Category Archives: Reflection
Breaking Ground for More Homes
By Lana Belopukhova, April 3, 2017 / Comments 150
Breaking ground for more homes, Brooklyn, NY, US. Sep. 8, 1949. “Eagle Staff photo.”
This photo represents all Dignitaries with shovels at the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of a residential house near the Brooklyn Naval Court. “Breaking Ground for More Homes”: at ceremonies in a downpour at the corner of Gold and Prospect St., officials dig silver shovels into the soil to mark the beginning of construction of Farragut Houses, new low-rent housing project. We can see from left to right are: Borough President Cashmore, Mayor O’Dwyer, State Housing Commissioner Herman T. Stichman, City Construction Co-Ordinator Robert Moses and Thomas F. Farrell, chairman of the City Housing Authority.
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FORGOTTEN VINEGAR HILL
By Lana Belopukhova , march 15, 2017 / Comments 20
Cars parked in front of four Navy uniform stores on Sand Street, Brooklyn. Brooklyn, NY, US. March 1946. Photographer: Andreas Feininger (via LIFE)
I chose this photo for the simple reason. This photo shows LIFE.
Vinegar Hill is located in Brooklyn, located east of the Manhattan Bridge. It’s a charming small area marked by buildings of brown stone and Belgian streets that have not yet been asphalted. It’s just four or five square blocks. In the past, Vinegar Hill was a more vibrant and diverse economy. All bars, groceries, cigar’s shops, cleanings were located in the neighborhood. Vinegar-Hill had factories, many of which remained in place. Vinegar Hill grew so well especially after the Brooklyn Bridge opening in 1883 and became so desirable.
Today’s Vinegar Hill is all that is left of huge desolated territory. But it was little by little destroyed by construction under construction next to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and Farragut Houses south of York Street in the 40s and 50s.
But even Vinegar Hill became such a dead neighborhood, the Park now seems to be bringing in more and more people, including tourists.
I believe that Vinegar Hill is well on its way for the second coming of development because of this neighborhood full of history and it allows you to escape the city without actually leaving it.