East New York, Brooklyn
Encyclopedia
East New York is a residential neighborhood located in the Eastern section of the borough of Brooklyn
in New York City
, United States
. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5
. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: Cypress Hills Cemetery
to the north, the Borough of Queens
to the east, Jamaica Bay
to the south, and the railway tracks next to Van Sinderen Avenue to the west. Linden Boulevard
and Atlantic Avenue
are the primary thoroughfares through East New York. ZIP codes include 11207, 11208, and 11239. The area is patrolled by the 75th Precinct located at 1000 Sutter Avenue. New York City Housing Authority
(NYCHA) property in the area is patrolled by P.S.A. 2. During the twentieth century, East New York came to be a commuter town
predominantly inhabited by African Americans and Hispanics.
[TANF], Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid). East New York is predominantly African American
with a significant Puerto Rican
and Dominican
population as well.
developments of various type and a smaller number of tenements populate the area. The total land area is one square mile.
is a subsection of East New York. The Brooklyn-Queens border to the east, Fountain Avenue to the west. Salem Fields Cemetery to the north and Jamaica bay to the south.
is often included in East New York. The boundaries of New Lots, starting from the south and moving counterclockwise, are: Linden Blvd to the south, Fountain Avenue to the east, Sutter Avenue to the north, and Van Sinderen Avenue to the west.
to the south, and Schenck Avenue to the west. Spring Creek includes the well kept Starrett City
apartment complex, the Gateway Plaza Mall, and is currently under development.
is a subsection north of New Lots. The Cypress Hills housing project is not in Cypress Hills, it is in the City Line subsection of East New York. Van Sinderen Avenue to the west & Eldert Lane, Drew Street, 75th Street, Dumont Avenue,78th Street and 155th Avenue to the east. It is located north of Sutter Avenue and south of Highland Park & the Cypress Hills Cemetery
.
is a large subsidized apartment complex. Each building has between 11 and 20 floors. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: Flatlands Avenue to the north, Hendrix Avenue to the east, Jamaica Bay to the south, and the Fresh Creek Basin to the west.
, separates northwestern Long Island
from Jamaica
and the Hempstead Plains
, the main part of Long Island
's fertile outwash plain. Through one low spot in the chain passed a few 18th Century roads, including the ferry road or Jamaica Turnpike from Brooklyn
to Jamaica
, hence it was called "Jamaica Pass". During the American Revolutionary War
invading British
and Hessian soldiers ended an all-night march at this pass in August 1776 to surprise and flank
General George Washington
and the Continental Army
, to win the Battle of Long Island
.
In the middle 19th century the road between Brooklyn and Jamaica became the Brooklyn and Jamaica Plank Road
. The New York and Manhattan Beach Railway (1877) and the Long Island Rail Road (1878) were also built through the pass. The point
where they met was called Broadway Junction
. As often happened at 19th century railroad junctions
, a railway town
arose. Sprawling development
into recently rustic northern part of the Town of New Lots
followed the reach of elevated transit lines into the area: the Jamaica Avenue Line
in 1885 and the Fulton Street Line
in 1889. The road to Brooklyn was renamed Fulton Street, the one to Jamaica, Jamaica Avenue
and the one to Williamsburg
, Broadway
.
East New York was annexed as the 26th Ward of the rapidly growing City of Brooklyn; in 1897 it was brought into New York City as a whole with the consolidation of Brooklyn and other boroughs into a single city. In the 20th century its name came to be applied to much of the former township.
In 1939, the Works Progress Administration
Guide to New York City http://www.thenewpress.com/books/wpaguide.htm wrote:
After World War II
, thousands of manufacturing
jobs left New York City thereby increasing the importance of the remaining jobs to those with limited education and job skills. During this same period, large numbers of Puerto Ricans and African-Americans emigrated to New York City looking for employment. East New York, no longer replete with the jobs the new residents had come for, was thereby faced with a host of new socioeconomic
problems, including widespread unemployment
and crime
.
for East New York, chronicled in his book, How East New York Became a Ghetto, the change in population from mostly working class
Italians and Jewish residents to residents of Puerto Rican
and African descent. Thabit argues that landlord
s and real estate
agents played a significant role in the downturn of the area. Puerto Ricans were moving in masses to New York City in the late 1950s, at a time when unemployment rates in Puerto Rico
soared to 25 percent, and left Puerto Rico on the brink of poverty.
Thabit also describes how the construction of public housing
projects in East New York further contributed to its decline, noting that many of the developments were built by corrupt managers and contractors. He argues that the city government
largely ignored the community when it could have helped turn it around.
Writing in the New York Press, Michael Manville accused Thabit of poor research, sweeping generalizations, and a failure to distinguish the actions of racist individuals from the effects of a racist capitalist system, and contends that much of the urban renewal
and public housing efforts of the period were in fact well-intentioned, if ill-considered and hubristic.
near Jamaica Bay
. The Gateway shopping mall
in Starrett City
near East New York is suburb
an-style, and is home to retailers that include Bed Bath & Beyond
, Staples
, Marshalls
, Olive Garden
, Red Lobster
, Boulder Creek Steakhouse, Target
, The Home Depot
, and BJ's Wholesale Club
. The development was welcomed by many in the neighborhood for the jobs it would provide and is frequented by people from all over Southern Queens and Southern Brooklyn, bringing business into the neighborhood. Unfortunately, that promise has been elusive, as the low-wage, high turnover positions which comprise the majority of jobs there do little to generate higher wealth in the community.
.
The city, through its Department of Housing Preservation and Renewal, initiated several rehabilitation programs designed to redevelop many formerly abandoned apartment buildings and designate them low income housing beginning in the late 1970s. Also many subsidized multi-unit townhouses and newly constructed apartment buildings have been or are being built on vacant lots across the neighborhood. It is important to note that because of the restrictions placed by the rent-stabilization code on many of the redeveloped multi-family buildings, a significant number of these properties have fallen into disrepair and are at risk of landlord abandonment.
school district. East New York high schools suffer from high dropout rates. As with many NYC schools, gang violence is a common problem found in the local schools.
and 10% entering at grade level in in reading). The school was known for its ROTC
program. Four new high schools were organized in the old building.
New York City°N date=June 2009°W
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5
Brooklyn Community Board 5
Brooklyn Community Board 5 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of East New York, Cypress Hills, Highland Park, New Lots, City Line, and Starrett City...
. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: Cypress Hills Cemetery
Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn
Cypress Hills Cemetery was the first non-sectarian/non-denominational cemetery corporation organized in the Brooklyn/Queens area of New York City. The Cemetery is run as a non-for-profit organization and is located at 833 Jamaica Avenue in Brooklyn...
to the north, the Borough of Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
to the east, Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay is located on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, and the town of Hempstead, New York/hamlet of Inwood...
to the south, and the railway tracks next to Van Sinderen Avenue to the west. Linden Boulevard
Linden Boulevard
Linden Boulevard is a boulevard in New York City. It starts off at Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn and stretches through both Brooklyn and Queens. This boulevard, especially the area of Cambria Heights between Springfield Boulevard and the Nassau County line represents a smaller version of shopping...
and Atlantic Avenue
Atlantic Avenue (New York City)
Atlantic Avenue is an important street in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. It stretches from the Brooklyn waterfront on the East River all the way to Jamaica, Queens...
are the primary thoroughfares through East New York. ZIP codes include 11207, 11208, and 11239. The area is patrolled by the 75th Precinct located at 1000 Sutter Avenue. New York City Housing Authority
New York City Housing Authority
The New York City Housing Authority provides public housing for low- and moderate-income residents throughout the five boroughs of New York City. NYCHA also administers a citywide Section 8 Leased Housing Program in rental apartments...
(NYCHA) property in the area is patrolled by P.S.A. 2. During the twentieth century, East New York came to be a commuter town
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
predominantly inhabited by African Americans and Hispanics.
Demographics
East New York has a population around 90,000. Over half the population lives below the poverty line and receives public assistance (Temporary Assistance for Needy FamiliesTemporary Assistance for Needy Families
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is one of the United States of America's federal assistance programs. It began on July 2, 1997, and succeeded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program, providing cash assistance to indigent American families with dependent children through the...
[TANF], Home Relief, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicaid). East New York is predominantly African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
with a significant Puerto Rican
Puerto Ricans in the United States
Stateside Puerto Ricans are American citizens of Puerto Rican origin, including those who migrated from Puerto Rico to the United States and those who were born outside of Puerto Rico in the United States...
and Dominican
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
population as well.
Land Use
East New York consists of mixed properties but primarily semi-detached homes, 2-4 family houses and multi-unit apartment buildings including condominiums and co-ops. The area is also home to the East Brooklyn Industrial Park. Public housingPublic housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
developments of various type and a smaller number of tenements populate the area. The total land area is one square mile.
East Brooklyn Industrial Park
In 1980, the forty-four block East Brooklyn Industrial Park was established by the New York City Public Development Corporation in the northwest quadrant of East New York, Brooklyn. Bounded by Atlantic Avenue, Sheffield Avenue, Sutter Avenue and Powell Street.Public Housing Projects
- There are twelve NYCHA developments located in East New York.
- Belmont-Sutter Area; three 3-story buildings.
- Boulevard Houses; eighteen buildings, 6 and 14-stories tall.
- Cypress Hills Houses; fifteen 7-story buildings.
- East New York City Line; thirty-three 3-story buildings.
- Fiorentino Plaza; eight 4-story buildings.
- Linden Houses; nineteen buildings, 8 and 14-stories.
- Long Island Baptist Houses; four, 6-story rehabilitated tenement buildings.
- Pennsylvania Avenue-Wortman Avenue; three buildings, 8 and 16-stories tall.
- Louis Heaton Pink Houses; twenty-two 8-story buildings.
- Unity Plaza (Sites 4, 5A, 6, 7, 11, 12, 27); five 6-story buildings.
- Unity Plaza (Sites 17,24,25A); three buildings 6-stories tall.
- Vandalia Avenue; two 10-story buildings.
City Line
City LineCity Line, Brooklyn
City Line is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, bordering the neighborhoods of Cypress Hills to the north and Ozone Park, Queens to the east, and the Shore Parkway to the south...
is a subsection of East New York. The Brooklyn-Queens border to the east, Fountain Avenue to the west. Salem Fields Cemetery to the north and Jamaica bay to the south.
New Lots
New LotsNew Lots, Brooklyn
New Lots is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was known as the Town of New Lots from 1852 when the area seceded from the Town of Flatbush until it was annexed in 1886 as the 26th Ward of Brooklyn. The population is...
is often included in East New York. The boundaries of New Lots, starting from the south and moving counterclockwise, are: Linden Blvd to the south, Fountain Avenue to the east, Sutter Avenue to the north, and Van Sinderen Avenue to the west.
Spring Creek
Spring Creek is the southeastern part of the former Town of New Lots, and is often included in East New York. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: Linden Blvd to the north, the Fountain Avenue border to the east, Gateway National Recreation AreaGateway National Recreation Area
Gateway National Recreation Area is a National Recreation Area in the Port of New York and New Jersey. Scattered over Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island, New York and Monmouth County, New Jersey, it provides recreational opportunities that are rare for a dense urban environment, including ocean...
to the south, and Schenck Avenue to the west. Spring Creek includes the well kept Starrett City
Starrett City, Brooklyn
Starrett City is a housing development in Brooklyn, New York City. Starrett City opened in 1974, and in 2002, changed its name to the Spring Creek Towers. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5. Starrett City is patrolled by the NYPD's 75th Precinct.The Starrett City site spanned...
apartment complex, the Gateway Plaza Mall, and is currently under development.
Cypress Hills
Cypress HillsCypress Hills, Brooklyn
Cypress Hills is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, lying north of City Line and south of Cypress Hills Cemetery, in the far northeastern corner of Brooklyn. It is abutted on the west by Bushwick and on the east, across the Brooklyn–Queens border, by...
is a subsection north of New Lots. The Cypress Hills housing project is not in Cypress Hills, it is in the City Line subsection of East New York. Van Sinderen Avenue to the west & Eldert Lane, Drew Street, 75th Street, Dumont Avenue,78th Street and 155th Avenue to the east. It is located north of Sutter Avenue and south of Highland Park & the Cypress Hills Cemetery
Cypress Hills Cemetery, Brooklyn
Cypress Hills Cemetery was the first non-sectarian/non-denominational cemetery corporation organized in the Brooklyn/Queens area of New York City. The Cemetery is run as a non-for-profit organization and is located at 833 Jamaica Avenue in Brooklyn...
.
Starrett City
Starrett CityStarrett City, Brooklyn
Starrett City is a housing development in Brooklyn, New York City. Starrett City opened in 1974, and in 2002, changed its name to the Spring Creek Towers. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5. Starrett City is patrolled by the NYPD's 75th Precinct.The Starrett City site spanned...
is a large subsidized apartment complex. Each building has between 11 and 20 floors. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise are: Flatlands Avenue to the north, Hendrix Avenue to the east, Jamaica Bay to the south, and the Fresh Creek Basin to the west.
Bordering neighborhoods
- BrownsvilleBrownsville, BrooklynBrownsville is a residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.The total land area is one square mile, and the ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11212....
is a neighborhood west of East New York. It has the train by Junius Street to the east, Remsen Avenue to the northeast & Ralph Avenue to the southeast,the train by Avenue D to the south, and East New York Avenue to the north.
- WoodhavenWoodhaven, QueensWoodhaven is a middle-class neighborhood located in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.Woodhaven is bordered on the north by a public park, Forest Park, and Park Lane South. Woodhaven also borders Richmond Hill to the east, and Ozone Park to the south at Atlantic Avenue...
, Ozone ParkOzone Park, QueensOzone Park is a working class neighborhood located in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Queens bordering Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, and City Line, Brooklyn....
, and LindenwoodLindenwood, QueensLindenwood is a section of Howard Beach, Queens, New York. This middle class area was developed in the 1950s and 1960s and sits on landfilled land...
are neighborhoods in the borough of QueensQueensQueens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
that are located to the east of East New York.
History
A chain of hills, geologically a terminal moraineMoraine
A moraine is any glacially formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris which can occur in currently glaciated and formerly glaciated regions, such as those areas acted upon by a past glacial maximum. This debris may have been plucked off a valley floor as a glacier advanced or it may have...
, separates northwestern Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
from Jamaica
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
and the Hempstead Plains
Hempstead Plains
The Hempstead Plains is a region of central Long Island in New York state in what is now Nassau County. It was once an open expanse of native grassland estimated to once extend to about . It was separated from the North Shore of Long Island by the Harbor Hill Moraine, later approximately the route...
, the main part of Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
's fertile outwash plain. Through one low spot in the chain passed a few 18th Century roads, including the ferry road or Jamaica Turnpike from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
to Jamaica
Jamaica, Queens
Jamaica is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States. It was settled under Dutch rule in 1656 in New Netherland as Rustdorp. Under British rule, the Village of Jamaica became the center of the "Town of Jamaica"...
, hence it was called "Jamaica Pass". During the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
invading British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
and Hessian soldiers ended an all-night march at this pass in August 1776 to surprise and flank
Flanking maneuver
In military tactics, a flanking maneuver, also called a flank attack, is an attack on the sides of an opposing force. If a flanking maneuver succeeds, the opposing force would be surrounded from two or more directions, which significantly reduces the maneuverability of the outflanked force and its...
General George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
, to win the Battle of Long Island
Battle of Long Island
The Battle of Long Island, also known as the Battle of Brooklyn or the Battle of Brooklyn Heights, fought on August 27, 1776, was the first major battle in the American Revolutionary War following the United States Declaration of Independence, the largest battle of the entire conflict, and the...
.
In the middle 19th century the road between Brooklyn and Jamaica became the Brooklyn and Jamaica Plank Road
Plank road
A plank road or puncheon is a dirt path or road covered with a series of planks, similar to the wooden sidewalks one would see in a Western movie. Plank roads were very popular in Ontario, the U.S. Northeast and U.S. Midwest in the first half of the 19th century...
. The New York and Manhattan Beach Railway (1877) and the Long Island Rail Road (1878) were also built through the pass. The point
East New York (LIRR station)
East New York is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Atlantic Branch in East New York, Brooklyn, where that branch passes through the historic Jamaica Pass. It is located at ground level, in the median of Atlantic Avenue, and underneath the elevated main lanes of Atlantic Avenue, with one side...
where they met was called Broadway Junction
Broadway Junction (New York City Subway)
Broadway Junction is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the elevated BMT Canarsie Line and BMT Jamaica Line, and the underground IND Fulton Street Line. It was also served by trains of the Fulton Street Elevated until that line closed in 1956...
. As often happened at 19th century railroad junctions
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
, a railway town
Railway town
A railway town is a settlement that originated or was greatly developed because of a railway station or junction at its site.In Victorian Britain, the spread of railways greatly affected the fate of many small towns...
arose. Sprawling development
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
into recently rustic northern part of the Town of New Lots
New Lots, Brooklyn
New Lots is a sub-section of the East New York neighborhood in the eastern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was known as the Town of New Lots from 1852 when the area seceded from the Town of Flatbush until it was annexed in 1886 as the 26th Ward of Brooklyn. The population is...
followed the reach of elevated transit lines into the area: the Jamaica Avenue Line
BMT Jamaica Line
The Jamaica Line is an elevated rapid transit line of the B Division of the New York City Subway, in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, United States. It runs from the Williamsburg Bridge southeast over Broadway to East New York, Brooklyn, and then east over Fulton Street and Jamaica Avenue to...
in 1885 and the Fulton Street Line
Fulton Street Line (elevated)
The Fulton Street Line, also called the Fulton Street Elevated or Kings County Line, was an elevated rail line mostly in Brooklyn, New York City, United States...
in 1889. The road to Brooklyn was renamed Fulton Street, the one to Jamaica, Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue
Jamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue starts at Broadway and Fulton Street in the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, and goes to the city line in Bellerose, Queens, where it becomes Jericho...
and the one to Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
, Broadway
Broadway (Brooklyn)
Broadway is an avenue in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that extends from the East River in the neighborhood of Williamsburg in a southeasterly direction to East New York for a length of 4.32 miles . It was named for Broadway in Manhattan. The East New York terminus is a complicated...
.
East New York was annexed as the 26th Ward of the rapidly growing City of Brooklyn; in 1897 it was brought into New York City as a whole with the consolidation of Brooklyn and other boroughs into a single city. In the 20th century its name came to be applied to much of the former township.
In 1939, the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
Guide to New York City http://www.thenewpress.com/books/wpaguide.htm wrote:
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, thousands of manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
jobs left New York City thereby increasing the importance of the remaining jobs to those with limited education and job skills. During this same period, large numbers of Puerto Ricans and African-Americans emigrated to New York City looking for employment. East New York, no longer replete with the jobs the new residents had come for, was thereby faced with a host of new socioeconomic
Socioeconomics
Socioeconomics or socio-economics or social economics is an umbrella term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society." More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through social...
problems, including widespread unemployment
Unemployment
Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
and crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
.
Ghetto
Walter Thabit, a city plannerUrban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
for East New York, chronicled in his book, How East New York Became a Ghetto, the change in population from mostly working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
Italians and Jewish residents to residents of Puerto Rican
Puerto Ricans in the United States
Stateside Puerto Ricans are American citizens of Puerto Rican origin, including those who migrated from Puerto Rico to the United States and those who were born outside of Puerto Rico in the United States...
and African descent. Thabit argues that landlord
Landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant . When a juristic person is in this position, the term landlord is used. Other terms include lessor and owner...
s and real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
agents played a significant role in the downturn of the area. Puerto Ricans were moving in masses to New York City in the late 1950s, at a time when unemployment rates in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
soared to 25 percent, and left Puerto Rico on the brink of poverty.
Thabit also describes how the construction of public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
projects in East New York further contributed to its decline, noting that many of the developments were built by corrupt managers and contractors. He argues that the city government
Government of New York City
The government of New York City is organized under the City Charter and provides for a "strong" mayor-council system. The government of New York is more centralized than that of most other U.S...
largely ignored the community when it could have helped turn it around.
Writing in the New York Press, Michael Manville accused Thabit of poor research, sweeping generalizations, and a failure to distinguish the actions of racist individuals from the effects of a racist capitalist system, and contends that much of the urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
and public housing efforts of the period were in fact well-intentioned, if ill-considered and hubristic.
Renewal
New developments are rising in the area, including the Gateway Center, located on what was once part of a landfillLandfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
near Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay is located on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, and the town of Hempstead, New York/hamlet of Inwood...
. The Gateway shopping mall
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
in Starrett City
Starrett City, Brooklyn
Starrett City is a housing development in Brooklyn, New York City. Starrett City opened in 1974, and in 2002, changed its name to the Spring Creek Towers. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 5. Starrett City is patrolled by the NYPD's 75th Precinct.The Starrett City site spanned...
near East New York is suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an-style, and is home to retailers that include Bed Bath & Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond
Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. was formed in 1971 and today operates a chain of domestic merchandise retail stores across United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. They feature mostly medium-ranged, but also a limited selection of high quality, domestic merchandise: items for the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen,...
, Staples
Staples, Inc.
Staples Inc. is a large office supply chain store, with over 2,000 stores worldwide in 26 countries. Based in Framingham, Massachusetts, United States, the company has retail stores, serving customers under its original name in Austria, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Norway,...
, Marshalls
Marshalls
Marshalls, Inc., is a chain of American department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 750 conventional stores, as well as larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store, covering 42 states and Puerto Rico. Marshalls expanded into Canada in March 2011...
, Olive Garden
Olive Garden
Olive Garden is an American restaurant chain specializing in Italian-American cuisine. It is a subsidiary of Darden Restaurants, Inc., which is headquartered in an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, near Orlando. Olive Garden operates more than 730 locations globally.- History :The...
, Red Lobster
Red Lobster
Red Lobster is a U.S. chain of seafood restaurants. It also operates in Canada, the UAE and Japan . It is aimed at the mid-level "casual dining" segment of the market...
, Boulder Creek Steakhouse, Target
Target Corporation
Target Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
, The Home Depot
The Home Depot
The Home Depot is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services.The Home Depot operates 2,248 big-box format stores across the United States , Canada , Mexico and China, with a 12-store chain...
, and BJ's Wholesale Club
BJ's Wholesale Club
BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc. , commonly referred to simply as BJ's, is a membership-only warehouse club chain operating on the United States East Coast, as well as in the state of Ohio...
. The development was welcomed by many in the neighborhood for the jobs it would provide and is frequented by people from all over Southern Queens and Southern Brooklyn, bringing business into the neighborhood. Unfortunately, that promise has been elusive, as the low-wage, high turnover positions which comprise the majority of jobs there do little to generate higher wealth in the community.
Urban Renewal
After a wave of arson ravaged the low income communities of New York City throughout the 1970s, many of the residential structures in East New York were left seriously damaged or destroyed. The dilapidated homes and streetscapes served as the fictional setting for the film Death Wish 3Death Wish 3
Death Wish 3 is a 1985 action film starring Charles Bronson as vigilante killer Paul Kersey and is the second sequel to the 1974 film Death Wish. It was written by Don Jakoby...
.
The city, through its Department of Housing Preservation and Renewal, initiated several rehabilitation programs designed to redevelop many formerly abandoned apartment buildings and designate them low income housing beginning in the late 1970s. Also many subsidized multi-unit townhouses and newly constructed apartment buildings have been or are being built on vacant lots across the neighborhood. It is important to note that because of the restrictions placed by the rent-stabilization code on many of the redeveloped multi-family buildings, a significant number of these properties have fallen into disrepair and are at risk of landlord abandonment.
Transportation
East New York has the following public transportation services:- East New YorkEast New York (LIRR station)East New York is a station on the Long Island Rail Road's Atlantic Branch in East New York, Brooklyn, where that branch passes through the historic Jamaica Pass. It is located at ground level, in the median of Atlantic Avenue, and underneath the elevated main lanes of Atlantic Avenue, with one side...
station of the Long Island Railroad. - The 3 train at Junius Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Van Siclen Avenue and New Lots Avenue on the IRT New Lots LineIRT New Lots LineThe New Lots Line or Livonia Avenue Line is one of the lines of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, consisting of an elevated structure that begins just east of Crown Heights – Utica Avenue, and continuing to New Lots Avenue in New Lots, Brooklyn.The line includes an unused trackway in...
- The L train at Atlantic AvenueAtlantic Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)Atlantic Avenue is a rapid transit station on the BMT Canarsie Line, a part of the New York City Subway system. Built in 1916, it was reconfigured in 2002–04. This station is a good example of the Dual Contracts architecture. Much of the period woodwork and ironwork is intact. The fare control...
, Sutter AvenueSutter Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)Sutter Avenue is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Van Sinderen and Sutter Avenues, it is served by the L train at all times....
, Livonia AvenueLivonia Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)Livonia Avenue is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Livonia and Van Sinderen Avenue, it is served by the L train at all times....
, New Lots AvenueNew Lots Avenue (BMT Canarsie Line)New Lots Avenue is a station on the BMT Canarsie Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of New Lots and Van Sinderen Avenues in East New York, it is served by the L train at all times....
on the BMT Canarsie LineBMT Canarsie LineThe Canarsie Line is a rapid transit line of the BMT Division of the New York City Subway system, named after its terminus in the Canarsie neighborhood of Brooklyn...
. - Liberty AvenueLiberty Avenue (IND Fulton Street Line)Liberty Avenue, is a local station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. It is served by the C train at all times except late nights when it is replaced by the A train. The exit is in the center with two stairways to a crossover to Liberty and Pennsylvania Avenues...
, Van Siclen AvenueVan Siclen Avenue (IND Fulton Street Line)Van Siclen Avenue is a local station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Van Siclen and Pitkin Avenues in Brooklyn, it is served by the C train at all times except late nights, when the A train provides service.There is a crossover and a single...
, Shepherd AvenueShepherd Avenue (IND Fulton Street Line)Shepherd Avenue is a local station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Shepherd and Pitkin Avenues in Brooklyn, it is served by the C train at all times except late nights, when the A train provides service.It resembles Van Siclen Avenue, having...
, Euclid AvenueEuclid Avenue (IND Fulton Street Line)Euclid Avenue is an express station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Euclid Avenue and Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn, it is served by the A train at all times, and the southern terminal for the C train, at all times except late nights...
, and Grant AvenueGrant Avenue (IND Fulton Street Line)Grant Avenue is a station on the IND Fulton Street Line of the New York City Subway. Located at the intersection of Grant and Pitkin Avenues in City Line, Brooklyn, it is served by the A train at all times....
of the IND Fulton Street LineIND Fulton Street LineThe IND Fulton Street Line is a rapid transit line of the IND Division of the New York City Subway, extending from the Cranberry Street Tunnel under the East River through all of central Brooklyn to a terminus in Ozone Park, Queens. The IND Rockaway Line branches from it. It forms part of the A... - Broadway JunctionBroadway Junction (New York City Subway)Broadway Junction is a New York City Subway station complex shared by the elevated BMT Canarsie Line and BMT Jamaica Line, and the underground IND Fulton Street Line. It was also served by trains of the Fulton Street Elevated until that line closed in 1956...
station of the A, C, J, L, and Z trains. - The East New York Yard of the New York City Subway, and the East New York Bus Depot are located near Jamaica AvenueJamaica AvenueJamaica Avenue is a major avenue in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens in New York City, New York, in the United States. Jamaica Avenue starts at Broadway and Fulton Street in the East New York neighborhood in Brooklyn, and goes to the city line in Bellerose, Queens, where it becomes Jericho...
. - The B6, B12, B13, B14, B15, B20, B25, B82, B83, BM5, Q24 and Q56 buses.
Police Patrol
East New York is patrolled by the NYPD's 75th and the Brooklyn North Task Force as well has Transit District 33 and Police Service Area 2 Precinct.Education
All areas of New York City are within the New York City Department of EducationNew York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
school district. East New York high schools suffer from high dropout rates. As with many NYC schools, gang violence is a common problem found in the local schools.
School closed and reorganized
One of the neighborhood's local public high schools, Thomas Jefferson High School, shut down in June 2007 due to extremely low academic performance: a graduation rate of 29%, with only 2% entering the school at grade level in mathMathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and 10% entering at grade level in in reading). The school was known for its ROTC
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
program. Four new high schools were organized in the old building.
Notable natives
- George GershwinGeorge GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
, composer of many songs standards, also of Porgy and BessPorgy and BessPorgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
and Rhapsody in BlueRhapsody in BlueRhapsody in Blue is a musical composition by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band written in 1924, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects....
. - Ira GershwinIra GershwinIra Gershwin was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century....
, lyricist and brother of George GershwinGeorge GershwinGeorge Gershwin was an American composer and pianist. Gershwin's compositions spanned both popular and classical genres, and his most popular melodies are widely known...
. - Jimmy SmitsJimmy SmitsJimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...
, Actor. - Tony DanzaTony DanzaTony Danza is an American actor best known for starring on the TV series Taxi and Who's the Boss?, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award and four Golden Globe Awards...
, Actor. - Steve BuscemiSteve BuscemiSteven Vincent "Steve" Buscemi is an American actor, writer and film director. An associate member of the renowned experimental theater company The Wooster Group, Buscemi has starred and supported in successful Hollywood and indie films including New York Stories, Mystery Train, Reservoir Dogs,...
, Actor. - Isaac AsimovIsaac AsimovIsaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...
, writer. Asimov was born in Russia but he and his family moved to the US when he was very young. They lived at various addresses in East New York. - Linda NovemberLinda NovemberLinda Ellen November is an American singer who sang tens of thousands of commercial jingles. She was the voice of the singing cat in the Meow Mix commercials, sang the jingle "Galaxy Glue" in the 1981 film The Incredible Shrinking Woman, the "Coke and a Smile" jingle in the classic Mean Joe Greene...
, singer - Domingo (producer)Domingo (producer)Domingo Padilla, better known as Domingo, is a producer from New York of Latin origin. He has produced for some of hip hop's most respected and well-known artists.-Albums:*Domingo Presents—Behind the Doors of the 13th Floor compilation...
, Music Producer Prominent in the 90's and present. - Masta KillaMasta KillaJamel Arief , better known as Masta Killa, is an American rapper and member of the Wu-Tang Clan...
, rapper, member of seminal hip hop collective the Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang ClanThe Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
. - AZAZ (rapper)Anthony Cruz , better known as AZ is a Grammy-nominated American rapper of Dominican & African American descent. He is known for being a long time and frequent rhyme partner of Nas, and also a member of hip-hop group The Firm alongside Nas, Foxy Brown, Cormega and Nature.In a countdown of the 10...
, rapper best known as an associate of NasNasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
and a member of the hip hop group The Firm. - John BrockingtonJohn BrockingtonJohn Stanley Brockington is a former American football running back. He was the National Football League's Green Bay Packers' 1st round draft choice out of the Ohio State University, and was the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1971.-College career:Brockington played halfback and fullback for...
, football player with Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. - Lil MamaLil MamaNiatia Jessica Kirkland professionally known as Lil Mama, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, musician, and dancer.-Early life:...
, is an MTV Music Award-nominated American rapper currently signed to Jive Records. - Eddie SanchezEddie SanchezEduardo Arturo Sanchez is an American mixed martial arts fighter.-Ultimate Fighting Championship:On February 3, 2007 at the Ultimate Fighting Championship's UFC 67, he lost to Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipović by technical knockout due to punches at 4:33 of the first round, in Filipović's debut fight in...
, hip hop lyricist and drummer - Martín EspadaMartín EspadaMartín Espada is a Latino poet, and professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he teaches poetry. Puerto Rico has frequently been featured as a theme in his poems.- Life and career :Espada was born in Brooklyn, New York...
, award-winning Puerto Rican poet - Jeru the DamajaJeru the DamajaKendrick Jeru Davis, known as Jeru the Damaja is an American rapper and recording artist who has worked extensively with Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr, whom he has known since high school.-Biography:...
, hip hop artist, prominent in the mid-1990s. - Danny KayeDanny KayeDanny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
, Hollywood movie star and comedian in the 1940s and 1950s. - MaxwellMaxwell (musician)Maxwell , is an American R&B, funk and neo soul musician. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul.-Early life:...
, Musician - Tracie MorrisTracie MorrisTracie Morris is an American poet, performer, vocalist and academic originally from Brooklyn, New York.-Career:Morris emerged as a performer and writer from the Lower East Side poetry scene in the early 1990s. She became known as a local performer in the "slam" scene located in the Nuyorican Poets...
, poet, performer, academic - Lloyd BlankfeinLloyd BlankfeinLloyd Craig Blankfein is an American business executive. He is currently the CEO and Chairman of Goldman Sachs. He has been in this position since the May 31, 2006 nomination of former CEO Henry Paulson as Secretary of the Treasury under George W...
, CEO of Goldman Sachs. - Shelley HirschShelley HirschShelley Hirsch is a singer, performer, and composer. Central to Hirsch's work are her versatile vocal abilities, which are often enmeshed in a kaleidoscope of electronic music and sound effects....
, avant-garde singer, performer,and composer. - Ezra Jack KeatsEzra Jack KeatsEzra Jack Keats , Caldecott-winning author of The Snowy Day, was one of the most important children's literature authors and illustrators of the 20th Century....
, children's picture book author and illustrator. - DONDIDondiDondi was a daily comic strip about a large-eyed war orphan of the same name. Created by Gus Edson and Irwin Hasen, it ran in more than 100 newspapers for three decades .-Interview:...
, legendary graffiti artist. - StetsasonicStetsasonicStetsasonic was an American hip hop group formed in 1979 in Brooklyn, New York City, New York. It is remembered as one of the first hip hop crews to use a live band, and the group's positive, uplifting lyrics made it forerunners of alternative hip hop and jazz hip...
, hip hop group prominent in late 80's-early 90's - Starang WondahStarang WondahStarang Wondah is an American rapper and member of the trio O.G.C. and Boot Camp Clik supergroup. Starang debuted in 1995 on Smif-N-Wessun's Dah Shinin album, appearing on the single "Sound Bwoy Bureill" and the crew cut "Cession at da Doghillee." Later in 1995, Starang and O.G.C...
, rapper, member of Originoo Gunn Clappaz. - Uncle MurdaUncle MurdaLeonard Grant, better known by his stage name, Uncle Murda, is an American rapper from the Pink Houses section of East New York.- Musical career:...
rapper, from Cypress Hills - Blahzay BlahzayBlahzay BlahzayBlahzay Blahzay was an East Coast hip hop group from Brooklyn, New York, consisting of DJ PF Cuttin and MC Out Loud. The group released only one album, 1996's Blah Blah Blah, along with a 1999 maxi-single of new material. The LP contained the group's most popular track, Danger...
, duo MC Outloud and DJ PF Cuttin, best known for the 1995 East New York anthem Danger (When the East is in the house). - Fat Boys, 80's celebrated hip hop trio grew up on Schenck Avenue
- Lil' Dap, one half of 90's rap duo Group HomeGroup HomeGroup Home is a hip hop duo, composed of members Lil' Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker . They came to prominence as members of the Gang Starr Foundation. Lil' Dap made his rhyming debut on Gang Starr's 1992 classic Daily Operation on the song "I'm the Man"...
External links
- Community Gazettes - District 42 from the Gotham Gazette
- NYC Subway Yards: East New York Yard
- East New York Gardeners' Association
- The ENY Projects Web Hangout
- The East New York Project
- East New York Farms
New York City°N date=June 2009°W