Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Prospect Heights is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bounded by Flatbush Avenue to the west, Atlantic Avenue to the north, Eastern Parkway to the south, and, traditionally, Washington Avenue to the east,[1] though some people (primarily real estate brokers and others with a vested interest) have recently begun to claim boundaries as far east as Bedford Avenue. In its northern section are the Atlantic Yards.
Compared to other Brooklyn neighborhoods, Prospect Heights is relatively small and is notable for its cultural diversity as well as its quiet, tree-lined streets. Prospect Heights is rapidly changing demographically, and its shifts are exemplified by a mixture of old and new buildings and businesses.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Along the southern boundary, Eastern Parkway, from Grand Army Plaza to Washington Avenue is reminiscent of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue "Museum Mile". Immense, opulent buildings line the north side of the parkway, and the south side features the Brooklyn Public Library, Mount Prospect Park (not to be confused with Prospect Park), the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the recently renovated Brooklyn Museum. To its west lies Park Slope, and to its east Crown Heights.
The interior portion of the neighborhood consists mostly of brownstone-style residential buildings, some built as early as 1890, although some blocks, such as Lincoln and St. Johns Place between Underhill and Washington Avenues, include multi-unit, pre-war buildings. A number of new condominium complexes are under construction in many parts of the neighborhood.
Defunct bakeries and factory spaces line Pacific Street from Vanderbilt Avenue to Carlton Avenue, and some have recently been renovated and converted into housing; still others have recently been purchased by developer Bruce Ratner in anticipation of his Atlantic Yards Project. His company Forest City Ratner has planned a controversial development on the north and west sides of the neighborhood, the plans for which would include a basketball arena and luxury housing. An upscale residential building designed by the architect Richard Meier is currently under construction in the former parking lot of a nearby synagogue at Grand Army Plaza.
[edit] Culture
Largely an Italian neighborhood in the 1950s, Prospect Heights is currently well known for its Caribbean culture. Every year the West Indian Day Parade, the largest annual parade in New York City, follows Eastern Parkway, beginning in Crown Heights and ending at Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Heights. During the last five years, the neighborhood has seen an influx of new residents, more frequently young and white than in the recent past, perhaps due to its having slightly lower real estate prices than neighboring Park Slope. A thriving commercial zone has emerged along Vanderbilt Avenue, which in just the last few years has been the location for many new bars, restaurants and specialty stores.
Prospect Heights is also the home of a real "Tom's Diner" or Tom's Restaurant on the corner of Washington and Sterling. This is a landmark diner, having been there since 1936. Tom's is well known for its fun, kitschy decor, and its good diner food. This is not the same Tom's Diner in the Suzanne Vega song (which is on the Upper West Side), but Ms. Vega has left a few signed copies of her song here, which hang on the walls.
Prospect Heights has a shared blog at http://dailyheights.com/.
[edit] Current controversy over development
Recently, controversy has erupted in the neighborhood over a massive development project proposed by developer Bruce Ratner and designed by the architect Frank Gehry for the portion of the neighborhood known as Atlantic Yards. It seeks to construct an arena which would house the New Jersey Nets basketball team and a substantial amount of housing and commercial space, including a cluster of highrise buildings which would tower over most of the borough's existing architecture.
A number of community groups oppose the project claiming, among other things, that it abuses the law of eminent domain. They further argue that the development will change the character of the neighborhood by introducing out-of-scale architecture and increased traffic to an already very congested intersection. Community groups have also disputed Ratner's suggestions that residents have meaningfully participated in the development of a Community Benefit Agreement.
Supporters of the project believe in its potential for reinvigorating what is now an unused, unattractive space. It is also favored by local unions for its potential to create construction jobs during its development.
[edit] References
- ^ Encyclopedia of the City of New York. 1995. Columbia Univ. Press.
