Flatbush

A look at Brooklyn, then and now.

At the dawn of the 20th century, Flatbush was a growing and bustling part of Brooklyn. Much of it developed as suburbs, but as the century continued, the major streets, especially Flatbush Avenue, soon lost their small town look and became busy urban centers of commerce and public activity. The houses, some of them quite large, were replaced by stores, office buildings, apartment buildings, theaters, banks and libraries. By the end of the 20th century, Flatbush Avenue was still a bustling urban street, but many of the buildings, some once quite impressive, had either changed or were gone altogether. The southeast corner of Flatbush Avenue and Linden Boulevard is a prime example.

I’ve found at least five different postcards of this intersection because it once held two buildings that were quite important to the area. Only one remains today, and that one has changed with the times as well. This corner was home to a Carnegie library, on Linden, and the Flatbush Trust bank on Flatbush Avenue. The actual corner of the block was a grassy lawn, enabling one to see both important buildings from the corner. (more…)

A look at Brooklyn, then and now.

Maybe it’s the former performer in me, but I love theater buildings. I find them fascinating as architecture, and as measures of culture and history. At a time when large scale entertainment could not be experienced in the home, for most people, the theater was a necessary part of life. No matter if the venue was serious classical drama, opera, vaudeville, farce or, later, motion pictures, the theater building was a very important part of any community, and most communities were happy to have one nearby.

Of course, the motion picture industry cemented the movie theater in American culture, and as early as the ’teens, most theaters began showing movies, even if they had been built for theatrical productions. Some very fine architects began specializing in theaters, and even architects who built other kinds of buildings soon found that theaters were good money, and steady work. R. Thomas Short was one of those architects. He designed the Rialto, and would also design other theaters for the same owner. He’s most well-known for the Alywn Court apartment building in Manhattan and, locally, the Kismet Temple, aka the Shriner’s Arabian Nights headquarters in Bedford Stuyvesant. Both are very intricate and beautiful buildings. (more…)

A Look at Brooklyn, then and now.

What’s the big deal about a tennis court? Well, this isn’t about the game, per se, but about a “court”, another word for a street, an enclave, or neighborhood. Tennis Court was a clever play on words that heralded the beginning of the suburban development of Flatbush. Before there was a Prospect Park South, a Ditmas Park, or Caton Park, or the Beverley Squares East and West, there was Tennis Court. Yet this neighborhood is not on the list of desirable suburban enclaves lauded by real estate agents. Most people have never heard of a neighborhood called Tennis Court. And for good reason, because although the street is still there, the exclusive enclave of fine houses no longer exists. (more…)