What the heck are the borders of Crown Heights?
It seems that the borders of this neighborhood are always in question. In the course of working on my Gentrifying Brooklyn film, I can say I have heard just about every answer in the book. Some people told me – in all earnestness – that Nostrand Avenue divides Prospect Heights from Crown Heights. But we’re curious – where the heck do YOU think this neighborhood begin and end?
The most hotly contested border is the western border that divides Crown Heights from Prospect Heights. The northern border seems to be the least contested, though there are still sources out there that refer to Park Place (the old border) as the dividing line between Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy. As for the southern border, there are plenty of sources that would extend Crown Heights well beyond Empire Boulevard. And then there is the eastern border between Crown Heights and Brownsville/East New York. It is probably just as elusive as the western border, but people don’t seem to pay much attention to it either way.
And so we take our question to the virtual “streets” … what do you consider to be the borders of Crown Heights. Right now, let’s focus on the eastern and western, because those seem the most elusive.
And, out of curiosity, how did you come to that conclusion? Does any of this matter? Weigh in below!
Popularity: 21% [?]
Nice thought provoking article!
Just to make things interesting, our friends on the other side of Atlantic in Bed-Stuy are now adding a new historic district to be called Bedford Corners. This is the oldest name for the area around Grant Square, the first location to be developed in Crown Heights, at Bedford and Dean Street. British troops camped near there after the Battle of Long Island in 1776.
Traditionally the border between Crown Heights and Bed-Stuy is actually St. Marks Ave,not Atlantic Ave like many assume. St.Marks until the 1920s was an exclusive avenue of huge mansions especially from Brower Park east. South of St. Marks Ave to Eastern Parkway was partially developed until the building immediately after WWI which is when Crown Heights came about, developed on the remaining vacant land of Brooklyn(north of Eastern Parkway) and the Flatbush farmlands (south of Eastern Parkway).
This seems like a bit of a racist/elitist poll. Not sure what the purpose is. You also have obviously had no contact with the City of New York or consulted historical maps with regard to these divisions.
Hmmm … been hit with the double whammy of being both racist and elitist. Not to mention the added bonus of being pointless and ill-informed. Ah, the joys of being a blogger.
I’d be glad to respond, but would you first care to expound? Particularly with respect to the parts of the poll that, in your estimation, signal racism and elitism.