If Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Gowanus are any indication, then the answer becomes obvious.

Unless gentrification took on a whole new paradigm, inviting the creation of communities from different walks of life.

I know you won’t see the West Indian Day Parade on Eastern Parkway anymore.

(it would be moved to the Bronx)

@bkrealist

I’m hard pressed to believe that the West Indian Day Parade wouldn’t be on Eastern Parkway in 30years. Now, I know there’s a historical precedent because the parade began in Harlem, but I don’t foresee a large enough Caribbean migration out of Central Brooklyn to make this possible.

However, if a spoken word joint becomes popular in this area (a la Brooklyn Moon) in the late 90s then this yardie is Audi 5000 (do people even say that).

@Eli,

I’m not so certain about the fate of the West Indian Day Parade.

There have been lots of cultural events held in other neighbors that have mysteriously disappeared as a result of a change in neighborhood demographics.

But I think we have at least 20 more years of “Jumpin” at the parkway.

I’ve heard about what Park Slope used to look like, but this is so interesting to actually see it. I would have never guessed! And very interesting implications for Crown Heights.

But the thing about Crown Heights is that it has quite a number of rent stabilized units (much more than Park Slope) which would tend stabilize change over time.

But like you mentioned, change is inevitable. Even the dominance of the Afro-Caribbean community today is a demographic shift from decades before. But I personally hope that the neighborhood retains its distinct Afro-Caribbean cultural character for 20 or 30 years to come. Makes the neighborhood a unique and interesting addition to this city of immigrants.

I think a lot of people moved to Crown Heights because they wanted to live in (modern day) Park Slope, but couldn’t afford it. But I actually could afford Park Slope, but wanted to live here because it seemed so vibrant. Of course the crime needs to be cleaned up, but that will happen in due time.

That said if there is a big shift, I don’t see the parade moving all the way to the Bronx. Maybe East Flatbush … or maybe Canarsie … Then again, maybe it will stay right on EP. After all the Puerto Rican Day Parade goes up 5th Avenue in Manhattan, but I don’t think there is necessarily a strong Puerto Rican representation there.

On Brownstoner today the brownstone at 62 Prospect Pl, directly across the st from where the clip in tihs post was filmed at 51 Prospect Pl, is on the market for $2.2 million dollars.

In 1970 when The Landlord was filmed, you could pick up brownstones on that block in the $10,000 – $30,000 range depending on the condition.

Will property values in Crown Heights take the same path in 10, 20 or 30 yrs as Park Slope has done since the 1970′s?

Anything is possible given certain conditions. The dynamics of Crow Hill, Bedford, The St Marks section, Pig Town, Weeksville – all names of smaller communities which make up the community of Crown Heights as we know today- has gone through drastic changes throug out time.

Change is obviously in the air and on the streets of Crown Heights. What this change will merge and solidify into is being debated.

I do hope Crown Heights will be a solid, mixed income group of community minded people who care and take pride in the neighborhood and all their diverse neighbors.

@LaurelB – I think the Puerto Rican Day parade had it’s start in Spanish Harlem and moved to 5th Avenue by the parade’s organizers to showcase the Puerto Rican culture voluntarily.

As the neighborhood continues transform as a result of gentrification, you can best believe anyone NEW homeowner whose paid north of $500k will unite to pressure City Hall to deny permits for the parade on Eastern Parkway.

@SBQ – Saw the house mentioned on curbed, which serves as a signpost of what is yet to come to central Brooklyn neighborhoods.

After all, Crown Heights has the best commuting options than any other part of NYC, complimented by the Children’s museum, Garden, BMA and the Parkway Malls for jogging and dog walking.

@bkrealist can’t one also make a claim that there’s also a strong likelihood that the parade might stay on the parkway, but the “flavor” of it might change. It’s a one day boon for area businesses that even the cultural institutions you mention anchor programming around. Over the years there has also been an increase in corporate sponsorship which might help keep it in the area and the politicians would be hard pressed to give up a marquee event.

Although, this entire argument goes out the window if a violent incident strikes the right nerve and suddenly the parade is seen as a menace.

I moved here over 7 years ago. I love the neighborhood but I think there is a difference between Crown Heights and Park Slope back then. I may be wrong on this but from the people I know in this neighborhood and from friends in Park Slope, Park Slope back then was heavily rental. The population seemed to be more transient, but here in Crown Heights, there has been a big stable core of African-Caribbean families who own their homes. Some have been in the same house for several generations. Landmarking is already in place for some areas- and that effort came from Black homeowners, not late-coming gentrifyiers.

I think The parade will always be on Eastern Parkway- it’s one of the most exciting events of the year and a huge attraction. At this point it’s too big an event to be tossed around willy-nilly, and the organizers have a lot of political pull to protect it.

I see Crown Heights changing with more and more Black homeowners coming in, raising families, and keeping the neighborhood beautiful. The Black middle class is growing, and will not be pushed out.

Uh, I have a photo of this same block in the late 1950′s/early 60′s when that airplane crashed into Park Slope. At the time it was a predominantly white/euro neighborhood. Why is it that all of these “the way brookly was” retrospectives are incredibly myopic (ie: late 60′s to early 1980′s) when looking backwards? Crown Heights is changing, yea, I’ve lived there for the last 4 years (and grew up on LI, and no I’m not rich but it would be awesome if I was and had sweet tuxedo parties). My point is NYC is in a constant state of generation to generation flux….wait 20 years and Park Slope could be absorbed into downtown brooklyn or something. My granparents lived in Greenpoint till the 50′s, they’re hardcore Polish and can’t believe how tiny “their neighborhood” has become. I’m out.

I don’t think Crown Heights will look like Park Slope in 20 years, and I do think the parade will be here for a long time after that.

Why? Education and history, in part. When Park Slope began gentifying, things were a lot different in the country as a whole, and NYC in particular. The city was broke, and Brooklyn had been written off. Today, people are more willing to work to change those undesirable parts of urban life than run away from it. Block associations, community organizations, even blogs, have worked hard to maintain what we have, and work to make it better. Property owners are more savvy as to what they have in their possession than they were 50 years ago. In just listening to conversations on the street, in the subway, on line at the bank, the person on the street knows much more about real estate than ever. People are holding on to their assets, not giving them away. They were too hard won in the first place. I think landmarking gave people pride and helped them realize what they hold here in Crown Heights.

Lastly, I think it’s futile to think that we will stay an isolated community, as we’ve been since the 60′s or 70′s. We’ve been “discovered”, and the genii is out of the lamp. What we can do is welcome those who choose to live here because of what we ARE, not what we could be after it is “fixed”. We wecome anyone who wants to work to make Crown Heights a better community for all, old and new, never forgetting the culture and the perserverance of those who worked tirelessly through adverse conditions that make anything we are going through now seem like a picnic, to hold onto what we have now, and have kept it in such great shape. We all work, or not, to make our neighborhoods. I’d like to see mine as a multicultural, welcoming place, with a predominant Afro-Caribbean vibe, with a healty mix of ages, incomes and professions. With good schools, safe streets, good retail and amenities that offer something for all of the different mix of people, ages and incomes that are here, and a reason for people to visit, and spend their money. I think that is the best way to long term survival

@ Eric – The plane crashed was not at the exact same location the film was made at. The plane crashed on 7th Ave more West and South of Prospect Place and 6th Ave.

At that time, 7th Ave was black and Hispanic from Flatbush Ave only to around St. John’s. After that it was white.

The clip above from the film The Landlord is specifically on Prospect Pl, between 5th Ave and 6th Ave which was Afro-American in 1970.

@daj & @MM, – excellent points!!!!

Thank you for sharing that knowledge with us who are not yet entirely familiar with all of Crown Heights history!

i’m a native new yorker who has been living in c heights for a few years and lived williamsburg from the mid 90s to just a few years ago.

you have it wrong, very wrong. c heights will not develop into anything like park slope, ever. people here have been owning their own homes for generations and are passing their properties on to their children.

additionally the hasidic population is growing and moving north of eastern pkwy – - their endeavors don’t match what you’re suggesting.

Hard to believe that I can’t find this film on Netflix. Any suggestions?

The film The Landlord played at BAM earlier this month.

Perhaps is you call BAM, they can let you know if they expect yo show it again.

[...] Memories of visiting my mother’s friend who lived on 6th avenue and St. Marks shot to the front of my thoughts after reading Abeni G ask what would Crown Heights look like in 30 years. [...]

[...] I’d become familiar with Abeni when she asked what will Crown Heights look like in 30 years. [...]

In Foxy Brown’s own words, Park Slope is her child hood home.

“”I was on my way to rehearsal with my band and I was leaving my mom’s house in Park Slope, [Brooklyn], where I always go; that’s the home that I was born in,” she said.”

http://bk.ly/s8Q

My parents arrived in Park Slope in 1978, which was already in the midst of change, due to a job my dad got here at the time. People thought we were crazy to move here, but we did anyway. All I gotta say is this:

Get some perspective, people. Read articles from back in that day. Go to the Brooklyn room at the Central Brooklyn Public Library and ask for their trove of material on various neighborhoods. Don’t make up your stories about “the way things used to be.” Do a little more research. I’m tired of people on these websites proclaiming about a past they never lived through, or declaring trends that never were.