Celebrate Shirley Chisholm and the Crown Heights North Association With a New Walking Tour
Local preservation stalwart the Crown Heights North Association is kicking off their 20th anniversary celebration year with a special walking tour tracking Shirley Chisholm’s history in the neighborhood.

Congresswoman Chisholm announcing her presidential candidacy in 1972. Photo by Thomas J. O’Halloran via Library of Congress
Local preservation stalwart the Crown Heights North Association is kicking off their 20th anniversary celebration year with a special walking tour tracking Shirley Chisholm’s history in the neighborhood.
Led by Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen, the tour will highlight places important to the former Brooklyn congresswoman’s life and work in the borough. The tour takes place on Sunday, May 15 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. Space is limited for the in-person tour and the $20 tickets are available for purchase online as well as at Crabby Shack at 613 Franklin Avenue.
Other events in the honor of CHNA’s anniversary year will take place over the summer, including a movie night and rooftop music at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

The organization was founded in 2002 by neighbors Denise Brown and Deborah Young with a focus on preserving the historic architecture in their community and promoting cultural heritage, civic engagement and economic development. By 2007 their efforts resulted in the designation of the Crown Heights North Historic District, with two more districts in their multi-phased plan designated in 2011 and 2015. Education and advocacy work for a fourth historic district is under way; the Crow Hill area was named one of the Historic District Council’s ‘Six to Celebrate’ this year.
Beyond the push for designation, CHNA has also been active player in recent preservation issues within the neighborhood, including the lawsuit over an LPC-approved addition to the Dean Sage House and, most recently, the planned construction of housing on the site of the Hebron School in the Crown Heights North II Historic District.
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