Closing Bell: Crown Heights' Blooming Art Scene
Not even five years ago, Crown Heights was dominated by dollar stores, fast food, and the reverberations of the ethnic conflicts in the 1990s largely between Caribbean and Hasidic Jewish populations. The local melting pot was Tavern on Nostrand, but this restaurant and bar stuck out like a frat boy at an Indigo Girls concert….
Not even five years ago, Crown Heights was dominated by dollar stores, fast food, and the reverberations of the ethnic conflicts in the 1990s largely between Caribbean and Hasidic Jewish populations. The local melting pot was Tavern on Nostrand, but this restaurant and bar stuck out like a frat boy at an Indigo Girls concert. Now, with the influx of young professionals escaping Manhattan’s exorbitant prices, the neighborhood seems to be adapting to Tavern’s standards. Furthermore, the Nostrand Park blog brings news—albeit hesitant news—of a possibly exploding art scene. Three new art galleries have opened in the neighborhood within the past year, and multiple art organizations have been working steadily to promote and spread art, such as the Heart of Brooklyn, the Crown Heights Youth Collective, the Central Brooklyn Jazz Consortium, or the Chassidic Art Institute. It’s certainly too soon to declare a Crown Heights renaissance (we New Yorkers always do love announcing a new renaissance in art), but we’ll certainly keep our eyes on Crown Heights.
An Art Scene Grows in Crown Heights [Nostrand Park]
Photo by Crown Heist
Well, first off- my “thanks” to jscheff for posting a totally ignorant and uneducated article on Crown heights. If this is the level of reporting we can expect from you, you suck at it. And a shout out to big jugs for adding to the stupidity. (But again, what can you expect from someone who calls himself “big jugs?”)
Tavern was owned by an African American and is presently owned by 2 African American families. You make it sound like Tavern was opened to cater to the “Manhattan professionals” and if you’ve ever set foot in there, or in one of several other restaurants around the neighborhood, you might actually have learned that even Black folk like nice places to eat and great food and guess what? They don’t need “Manhattan Professionals” to show them how to do it. Crown Heights never waited for White people to rescue it- Crown Heighters are doing a slam bang up job of keeping it a great neighborhood all by themselves. And that includes all the old time residents and families who are sick and tired of being a dumping ground for Manhattan.
On the other hand, big jugs- why don’t you offer up YOUR neighborhood for the intake center? Oh wait- I guess you’re worried about your property values- freaking hypocrite.
“Crown Heights is having a renaissance, due to the hard work of lots of people, most of whom have lived here for years, generations even. New people are part of it, but are neither the cause or the only participants.”
****** The What throws up********
“What, I’m going to take a line from you – don’t engage me. You have no clue. I actually have things to do in my life, other than sit on Brownstoner all night waiting for your fellow misanthropes to chime in with moronic postings. And if you are going to insult me, get the spelling right. That’s MRS. Butterworth.”
Naw Morris! You had fun showing the Retards the “Hood”! Their plan (Covert Race/Class Warfare) is to throw everyone one out via Economic warfare and you’re helping them. Suck da balls…
The What
Someday Morris is gonna wake up…
Someday this war is gonna end…
What, I’m going to take a line from you – don’t engage me. You have no clue. I actually have things to do in my life, other than sit on Brownstoner all night waiting for your fellow misanthropes to chime in with moronic postings. And if you are going to insult me, get the spelling right. That’s MRS. Butterworth.
Big Jugs, my property values will do what everyone else’s do, rise and fall with the general economy. My opposition to the intake center have nothing to do with that, as I have stated many times, as you well know. To think, little ol’ me has the power to post on a blog that relatively only a tiny fraction of the population of NYC even knows about, and single handedly affect the property values of a huge neighborhood with thousands of people. MY GOD, THE POWER! Idiot.
Now you see what “The What” Rants about!!!!!!
Covert Race/Class Warfare…
“Not cool, not cool at all.”
Oh no Montrose Morris! This is what your “Buds” really think of you. Why didn’t your go off like you go off on me????? Thanks Misses Buttersworth..
The What (Nov 09 Ker-Boom)
Someday this war is gonna end..
Big Jug –
Many of the institutions that are mentioned in the post predate the nail salons, dollar stores, and take out joints that you point to. So you choose to frame Crown Heights in one way, but that frame misses a whole lot. (Nail salons and take out are definitely ubiquitous on Nostrand Avenue – but Nostrand is but one street in Crown Heights.)
And even if the “renaissance” only existed in the minds of the residents of Crown Heights … well, that’s where change begins. In the mind of a visionary whose sight is broader than it is myopic.
jscheff-
Are you one of those people who think they aren’t racist because they voted for Obama?
The whole “standards” sentence is perhaps the most gross thing I’ve ever read on Brownstoner.
Touche, dude.
Crown Heights is still dominated by dollar stores, take out joints, nail salons, etc. The only renaissance in Crown Heights exists in the minds of those like Montrose Morris, who want the value of their property to increase. That is the main reason he/she opposes the armory/homeless project.
Thank you very much for the write up, Brownstoner. Much appreciated.
One of the things that we try to underscore in the blog piece is that many of these institutions have existed in the neighborhood for decades. So I don’t think this is a new standard. I think this has always been there. Heck – the West Indian Day parade is a massive celebration of artistry – music, costume making, etc.
But people – without and within the community – are so lost in discussions about the riots or whatever other topic du jour, that they overlook this aspect of Crown Heights.
I think we what may be going on now are some artists and entrepreneurs – who incidentally are definitely not all white and definitely not all Manhattanites – that do research, check Census data, understand trends and have decided to catch the wave that was already in motion courtesy of the long time art & cultural institutions in the nabe.
Not cool, not cool at all.
Crown Heights is having a renaissance, due to the hard work of lots of people, most of whom have lived here for years, generations even. New people are part of it, but are neither the cause or the only participants. Please.