Bklink: Terrorist Photographers

So, if you stop and take a photo of the NYPD’s “Tower of Fun” skywatch thing, which is currently stationed in Crown Heights, an undercover officer might pull you aside and suggest that you’re a terrorist. Like this: “What are you, a terrorist? You look like you’re taking photographs of the officers in that secure area so you can follow them home to hurt them or kill them! Cops get death threats, you know!” Watch where you point that camera, people.–Razor Apple

Brookyule #3: Crown Heights Frosty

Crown Heights, Brooklyn[Photo courtesy of Runs with Scissors/flickr]

Upcoming: First Crown Heights North House Tour

From the Crown Heights North Association (CHNA) comes word of its first Annual House and Garden Tour, which takes place this Saturday, October 6th, from 12–5. They say in an email that “We are celebrating the beauty and culture of our neighborhood, and our recent designation as the first new Historic District in Brooklyn in over 10 years. This inaugural year, we are showing 10 houses, 2 historic churches and one community garden.” The first stop and ticket location is St. Gregory’s RC Church, 991 St. Johns Place at Brooklyn Ave. You can take the 3 train to Nostrand or Kingston Ave. Brooklyn Ave is between the two stops. Go north on Brooklyn Ave 3 blocks to St. Johns Place. Church is on corner. Or you can take the A train to Nostrand Ave or the 2/5 train to President St. Tickets are $25 and available online at the group’s website or at St. Gregory’s on the day of the tour. The tour starts at Noon and the last tickets will be sold before 3:30. The houses close at “5 pm sharp.”

West Indian Carnival Is Coming

The special GL correspondent who sent us this photo she took on Eastern Parkway yesterday said it put her in the carnival spirit. We agree, and it compelled us to note that the 40th Anniversary edition of the parade is happening on Monday, Sept. 3. There will, of course, be events all weekend long. If you want to learn more about the Carnival’s history, the Brooklyn Public Library has a nice page about it. Of course, you should also check out the West Indian American Day Carnival Association website, which has all the carnival info you could possibly want. The parade will run down Eastern Parkway on Monday. It is the first one without parade founder Carlos Lezama.

Crown Heights Historic District Tour on Sunday

The Crown Heights North Historical District was designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on April 24. On Sunday (6/10), the Crown Heights North Association, (CHNA), which led the landmarking drive, will hold the first annual Crown Heights North Walking Tour. It will include, in the word’s of the group’s press release, “some of the fine architecture and beautiful blocks that caused the LPC to choose us for this honor, as well as peek at some of the surrounding blocks that make up phases 2 – 4, the designation of which will make the Crown Heights North Historic district one of the largest, and most architecturally significant districts in New York City.” The tour starts from St. Gregory’s R.C. Church at the corner of Brooklyn Avenue and St. John’s Place at 12:45. The tour will leave promptly at 1PM. Subway directions: 3 train to Nostrand Ave. Walk down Eastern Parkway 2 blocks to Brooklyn Ave, turn left to St. Gregory’s beautiful campanile bell tower.

Admission is $20, which includes the tour, as well as a Garden Tea, featuring light fare, international iced teas and other beverages. Tickets are available at the CHNA website. There will be a house tour on October 6.

Crown Heights Landmark District Approved

New York City’s newest historic district is in Crown Heights. Yesterday, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to create the Crown Heights North Historic District, which is Brooklyn’s 17th. The Commission’s press release called the decision “the cornerstone for establishing similar districts in the neighborhood.” The new district runs along Pacific Street to the north, Dean Street, Prospect Place and St. Mark’s Avenue to the south, Bedford Avenue to the west and Kingston Avenue to the east. Most of the buildings were built between the 1860s and 1930s in styles that include Romanesque Revival, Queen Anne, Georgian and Renaissance Revival.

“This marvelous ensemble of mansions, churches, row houses and freestanding residences in Crown Heights North forms a streetscape that is unlike any other in New York City,” said Commission Chairman Robert B. Tierney in a press release. Up to 1,400 buildings could ultimately be in the Crown Heights district.

Crown Heights Landmark Vote Today

The Landmarks Preservation Committee will be voting today on landmarking part of the historic Crown Heights neighborhood, the first step in a process of creating a larger Historic District to protect the neighborhood. The New York Times reports:

…in a meeting this morning, the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission is expected to designate a long swath of 472 buildings as landmarks. The designation, in effect, freezes the look of the area. Any significant changes to the facades of those buildings must meet commission approval.

It is a designation more widely associated with Manhattan’s stately blocks, but it is appearing more throughout the boroughs. Today’s Crown Heights vote is the first of a series in the neighborhood that, when completed, would apply to about 1,800 mostly middle-class, black-owned homes and buildings landmarks, second only to Park Slope.

“It has a vibrant community and a vibrant historic housing stock,” said the commission chairman, Robert B. Tierney. “It has an eclectic array of architectural styles.”

As always, there are a large number of important Brooklyn landmarking discussions and votes pending in coming weeks.