Discovering Brooklyn: Brooklyn Navy Yard & Fort Greene

Welcome back to our monthly series covering all of Brooklyn from Greenpoint to Sea Gate.

Did you know there was a brutal Battle in Brooklyn? “The Battle of Brooklyn” was not a modern day battle of the bands competition between musical rivals. A “real” battle took place in August of 1776 in Brooklyn. The British boldly defeated American troops during this battle. Brooklyn’s lush green farmlands became a battlefield covered with blood and bodies.

Fort Putnam provided some protection, though.  This significant fort was located on the high ground of today’s landmark – Fort Greene Park. General George Washington surrendered there and retreated across the East River to Manhattan. Fort Greene is named for General Nathanael Greene (1742-1786) who supervised the construction of Fort Putnam.

As a consequence of war, the British held thousands of American prisoners under quite horrific and inhumane conditions on warships anchored in Wallabout Bay, the site of today’s Brooklyn Navy Yard. Prisoners after prisoner, died from starvation, disease, sickness, overcrowded conditions, and the cruelty subjected on onboard these vessels. In 1808 some of the remains were buried in a tomb on Jackson Street (now Hudson Avenue) in Vinegar Hill.

But it was not until 100 years later, the American martyrs were honored with a proper crypt. A tribute to the almost 12,000 (men and women) prisoners of war stands prominently at 149 feet tall in Fort Greene’s 30 acre Park. President William H. Taft dedicated the huge Doric column, known as the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, during the month of November in 1908.

This month, we explore two areas of Brooklyn,  Fort Greene and (Navy Hill) The Brooklyn Navy Yard because of their significant historical connection.

Fort Greene sits in North-Central Brooklyn and geographically has the Navy Yard above it, Clinton Hill to its right, Downtown Brooklyn and Boerum Hill to its left and below it is the neighborhood of Prospect Heights. According to City-Data, the population of Fort Greene is 15,903 with African Americans making up the majority and the population of Navy Hill is 11,108 with African Americans and Latinos together making up the majority.

It was during the 1840s that a  growing number of free and skilled blacks settled in Fort Greene; they found work, mainly as shipbuilders, at the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard. They formed the foundation for a black middle class and by the 1870s half of Brooklyn’s black population lived in Fort Greene, according to “The Big Onion Guide to Brooklyn,” by Kamil and Wakin.

Colored School Number 1 (now PS 67 Charles A. Dorsey School) on St. Edwards Street was built in 1847 for the children of shipyard workers and brownstones were converted into rooming houses to accommodate workers. Great navel ships were designed and built at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.  And during World War II, the “Can-do Yard” played a major role in the war effort employing as many as 70,000 workers of many ethnicities.  Turnstile’s Past, Present, & Future tours of the Brooklyn Navy Yard is a must do.

“Although Fort Greene shifted from mostly White to predominately Black during its long history, its property values have increased and it has maintained a significant White population, currently at 15%,” writes Jan Rosenberg.

Did you know that Ashland Place was formerly known as Raymond Street?  Well, a deplorable jail stood at the corner on Willoughby. The Raymond Street Jail, also known as the Brooklyn Bastille, was located where Brooklyn Hospital is now.  According to the New York Correction History Society, the conditions at this jail were awful: the smells were unbearable; prisoners were packed into small cells and were not given light except from an occasional candle. The jail closed in 1963 and was replaced by the Brooklyn House of Detention for Men on Atlantic Avenue.

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For the most part, Fort Greene is an artsy area filled with cultural inspiration which nurtured many.  Poet Walt Whitman, as editor of the Brooklyn Eagle, strongly advocated for “a pleasant retreat for city dwellers” – Fort Greene Park. Richard Wright wrote his classic novel, “Native Son,” on a bench in Fort Greene Park.  Gospel music artist and Grammy winner Pastor Hezekiah Walker attended Long Island University (LIU).  Terrence Howard actor and academy award nominee attended Pratt University.  Hip-Hop artist Dana McLeese, popularly known as Dana Dane, hails from the Walt Whitman Housing Projects. Spike Lee, actor, director, and producer, grew up in Fort Greene and has his company headquarters, “40 Acres and A Mule Filmworks,” here:

Brooklyn Bohéme from Diane Paragas on Vimeo.

Not only has Fort a Greene produced great home grown talent but it has brought amazing talent to the area.  Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), America’s oldest performing arts center, today located at 30 Lafayette Avenue, has featured Charles Dickens, Booker T. Washington, Mark Twain, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Next Wave Festival, the Royal Shakespeare Company, Dance Africa, and much much more.

Winner of the 1988 Architectural Theater Award, the Harvey Lichtenstein Theatre (formerly the Majestic), another BAM performance space, is located at 651 Fulton Street. Lichtenstein graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School (29 Fort Greene Place) in 1946.

Prestigious Brooklyn Tech is one of only nine specialized high schools in New York City. It is the nation’s largest public high school for science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics. Tech maintains an outstanding record of success with alumni achieving in every professional field.

During the 4th of July weekend at the International African Arts Festival, hundreds of people celebrate the Diaspora annually.  Held in Fort Greene’s Commodore Barry Park at Navy Street between Park and Flushing Avenues; this annual festival is huge. It has moved from the streets of Bedford-Stuyvesant to the Park for a weekend filled with African dance and musical performances, crafts, culture, food, and fellowship.

Come to Fort Greene and take a stroll down  some lovely blocks, sit and think in Fort Greene Park, attend an event at BAM, have a meal of your choice at one of many fabulous restaurants, pick up designer clothing at Mashood Creations (698 Fulton Street), splurge with sumptuous deserts at Piece of Velvet (708A Fulton Street), checkout the reopened Brooklyn Paramount, or simply discover your creative side.

Check us out next month in Downtown Brooklyn.

BY JUDITH C. LOVELL
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @CRYSTALPARRIS