“My Beer Is Rheingold, the Dry Beer” — the Beer, the Brewery and the Bruhaha
In the Victorian era, the city of Brooklyn was home to 48 breweries. Here's the story of one of Brooklyn's most popular beers, Rheingold, which is still produced today, although its former factory, in Bushwick, is now a controversial development site.
Queen Anne Style: America’s Flamboyant and Fantastic Architectural Melting Pot
Poor Queen Anne! Her name is synonymous with the catchall of architectural style — a flamboyant and eclectic design genre that caught on in Brooklyn at the end of the 19th century.
But how in the world did a little-known queen of England get her name on an entire period of architecture that took place almost 200 years after her death? And what is Queen Anne architecture, anyway?
Did You Know the Teddy Bear Was Invented in a Bed Stuy Candy Shop?
Everything ends up here eventually, but Made in Brooklyn is a column exploring native, born-and-bred borough creations.
The teddy bear, the inspired creation of Russian Jewish immigrants Rose and Morris Michtom, was born in a Bed Stuy candy shop in 1902.
How Master Builder Robert Moses Transformed Brooklyn as We Know It
More than anyone else in recent history, Robert Moses shaped the physical infrastructure of Brooklyn. We drive on his roads, stroll through his parks, live in his housing developments and are surrounded by his influence at every turn. From the 1920s through the late ’60s, Moses molded New York City like clay, creating a legacy of projects that are greatly used, while being loved, hated and controversial, even today.
Black Velvet and Gold Lace: What Highfalutin Brooklynites Wore to the Opera 100 Years Ago
Just in case you needed an example of “the effective use of a gold coronet,” this 1918 issue of Brooklyn Life has got you covered. Read on for more about the Leeming family and illustrations of other “becomingly attired” Brooklyn ladies of yesteryear.
Still Hard to Get To, but No Longer Red: How Red Hook Got Its Name
Brownstoner takes on Brooklyn history in Nabe Names, a series of briefs on the origins and surprising stories of neighborhood nomenclature.
One of Brooklyn’s many former industrial hubs, Red Hook’s long-underused and abandoned waterfront warehouses are now seeing a transformation into luxury apartments.
5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza
The dignified entrance to both Prospect Park and Eastern Parkway, Grand Army Plaza remains a central landmark in Brooklyn more than 100 years since its creation.
Overwrought Victorian vs. Basic Modern Box: Weighing the Past and Present of 70 Clark Street
If you’re into over-the-top Victorian architecture, you would have loved the Sands Street Memorial Church, which once stood at the corner of Henry and Clark streets in Brooklyn Heights. But if standard “apartment modern” is more your style, then the church’s 1948 replacement just might float your boat.
Old or new(er)? Which do you prefer?
How the Death-O-Meter Helped Brooklynites Promote Street Safety in the 1920s
In the 1920s, Brooklyn’s increasing number of automobiles turned the borough’s streets into a treacherous place for drivers and pedestrians alike. Safety advocates’ way to bring this to the public’s attention in 1924? The Death-O-Meter.
The Luxurious Wedding and Remarkable Home of Great Brooklyn Architect Montrose Morris
Even today, having your wedding covered by a prominent newspaper is a coup. For socially prominent Brooklynites in the late 1800s, everyone who was anyone vied to have the Brooklyn Daily Eagle report on their ceremony and reception.
For the 1889 wedding of Miss Florence Gould Travis, however, readers were also treated to an epic description of her lavish new home. Florence was not just marrying one of Brooklyn’s finest, most sought-after architects.
She was marrying the great Montrose Morris. And their home was spectacular.