone has a copy we would love scans.  Feb 23 - Who says we can't be artistic? Gloria (Profeta) Gallaway, who had previously sent some great Sunnyside Avenue material, generously shared a series of color slides taken by her father in the 1950s of Highland Park, including this shot of the sun setting on an icy reservoir.. Combined with material sent by one of our Highland Park experts, Ronnie Amerise, you have to visit the Lower, Upper, and Reservoir pages to see the new material. Gloria also sent 2 classic black and white images of the Interboro Parkway taken in the 1950s. That prompted me to gather all the Interboro research I did for the book and create a new Interboro Parkway page Feb 6 - WAY TO GO GIANTS!! Can't believe they did it again. Today is a Sunnyside Avenue update. The 'mansion' which sits on the southeast corner of Sunnyside and Hendrix Street has been discussed in the past, most notably the dumbwaiter inside, and I recently heard from Fatima (Silvestre) Hawkins, whose family resided there in the 50's and 60s. She supplied some pictures and background, and I added my historical research. We also have shots of the infamous Miller Hill at Sunnyside, courtesy of Gloria (Profeta) Gallaway, and I added some from the Brian Merlis archives.Feb 2 - I've returned from my usual January travels, and have a lot of catching up to do. Old friend and neighbor Mike Pastore sent me some vintage shots of Ashford Street, and a few P.S. 108 class pix, so I'm kicking off my updates with those. Go Giants!  January 8 - A Happy New Year to everyone. Gloria (Profeta) Gallaway sent over some great ENY shots from the 1950s, this one here giving us the best view yet of the old Tennis Pavilion that stood in the park until the late 1950s. She sent more of Highland Park (Lower Park page). a number from P.S. 108, a 1957 parade shot along Arlington Avenue and even shots of her dad playing stoopball on Sunnyside Avenue .2011Dec 21- Wishing everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR! Dec 13 - My condolences go out to the Figowski family. Officer Peter J. Figowski of the 75th Pct. was killed in the line of duty while responding to a burglary at 25 Pine Street yesterday. Dec 11 - Some nice images have been sent in by new contributors. Richard Nowak lived on Vermont Street north of Jamaica Avenue, and returned recently to discover a neighbor still there after 40 years! He sent a great color slide from the 1960s which forced me to dig into the archives for a 1923 shot. Those can be found in the Sunnyside section where I cluster that section north of Jamaica Avenue. Rich also sent over a picture of his mother's 1946 graduation class at St. Malachy's. Dennis Hehl sent over some 1960s images by 112 Linwood Street. Lou Ectoras sent over some great class pics from the 1950s at P.S. 108. We also received 2 class pictures from Tony Della Croce's brothers which are on the St. Rita's Class Pictures page. November 28 - It's Cyber-Monday, so I suppose I should remind everyone we still have copies of the book available and they make a unique gift for friends and family from the old neighborhood. That "old neighborhood" was mentioned in the Times today, in an article about the old New York Press Club's burial section in Cypress Hills Cemetery. I recently received several old pictures for addition to the site. Long-time site supporter Tony Della Croce sent over holiday greetings and a 1948 image of the St. Rita's Altar Boy Society. Thomas Schmidt sent over a 1932 image of his mother's graduation class from St. Michael's. Steve Charleston sent over a 1920 image from the old P.S. 72, along with some great memories of the school from the 1940s. That can be found under Zone 5.  November 16 - Kudos to Tom Hammond for spotting the new entrance to Cypress Hills Cemetery and grabbing a shot for us. Its not an exact replica, but a pretty good acknowledgment of the original entrance, and they deserve credit for bringing it back.  October 30 - Unwelcome snow hit the New York area yesterday, but this snow shot from Kurt Eger was welcome. That's his sister Ursula standing next to the family's Plymouth Fury in 1963, with F. K. Lane in the background. On the right is the familiar "Dawn of Glory" statue in Highland Park. For years the rumor was that Charles Atlas posed for the statue, and now Ronnie Amerise has provided the proof. You have to visit the Lower Highland Park page to see it. We also received images from two new contributors. Evelyn Israel sent material for JHS 149, and for two schools we have not covered, JHS 166 and PS 213. Zevi Isseroff sent history and images for Yeshiva Toras Chaim. You can find all that material under Zone 5  October 14 - I've fallen behind with updates, so while I'm updating the site I constructed an update page with a collection of images I recently acquired which documented the building of the IND line back in 1939. This line eventually replaced the elevated line which ran along Pitkin Avenue. The view here is south down Pennsylvania Avenue from Atlantic Avenue to Liberty Avenue in 1940, as they were recovering the roadway that had been opened up to construct the subway line. For the full series, visit the Update Page. September 18 - Under the 'Lost ENY' section of the website I have 'lost newspapers'. I've added two more; The East New Yorker issue is from 1980, I am still researching start and end dates. I inserted a number of articles, with references and pictures to the Piels admin building, P.S. 108, P.S. 273, St. Sylvesters, and Franklin K. Lane High School. I've also added some excerpts from The Chat, a Bushwick-based local which was issued from 1900 to about 1945. I've included an amazing article about an attempt to bring the Brooklyn Dodgers to East New York. I also found a 1964 edition of School Bank News, published by the East New York Savings Bank. These can be found on the Lost Newspapers page. August 21 - Ironically, Therese Panariello tipped me off to a reunion of St. Michael's High School Class of 1976 (see above for details) the same week I acquired a 1967 yearbook for the school. It was very well done, and all the undergraduate classes were photographed as well. I have built a sample page of The St. Michael's Commercial High School for Girls 1967 Yearbook and if anyone would like a specific scan drop me a line . August 6 - Well I'm sticking with a summer theme, and there's no better way to do that than use a shot of the Cypress Pool. This gem comes from Jack Auld, and it was taken in the early 1930s. I heard from Alison Kaplan Dillworth who told me her family was the first to move into the Linden Veteran Houses back in 1946, and she wasn't exaggerating- I found a the front-page picture from the Eagle and the pictures, articles and her story can be found at the bottom of Zone 5. "Subway Al" Zelaso always has a few gems, and sent over an early shot of Williams Avenue, which prompted me to follow up on a tragic event on Williams Avenue involving Irving Berlin's sister. Check that out on the Williams Avenue page of course. Al also sent a Hadassah card I plaed with the New Lots Talmud Torah on the Pennsylvania Avenue page. Tome Kehoe followed up on a 1956 St. Rita's class picture with not only corrections and more names, but the 1961 graduation picture of the class as well. And if you're on the St. Rita's class pictures page, check out the 1936 picture sent in by Peter Stango . July 15 - A while back George Kowalczyk sent over information regarding the large number of Polish-owned businesses that surrounded the area around St. John Cantius Church on New Jersey and Blake Avenues. Ironically this flyer is for the business owned by his father and his uncles, Henry and Mickey Golasewski, which was located up on Liberty Avenue off of Bradford. The business ran from about 1953 to 1966. It was not until I received a collection of images from Stephanie Johnsen that I returned to this material. Stephanie's images can be seen on the new New Jersey Avenue page, all around the St. John Cantius area. July 12 - Here's another summer memory. Vacation Bible School was a two-week program, a couple of hours each morning consisting of arts and crafts, learning a few songs, recess (punchball; hey, this is Brooklyn) and snacks. There would be a little service at the end of the two weeks where the songs would be performed. This program is from the end of the 1967 session. We attended Reformation on Barbey Street but this service was at Arlington Presbyterian on Elton Street. In the program, George Kraus was the Pastor at St. Peters, Rev. Ittner was Arlington Presbyterian and Pastor Messina was from Reformation. I never realized Blessed Sacrament was part of the group, I don't recall them being part of any activities. Maybe someone who attended the Blessed Sacrament program can share some memories. July 1 - Brian Merlis sent over this great shot of the class of 1936 at St. Sylvesters, which serves as a reminder that the diocese is also closing this school and merging it into the Salve Regina Academy. Bobby "Flash" Gennaro put up a video on YouTube he made on the farewell ceremonies which can be found here. I did some additional research on the school and church and that can be found in Zone 6. Thanks also to Alan Miner, who sent over a 1954 P.S. 171 class pic and a neat 1949 image off the corner of Nichols and Fulton which can be found on the Nichols Avenue page. June 23 - Summer's here! Things have been quiet so I found an appropriate summer photo. This is Brian Hyland, appearing at the Highland Park YMCA in the 1960s. Brian was from Woodhaven, and attended Franklin K. Lane. His summer hit, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini" hit #1 on the charts in 1960, and he later followed with "Sealed With a Kiss" which reached #3 in 1962. If you recognize yourself in this photo, or remember the occassion, drop me a line, I would love more background.May 29 - There haven't been many submissions lately, though Carol Leone sent in an East New York Savings Honors Thrift Class picture from 1951 for her third grade class at P.S. 64, which can be found on that school's page under Zone 6. I did receive one great submission, which prompted research about the odd three-block stretch in Cypress Hills known as O'Brien Place. Why does it exist and where did the name come from? To see the answers, visit the new O'Brien Place page.  May 1 - I hope everyone had a terrific Easter. It's been a little slow on new photo submissions, which is good because I've been busy. I also have some old photos I've been investigating, including a picture of 676 Jamaica Avenue. The picture on the left is how it looks today, pretty bland, but to see what it looked like 100 years ago along with some other old gems and a few submissions visit the May 2011 update page. Mar 23 - We have a TV alert! Therese brought to my attention that on the Friday night NBC show Who Do You Think You Are? will feature actor Steve Buscemi. Steve lived on Liberty Avenue until he was 8 years old, and there's even a trailer on the NBC website showing Steve driving through ENY. I also discovered another celebrity from ENY, but to find out who it was you must visit the P.S. 149 page. I posted a yearbook from 1951 and new contributor Jimmy "The Pea" Warren supplied material from 1963.As to the picture on the left, Phil Mastriano has been sending in some beauties and this one is a great timestamp. The view is north along Ashford Street across Fulton Street around 1945. Check out the football helmet, the car, the availability of parking and even the woman curbing her dog. Visit the Ashford Street page and the Essex Street page under Zone 6 to see more great images from Phil. Longtime site contributor Peter Stango sent over a shot from the 1940s in front of the Blessed Sacrament rectory with his uncle and the rectory cook.  Mar 10 - I'm dubbing this my "tips" update, for the tips that people send me about ENY. Several people, most recently Art Piazza, tipped me off that most of "Death Wish 3" was shot in East New York. It's an awful movie, and certainly not ENY's shining moment. Shot in 1985, that's Charles Bronson running around the corner of Hendrix Street and Pitkin Avenue. For a montage of additional screenshots, click here. Al Gavin tipped me off that his dad Al Gavin Sr. grew up at 110 Richmond Street and was in the boxing business for 57 years, working with heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis and with Mickey Ward (the boxer Mark Wahlberg plays in "The Fighter".) Al supplied a link The Cutman for more background. Jack Strauss tipped me off that Ilene Graff, the actress who played Bob Eucker's wife in "Mr. Belvedere", grew up on Wyona Street. Apparently her father was a singer, and I'm trying to get more background. Not so much a tip, but Joe DeBlasi sent over some pix from his group "The Classmates", won the talent show at Franklin K. Lane in 1966. You can find those pictures on the Lane page. I just heard from a Margaret Arnold who informed me that St. Sylvester's School will also be closed and merged into the new Salve Regina at St. Michael's. Speaking of St. Michael's , Phil Mastriano sent another fantastic early photo of his mother's class from about 1915. Mar 1 - Phil Mastriano sent this great early image of his mother's first communion at St. Michael's, circa 1911. I haven't quite pinpointed the location though I assume it was on the grounds. Phil, who solved a mystery photo for me, also sent in an image on Ashford Street circa 1939. Tony Della Croce sent over an image of Father Manno, who was instrumental in the building of St. Rita's school. I received a image of an early menu from Cordes, a neighborhood favorite, along with a lot of interesting background which can be found on the Norwood Avenue page. Feb 21 -A little tidbit of ENY-related news in today's Times. In Evergreen Cemetery there is a monument to a number of unidentified victims of the famous Triangle Waistshirt Company fire of 1911. Today the Times reported that Michael Hirsch (pictured at the monument) had identified the last six unidentified victims, all buried at Evergreens Cemetery.Feb 17 - A quick list of updates. On the back of that sad news from St. Rita's, Tony Della Croce supplied an image from 1952 of the Sisters of Notre Dame who were called there. Maureen (Collins) Heilig sent in her 1960 class pic from 171 along with the names. Vito Messina sent in material from his 1959 East New York Vocational Yearbook. Those images are under their respective school pages in Zones 4 and 6. Rich Adazzio, who always sends in great material and stories, sends in a 1941 tax photo of 262 Cleveland Street (Zone 2) and 132 Pennsylvania Avenue. On the Richmond Street page I added some material and history on the Roberts Numbering Company.  Feb 15 - I'm doing an update shortly, but I received news that St. Rita's school is closing this spring. I had recently received this class of 1946 image from Phil Mastriano, so the timing is ironic. The school will merge with St. Michael's and be renamed Salve Regina Catholic Academy. They will use the St. Michael's building. There is no word on the future of the St. Rita's school building or the parish. Thanks to Therese and Maria DeGennaro for forwarding the info. Feb 4 - I have returned from traveling, but sad to report I lost my Uncle Rich yesterday. He's pictured on the left in front of Reformation Church on Barbey Street in 1967. A long-time East New Yorker, he was a great source of information about the neighborhood, and he will be missed.I did some catching up, posting Ray Tuthill's early 1960's pictures of Etna Street , and Jack Auld sent in some more great early photos of the Fanchon Place/Marginal Street area in Zone 1. He also sent a couple relating to Christ Baptist Church on the Hendrix Street page. Charlie O'Berry, a new contributor, sent in a 1967 pic on Hale Avenue and a series of pix that can be found on the St. Rita's page.  Jan 29 - Fortunately for me I've been on the road and missing all these snowstorms hitting the northeast - but Ray Tuthill sent this image in of him and Gary Wahlers digging out in front of 407 Etna Street back in 1961, so I though it was appropriate for the moment. Jan 16 - A few years back I posted this image taken from a parade in 1942. The location was Pine Street and Sutter Avenue. I've now obtained the entire series from that parade, and have a built a page to display the set. There's a chance someone may remember the event, feel free to drop me a line. Visit the Sutter Parade to see the series. Jan 10 - Sorry to report that St. Malachy's has been demolished. Tom Hammond has been keeping me posted, and sent this image yesterday of the cleared site.2010 Dec 31 - History Lesson#3 (No Tim, there will not be a test!) A very Happy New Year to everyone. We finish with a great picture sent to us by Noreen Lavan. I received this several weeks ago and its hard to believe this house was located in Cypress Hills. Known as the Kelly Mansion, Noreen supplied some family history and I added my research to try to uncover the history of the mansion. So if you want to learn about ropewalks, Pine Street before it was Pine Street, and some early Cypress Hills history, visit our Kelly Mansion page. Dec 28 - While all of us in the tri-state area dig out from this snowstorm, Joann Montgomery sends over a blizzard of 1964 shot looking up Norwood Avenue towards Fulton, with the Norwood Palace in the background. Joann even IDs the crowd; " The little boy is Joseph D'Auria, his Mom Harriet D'Auria,myself on the snow bank , and Margie D'Auria Kavoures holding my hand." Dec 22 - I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Since I'm on a history kick, I thought I would post a picture of sleigh riders from 1896. This image appeared in a 1951 Brooklyn Daily Eagle newspaper, along with some neat background. I haven't figured out the specific location yet. Dec 17 - History lesson#2 - This image comes from Gary Davidson, who still resides on Logan Street. This arbor-style "Heroes" monument was dedicated in Highland Park on Dec 1, 1918 by Mayor Hylan. It contained the names of 600 Queens residents who lost their lives in World War I. We believe this was in the Upper Park. My research also turned up something called "Heroe's Day" which was celebrated in Brooklyn on Sep. 1st of each year, though I'm not sure how long the tradition continued. I'm not sure when this memorial was removed, but I suspect when they dedicated the "Dawn of Glory" statue in the lower park in 1924, this may have been considered redundant. Dec 10 - History lesson#1 - I've received some photos recently that have triggered a lot of research. This shot came from Howard Rubin. It was taken in front of a drug store on Hegeman and Pennsylvania Avenues around 1942. Howard IDs Murray Finkel, middle - top row, who fought in Anzio and was wounded in southern France. He also IDs Herman Rubin, top row right, who served as a weatherman in the Pacific. It is the signs in the background that intrigued me. "Buy blades now while we have" is a WW II timestamp. "Rent to Read Lending Library" was explained to me by Howard. There was no library down in the New Lots area at that time, so stores would stock popular titles and rent them out. The I.O.W. sign on the left stood for International Order of Workers, a communist -led organization that provided health insurance, mutual benefits and social organization. Howard added; "The IWO, known as the Wobblies was a left wing labor organization, which still has a small membership, according to an article I recently read in the NY Times. It is mostly defunct. They probably had a health plan which that drug store subscribed to. Remember, after WWII the left wing American Labor Party was strong in ENY. They even had a few elected politicians and were very active in the 1948 presidential election by supporting Henry Wallace. I remember a rally was held in Jeff Field, on Pennsylvania Avenue between Livonia and Riverdale Avenues, where Henry Wallace spoke. I would bet that he garnered many votes in the Jewish areas of ENY and Brownsville." Howard also sent additional images of the Sheffield/New Lots area which can be found in Zone 5. Stephen Lorber sent over a P.S. 64 class picture from 1953.December 4 - I have posted a number of recent contributions. Theresa Libretti-Kernisan (the same Libretti family that owned the typewriter store on Liberty Ave.) sent in her 1976 St. Michael's class pic. William Marino sent in two class photos from St. Rita's, 1962 and 1967. Roger Gapinski sent a batch of 171 photos, including the 1961 class play. Roger Hulslander sent in a 1958 backyard shot from 304 Hemlock, and Peter Stango another great early 1940's shot by Fulton and Pine on the Pine Street page. Phil Gallagher sent over a reunion shot with Mike Long that I posted in Zone 4 next to a 1950's shot of Phil, John Riccardi and their gang. November 29 - Some of us are old enough to recall the old Fulton Elevated line that ran along Pitkin and Liberty Avenues. I've put together a new photo collection, my research, and even a video clip on a new Fulton Elevated page as part of my "Lost ENY" series. November 24- I would like to wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving. PBS has posted the web project for which I was interviewed, and can be seen on their The City Concealed page. November 13- RPPC (Real Photo Post Cards) were popular at the turn of the century, before most people had cameras. Since they were not mass produced, they are hard to find but often provide rare images of lesser-photographed buildings. I have created an updated Postcards Page with a number I have collected recently.  Nov 6 - Art Pirozzi tipped me off that it appears they are preparing to demolish St. Malachy's. If anyone is in the area and can grab some pictures (apparently they have raised a plywood wall around the area so it may be difficult to see much). Art sent over the picture on the left. Nov 1 - I seem to be on a literary run. Those that recall Long's Ice Cream parlor in Cypress Hills might know that Mike Long's son Matt was a firefighter, but suffered horrible injuries one day when struck by a bus. This book is not about Cypress Hills (though it does have a picture of Long's) but describes his courageous battle to recover and eventually compete as a triathlete. All this prompted me to update the Crescent Street page , including a picture of Long's, as well as a number of items (the rifle club, the dog training school, the Hamburg Bank WWII plaque) that have been buried in my research. Oct 27 - I'm back from a lengthy trip, so for those who sent book orders they are being shipped today, and for those who dropped me notes or tried to contact me, I have catching up to do. In the meantime I'll wish everyone a Happy Halloween, with a picture of me staring out the window from our porch on 120 Ashford Street back in 1963.Oct 12- Stephen Duer has authored a new book on Cypress Hills Cemetery, which has just become available. Stephen gave me a tour of the Cemetery last May, so I'm giving him a plug and I updated the Cypress Hills Cemetery page with some new images and information I gleaned from his tour. Oct 9- Danny Blanda to the rescue! ".. the building with the strange writing was the home to the Cosmas and Damiano Society...which ran the feast of the same name at St.Rita....as a kid I always wanted to go in here and take a look at the statues of the saints .....but my mother would tell me it was only for the society members.....Although St Rita's had their own set of statues, the society would use their own for the feast (when the new church was built, the society donated a new set of statues to the church and then the old church statues were used for the feast) When they left this building on Pitkin Ave around 1967, they relocated to a small storefront on the sw corner of Essex and Liberty." Ronnie Amerise added some additional history on the feast; "The feast originated on Glenmore ave and Ashford st., back in the 40's and early 50's. As far back as I can remember, the feast went down from Ashford St. to Essex St. and made a left to the Church. As I recall, the Feast started on Liberty ave in 1953." The St. Rita's page in Zone 6 of course has images of the feast.  Oct 8 - Site fan Tim O'Reilly tipped me off to a great photo collection on the Brooklyn Historical Society website that features the work of David Morrell. There are a number of pictures taken of the neighborhood between 1959-1963. The one on the left has us stumped. The image is too small and the resolution too low to make out the details. The view is the north side of Pitkin Avenue between Elton and Linwood streets in 1963. There is a building with an odd sign on the face, a series of strange symbols and we're wondering if anyone can identify it.Oct 5- Our condolences go out to Rod Maggio's family. Anthony Ritsua noted his passing in our Guestbook. Rod was an avid fan of the site and supplied me with tons of information about East New York. He will be missed.  Oct 1- This very cool shot comes from Jack Auld. According to Jack, Mondone's Stables were located on the northeast corner of Sheffield Avenue and Fulton Street. Jack sent over some great material of the west end of Jamaica Avenue, so I did a complete overhaul of the Zone 1 page, adding 26 shots. For fun I even added the Lutheran Hospital bill from my birth on the page, but you have to take a guess before you peek. Jack also supplied a series of class photos from P.S. 76, which is on the Wyona Street page.Sep 21- Alice (Hetherton) Price sent over some images from the 1940s by 228 Etna Street, which can be found on the Etna Street page under Zone 3. Roger Gapinski noted Cub Pack 179 used to meet at the United Presbyterian Church on Etna and Elderts Lane, so on the same page you can find a Cub Den shot and updated material on the church. Alice also sent contributions for the Blessed Sacrament page and a shot of Lincoln Ave. (Zone 4 page). Ronnie Basso sent over shots from the Liberty Park reunion which can be found on our Reunions page.    Sep 10 - I'm calling this a 'fun facts' update. On the left is a view east on Liberty across Jerome, and St. Michael's school is visible on the left. What I circled on the right is 606 Liberty Avenue, and I discovered that actor Steve Buscemi grew up there. On the right, Brian Merlis tipped me off that on Essex Street and Liberty Avenue there is building that has the pre-1887 name for Essex Street (Eldert Street) on the side. Meanwhile, Cathy Reydel tipped me off that you can still see a sign for Fortunoff's on Pennsylvania Avenue down by Livonia Avenue. Thom Henrickson sent in a picture of Cordes from 1963, which can be found on the Norwood Avenue page. Finally, I took a trip to the reservoir today to help PBS on a web project, and I grabbed a number of unique shots which I have posted on the Reservoir page.Aug 31- John Riccardi, longtime Chestnut Street resident, has filled me in with a lot of great stories I need to get on the site but in the meantime he sent over shots of Chestnut Street from his days. He also sent over a shot of grandfather in the rear of 107 Pine Street, the house with the infamous columns. That led me to post my research and theory on the appearance of those columns on the Pine St. page. Gerry Carter supplied a picture of the Eagles baseball team posing in upper Highland Park in 1962, and from the same year, a picture of him in his baseball uniform on Jamaica Avenue between Logan and Norwood, seen on the Norwood Avenue page.   Aug 19 - Thanks to Mike Biscuiti and Charlie Passantino for sending me pix of the St. Rita's 1960 50th Reunion held recently. Pictured are Mike, Joe Lombardi, Chet Vinci, Tom Ruvulo, and Charlie. Mike also provided a picture of the same group back in 1967 in Germany (along with the story), and that can be found on the Zone 6 page. Hank Rich sent in a great 1945 class shot from JHS 171 which included members of the family that owned Jahn's Ice Cream Parlor and Weismantel's. On the right is my most recent project. These rare postcards of Cypress Hills date to 1910-1915, and we used a whole series of them in the book courtesy of collector Bob Stonehill. Brian Merlis had graciously sent me copies of ones we've never seen, and I added them to some "outtakes" we didn't use in the book to create a new Postcard series. Aug 11 - A quiet but hot summer, and today I stumble on an article in my local paper about Willie's lemon ices. The author was reminiscing, and yes, he found my site when trying to research it. The article can be found here . Though he didn't credit me, he did respond to my e-mail and it turns out his father grew up on Warwick Street! Small world. On the left is a picture sent by Tom Hammond. He took it very recently from his cell phone to show me they were building volleyball courts in the upper park where the bandstand stood many years ago. While not unraveling the mess made by my computer crash, I've been doing research. Over on Hale Avenue , I posted some research back in June on the location where the old Knights of Columbus building stands- and uncovered what I believe was ENY's first "mobster"- Charles E. Ackron. This guy was a piece of work, and I added that background to the Hale Ave. page. I built a page to hold the research I did on Trinity Episcopal Church and I also built a page to hold my research on the old Weismantel's Showboat on Jamaica Avenue. That page includes a great tax photo and a great image sent in by Peter Stango, and can be found here. Finally, my apologies who anyone who got spammed on our directory list. July 16 - I received a tip that the actor Vincent Schiavelli lived on Etna Street. Schiavelli (1948-2005), appeared in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Ghost as well many other movies. I did confirm he was born in Brooklyn, but he attended Bishop Loughlin High School so I have no confirmation of any ENY ties.When Rod Maggio solved one of our mystery pictures, it triggered some research on Euclid Park which I have compiled and placed in Zone 6. July 11- I managed to find a search engine that covers the Brooklyn Daily Eagle to 1954, and while researching various subjects I stumbled on some images - though the quality is weak they are pretty rare so I put together a page I call the Brooklyn Eagle Special to pull those together. Meanwhile Rod Maggio solved a tough one of our mysteries, visit the Mysteries page to see what he spotted. I'm also enjoying the Willie Mays biography, and they reference to the liquor store pictured below under the May 10 entry. It seems Willie was looking to open a liquor store up in Harlem (where he lived near the Polo Grounds) but couldn't get a liquor license, so they opened the store in Brooklyn with hopes of transfering the liquor license over. That fell through, and the Brooklyn store became a bust for him.  July 8- I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! The new computer finally arrived and I have a lot of catching up to do. Rick Constant had sent this terrific panoramic view looking south towards Jamaica Plank Road in 1892. Those farms in the foreground would all give way to Highland Park, except for the one at the far left which is sitting where National Cemetery is located today. Sharp eyes can spot the Essex St. tollbooth on the Jamaica toll road (it would burn down several years later.) The Stoothoff house, which is still standing, is also visible. To enable a closer view, Click here to see the left-hand side enlarged, and click here to see the right-hand side enlarged.  June 15 - While I'm battling a computer crash, I thought I would post this image sent in by Bernadette (Nicholson) Gill. She's on the right in this 1957 photo with her friend Laurie Marino, on their way to first communion at St. Rita's. We believe the view is looking east down Fulton Street from Shepherd Avenue but maybe someone can confirm that. Bernadette also sent in a 1955 kindergarten class pic from P.S. 108 which I posted on that page.June 2 - A road trip and a computer crash have set me back a bit, but I have been hearing from a lot of folks so I'm still busy with the site. Peter Stango reminded me about the Knights of Columbus Hall on Jamaica and Hale Avenues, and that set me off on a research binge. The results are all on the Hale Avenue page , and if you scroll to the bottom of that page you will also see a 1909 photo sent over by co-author Brian Merlis. Peter also sent over a 1955 image of his sister in front of Andrews Methodist (Richmond Street page) and a 1992 article on Andrews' entry into the Register of Historic Places (Andrews page under Zone 3.) Rick Constant used to live at 101 Linwood Street, and he sent a 1916 image as well as a view across the street in the 1960s which can be found on the Linwood Street page. A number of people confirmed the Willie Mays story, with Tom Valenza supplying the most details; "Willie Mays visited the Apprigliano family to see their daughter. Sadly, she passed away not too long after the visit. He indeed did show up in a pink Cadillac with a 'Say Hey' license plates. " Tom recalls the house was on Ridgewood, near Logan, but thought it was closer to 1974-75, not 1972. If anyone has more details, drop a note. We've also had a couple of confirmations on the Lena Horne story, apparently she was a neighbor of Lou Alba on Highland Boulevard. Lou, if you're out there we would like to hear from you! Laurie Marino gave me a technical correction on our featured postcard below, you have to click the trivia button so we don't give away the answer. Marylu Howell-Kelly corrected one of our 'mysteries' entries, visit the Mysteries page to see those details.  May 22 - Sorry I cannot be at the Blessed Sacrament Reunion today, but they declined my offer to attend. I wasn't ready for an update, but I found this very cool picture and had to post it. It is circa 1915, and you can try to figure out where it is - the answer is under the trivia button.  May 15- No response yet on our Willie Mays story. I've been working on 2 projects, one of which is my "Lost ENY" series. I've added to the "Lost" Newspapers section, adding a 1944 copy of the City Line Post and a 1948 copy of the East New York Savings Bank's "School Bank News". My second project was a building a page for Highland Park for just the postcards; many of the cards showing the bridge and flower garden are fairly repetitive so I will keep them in one location. I added about 9 card images that were previously unposted. Louis Passantino sent over his I.S. 171 Class 8_L picture from 1972. May 10- I hope all the mothers out there had a nice Mother's Day, today we are doing a little celebrity research. I found this shot in the Daily News archives, taken Dec. 1, 1954. Willie Mays used to own a liquor store along with teammate Monte Irvin at 556 Pennsylvania Avenue. Frank Calderone recalls Willie once visited a sick girl on Logan Street around 1972, arriving in a pink Cadillac with "Say Hey" license plates. Does anyone else recall this, or better yet, have pictures? I also noted today that Lena Horne passed away. One legend that is that she once lived on Highland Boulevard though I have never been able to verify that. If anyone has insights on these two stories, drop us a line.May 5 - Richard Woitowitz nailed 2 of our mystery photos, check that page out if you were stumped. Frank Calderone sent a number of contributions for the Blessed Sacrament page, and a shot for our Chestnut Street page. For theater history buffs, I found some early articles on the Warwick Theater I have posted to the Jerome Street page. April 20 - I have accumulated some submissions where the location is unknown, and I used that as incentive to update the stale Mysteries page. If you recognize the location, drop us a line. Anyone reading the papers will note that Goldman Sachs is in the headlines, for better or worse. Did you know that Lloyd Blankfein, CEO, was a Thomas Jefferson grad? I've created a new Thomas Jefferson High School page which includes a few outtakes we did not use in the book. Zone 3 gets some attention, as Thom Henrickson sends over early photos of 109 Shepherd Avenue, Joey Perrone adds early photos of 175 Essex Street (check out the car!) and Joanne Kirk suppies a pic of 666 Jamaica Ave. (Norwood Ave. page). April 10 - Richard Woitowitz sent over a treasure trove of pictures. I've created a Hendrix Street page under Zone 5 (south of Atlantic Avenue) to accommodate his pictures from the late 1950s and to raise the trivia question, where does Hendrix Street end? Richard also lived on Wyona Street down by Livonia in the early '60s and those pix can be found on the Zone 5 page.By the 70s Richard was on Lincoln Avenue, and those pix can be found in Zone 4. Jean Kestel sent over an early pic of Hook and Ladder 107 on New Jersey Avenue and I added another historical photo with it in Zone 1. Shelly (Wall) McNamara squeezed in a Franklin K Lane 1954 baby day pic to add to our collection. Mar 31 - Anyone checking out the New York Times today, in the New York section there is an article about Martin Raskin, who lives on the Upper East Side and maintains a collection of old public school memorabilia including desks, chairs, doorknobs, etc. Some of the material is from his alma mater, P.S. 202 on Hegeman Avenue in East New York.   Mar 29 - It's Easter week, so what's more fitting than a chocolate Easter egg? Marianne (Giugliano) Kobbe sent this, it's from her husband's side of the family. The egg was won from a local candy store, and the view is looking north across Atlantic Avenue around 1940. The Cypress Hills Laundry sat between Euclid Avenue and Pine Street, I know it was there since 1929 but that's all the history I have. I've also created an Evergreens Cemetery page under Zone 1. On the right, "Subway Al" Zelazo adds to our pony collection with a shot of his Aunt Nettie in the 1930s on Williams Avenue. Al also sent in a cool shot of his mother on Williams Avenue, which prompted me to finally generate a Williams Avenue page under Zone 5. |
