The Constant Change of Brooklyn

Since the first time I saw the Brooklyn Historical Society I knew that I was getting an opportunity to see the different changes that Brooklyn and its people have phase through the years. Its monumental red brick exterior with carved decoration gave me the feeling that this institution was important to New York, but most importantly to Brooklyn.

As well as magnificent and symbolic the exterior of the Brooklyn Historical Society was. The interior was nothing less than extraordinary. As you walk up the stairs to the library you could see minimal rays of color projecting into the painting on the stairs walls. This was made by the entering sunlight from a decorative glass roof .The library and its furniture was mostly constructed out of a dark color wood and the minimalistic used of lighting gave the sensation of walking through history.

The Librarians at BHS exposes my classmates and me to, the historical background the institution poses. After acquiring some information about BHS and its archives, we created groups which examine different types of primary sources such as maps, photographs, letters and newspapers. The task in my group was to analyze a series of Brooklyn maps dating from 1874 up to the current time. By having that opportunity to see these maps we were able to visualized the changes and analyzed the possible reasons that Brooklyn neighborhoods have change over the years.

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5 Responses to The Constant Change of Brooklyn

  1. Freddy H says:

    This has to be my favorite post about the Brooklyn Historical Society. On the one hand, you mentioned a decorative glass roof, I would have referred to it as a decorative skylight. On the other hand, it was very descriptive and allowed me to remember my walk up to the archives. I also love your photos attached to this post.

  2. rayan says:

    I’ve always believed that historical museums are boring ,and would look ancient but by the way you describe the building at the being got me more interest to keep reading on. It was also interesting and how you told what you did and the pictures that you took. It show the Brooklyn historical society and all the beauty that it has.

  3. torresj12 says:

    I agree with the previous comment about the pictures you took. They look really nice. The way you setup the setting before introducing the reason for being at BHS was pretty creative. You described a lot of detail to even how the chairs looked. Before giving the actual reason for the post you gave us a scenario that we could place ourselves in.

  4. ronnyandread says:

    Although I agree that the lighting did make the environment seem more historical, it was so dark there that i actually felt bored and almost gloomy because of it.
    Did anyone else notice that we all whispered in the library even though we didn’t have to?

  5. joshua90 says:

    You give a nice description fo the buildings interior and I agrre with it. Also the maps you spoke of were very informative and gave us a glimpse of the past. I couldnt believe all the other streets that existed and how the present was based on the past. All the urban areas remained urban till this day and so the did the suburban areas. Those maps were interesting and truly wonderful to interpret.

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