East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
East Williamsburg is a neighborhood in northeastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn in New York City. It is bounded by the neighborhoods of Williamsburg to the west, Greenpoint to the north, Bushwick to the south and southeast, and both Maspeth and Ridgewood in Queens to the east. There is a major disagreement as to whether the community is a stand-alone community or if it is a part of Bushwick, Williamsburg, or both.
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[edit] The Case For Bushwick
The very first settlement in the town of Bushwick, het dorp, was founded on the corner of today's Bushwick and Metropolitan Avenues. Furthermore, the area consisting of all the lofts and factories east of Bushwick and North of Flushing, was once called the Village Bushwick Crossroads.[1] Anything south of Flushing Avenue is part of the former New Lots of Bushwick. New York City' District 34 [2] shows the area above Flushing and East of Bushwick Aves as Bushwick North. East Williamsburg and Bushwick share the 11206 zip code south of Grand Street. In April of 1827, when Williamsburg incorporated, Bushwick Avenue was the boundary between the town of Williamsburg and Bushwick Village.[3] The 18th ward initially consisted entirely of Bushwick[4], but was split into three wards as Bushwick grew southeastward.
[edit] The Case For East Williamsburg
East Williamsburg is served by Brooklyn Community Board 1, whereas Bushwick is served by Brooklyn Community Board 4, the boundary being at Flushing Avenue. Many residences north of Grand St. and east of Bushwick Ave. still share the 11211 zip code with Williamsburg. ([1]) Each neighborhood also has separate police precincts. East Williamsburg is still an emerging term, and residents who are reluctant to use that term remain to identify themselves with Bushwick or Williamsburg, although this is both politically correct and incorrect.
[edit] Why the confusion?
During the 20th century, the neighborhood was home to a major industrial district in Brooklyn within the borough's northern area. Thus the relatively few residents who lived in the surrounding area were mostly concentrated on the boundaries of Williamsburg and Bushwick, and chose to identify themselves as residents of those neighborhoods and not "East Williamsburg." [citation needed] The association between either neighborhood split down the Avenue of Puerto Rico (Graham Avenue) or Bushwick Avenue,[citation needed] identifying with Williamsburg to the west and with Bushwick to the east. A majority of these residents were of African American, Puerto Rican and Dominican background. [citation needed]
Residents (north of Flushing Avenue) who identified with Bushwick had such a strong association that when real estate developers increasingly referred to the area as "East Williamsburg" in the late 1990s, many residents dismissed the term as a marketing ploy to encourage new residents who were unable to settle in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, or Gowanus [citation needed]. Older buildings such as the former Bushwick Savings Bank in the northwest or the towering Bushwick Houses in the southwest seem to indicate that their creators referred to the area as Bushwick.
[edit] Lofts and Housing Projects
Factories and warehouses were being decommissioned due to heavy and light industry leaving the area, and were converted into loft and apartment space, similar to the residential development of the DUMBO neighborhood in Brooklyn [citation needed]. A major factor for developers and potential residents was the L subway line, with the Grand Street, Montrose Avenue and Morgan Avenue stations, which provided a quick, 15-minute travel time to Manhattan. (The neighborhood is also served by Lorimer Street and Flushing Avenue on the J and M lines.) The location and low rents were enough to attract artists, young professionals and hipsters in due time, which in turn is slowly encouraging gentrification that continues today. [citation needed] Many long-time minority residents (who live outside of rent-controlled apartments or projects) are feeling its effects, noticeably in the form of higher rents. [citation needed]
Graham Ave (also known as Avenue of Puerto Rico to the South and Via Vespucci to the North) and Grand Street are the main shopping districts. There are several public housing projects in East Williamsburg, including the Williamsburg Houses, the Ten Eyck houses, Plaza Borinquen, and the Bushwick Houses.
[edit] References
- ^ HISTORY OF BROOKLYN. CHAPTER IX. BUSHWICK AND WILLIAMSBURGH, FROM THE CLOSE OF THE REVOLUTION, UNTIL 1854., accessed November 19, 2006
- ^ Community Gazette of District 34, accessed November 19, 2006
- ^ THE MANY VILLAGES OF BROOKLYN, accessed November 19, 2006
- ^ Bklyn was an ever changing place remember.., accessed November 19, 2006
[edit] Sources
- "Neighborhood On the Verge?", The New York Times, 25 January 2004. Accessed 26 July 2006.
- "Closeup on Bushwick, Brooklyn", The Village Voice, 7 December 2005, references East Williamsburg as part of Bushwick. Accessed 26 July 2006.
- "Go East, Young Man", The New York Times, 19 June 2005. Accessed 10 August 2006.
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