Downtown Brooklyn Walking Tour

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BRIC presents contemporary art, performing arts, and community media programs that reflect Brooklyn’s creativity and diversity. BRIC's visual arts program focuses on the Rotunda Gallery, that has supported the work of Brooklyn artists since 1981 through five annual group exhibitions. The gallery also provides arts education programming for thousands of New York City public school students. Its online image registry contains the work of these artists and is accessible to curators, dealers, gallery owners, and other visual arts professionals throughout the world.

2. BRIC Media House

BRIC has been providing a creative home for the arts and artists in Brooklyn since 1979. BRIC House serves as a home for artists and audiences. BRIC House brings BRIC's contemporary art, performing arts and community media programs under one roof for the first time. The project repurposed the former Strand Theater building in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District.

3. Dime Savings Bank of New York

The Dime Savings Bank of New York was a state-chartered savings bank dating back to 1859, which became New York’s second largest bank during the 1980s and one of the country’s largest bank buildings. The Beaux Arts building that served as its headquarters, based loosely on the Parthenon in Rime, was built in 1906 by architects Mowbray & Uffinger. The misshapen, triangular building was given a rectangular extension on the back in 1918. In 1931, the bank was enlarged by architects Halsey, McCormack & Helmer, who were well-known at the time for designing bank buildings. The classical elements of the building’s pentelic marble architecture were emphasized, with stately Ionic colonnades and a domed roof. The entrance through a chamfered corner crowned with a bracketed cornice and clock led to a large rotunda ringed with red marble columnns. A circular, forty-foot diameter round skylight, made of copper and stained glass, adorned the ceiling. The basement still contains many of these original features, in addition to basement bank vaults and a firing range used by the bank’s past guards.

4. The Harriet and Thomas Truesdell House (Abolitionist Place)

Home to Harriet and Thomas Truesdell when the couple moved here in 1851, this modest brick building on Brooklyn's Duffield Street was saved from demolition by preservationists and historians owing to its connection to New York's abolitionist movement. The Truesdell's were anti-slavery activists in Rhode Island and close associates of William Lloyd Garrison. In 2020, the New York Landmarks Commission decided to consider this building, known now as "Abolitionist Place" as an official New York landmark. The building is located on a street that included seven buildings that are associated with the anti-slavery movement and were home to supporters of those who resisted the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and actively supported the Underground Railroad. The building was officially named Abolitionist Place in September of 2007.

5. Offerman Building (Offerman House)

Brooklyn’s Offerman Building was built for Henry Offerman, a wealthy sugar magnate, who envisioned a department store in the building. It was constructed in two phases from 1890 to 1893. The building was designed by Danish-American architect Peter Lauritzen, who lived near Offerman and was also active in community life in Brooklyn. The Offerman Building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, currently houses both retail and residential spaces.

6. Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters (apartments)

When the Romanesque style building at 365-367 Jay Street was completed in 1892, Brooklyn was an independent city, and the building was the city's new Fire Department Headquarters. Six years later in 1898, Brooklyn became a borough in New York City and the fire department's headquarters was in Manhattan. This building then became a neighborhood fire station and continued as this until the 1970s. The Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters was one of the first buildings added as a New York City Landmark in 1966, soon after the Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) came to be. The LPC deemed it one of the finest buildings, architecturally, in Brooklyn, with an unusual variety of harmoniously blended colors in costly and attractive materials. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It was converted into affordable housing in the 1980s and was renovated in 2013 to 2014 while preserving the historic exterior.

7. Gage and Tollner Building

The four-story brownstone building at 372 Fulton Street has been standing since about 1875. Gage and Tollner's Restaurant began in 1879 and moved to the Fulton Street building in 1892. The wooden storefront was probably added in 1892. The restaurant went through a number of owners before closing in 2004. TGI Fridays then moved into the space and left in 2007, followed by an Arby's in 2010 and a jewelry and coat store by 2012. The interior was designated a New York City Landmark in 1975, to recognize its Late Victorian appearance; the building was listed in the National Register in 1982. Recently, Gage and Tollner reopened as an oyster and chop house under new ownership in its old location after renovations.

8. The Brooklyn Tabernacle Church

The Brooklyn Tabernacle is a multicultural, non-denominational church in the heart of downtown Brooklyn. The church began with a handful of members in a small, rundown building in a difficult area of the city, and today, it is a congregation of about 10,000 people who attend the weekly services. Pastor Jim Cymbala and his wife Carol, who directs the Grammy Award winning Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, have been able to preach the gospel in the inner city and to see new churches grow out of the congregation in response to needs in other parts of the city and elsewhere in the country, as well as internationally.

9. Friends Meeting House and School

The low brick building on the corner of Schermerhorn Street and Boerum Place is the Friends Meeting House which was built by the Quakers in 1857. The Quakers also established a school in their basement in 1867 and in 1902, they constructed the school at 112 Schermerhon to ease overcrowding. The Brooklyn Friends School moved to another location in the 1970s and an alternative high school now occupies the former school building. The Meeting House is still a place of worship by the Society of Friends (Quakers). The Friends Meeting House and School were designated a New York City Landmark in 1981 and were listed in the New York and National Registers in 1982.

10. New York Transit Museum

An increasingly popular destination with tourists and residents, the New York Transit Museum is the largest of its kind in the United States. Exhibits preserve and share the history of New York's fabled underground transportation network as well as the larger history of urban public transportation that includes trolleys and jitney cars as well as buses and ferries. In addition to operating this museum and a small archive, the NY Transit Museum creates exhibits within an annex gallery within Grand Central Terminal.

11. New York City School Boycott 1964

On February 3, 1964 the New York City School boycott became one of the biggest civil rights protests in history when protesters marched for school integration in the city. On this single day event around 464,000 children skipped school, and several parents, teachers, students, and advocates walked to 300 of 860 schools in the area. The marchers ended the boycott at the Board of Education in Brooklyn but to no avail. While the boycott rallied several protesters, the Board of Education did nothing to change the ongoing segregation in the school system.

12. Brooklyn Borough Hall

Built between 1846 and 1851, this building served as city hall for the formerly independent city of Brooklyn until 1898. In that year, the cities of Brooklyn and New York City agreed to a merger and this building later became known as "Brooklyn Borough Hall." Three years prior to that merger, the building was damaged when a fire in a waste receptacle spread throughout the upper floors. The fire damaged the chamber room (a court room today) and destroyed the building's original cupola. Today, the building hosts regular exhibitions of art and history in the rotunda-a beautiful two-story public space that has been completely restored. Visitors to the building should be sure to see the courtroom which was designed in 1903 and features carved wood paneling and a domed ceiling.

13. The Meeting: Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson Historic Marker

The Brooklyn Dodger's team office was located at 215 Montague Street. As a result, this was the location of the first meeting between Brooklyn Dodger general manager Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson on August 28, 1945. Robinson signed with the Dodgers, becoming the first African American to play Major League Baseball in the modern era. After a season in the Dodger farm system, Robinson made his debut on April 15, 1947, breaking the color barrier that had been in place since the 1880s. As the second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Robinson also revived the fortunes of long-suffering team. Robinson won the title of Rookie of the Year and the Dodgers won the NL pennant in his first year. Robinson continued to lead the team in several categories through 1954 when he maintained a .311 batting average. The Dodgers won the World Series the following year. Feeling the effects of diabetes and approaching his 38th birthday, Robinson retired after the 1956 season and became an executive for the Chock full o'Nuts coffee company. Prior to signing with the Dodgers, Robinson played shortstop for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League. After a now famous three-hour meeting with Rickey at this exact location, Rickey agreed to sign a contract for Robinson to play with the Montreal Royals, an International League team within the Dodger organization.In the face of brutal and extensive racial antagonism, Robinson continued to play well, and attendance to games boomed. Six days before the 1947 season, Robinson broke the color barrier and made his major league debut at Ebbets Field.

14. Brooklyn Theatre Fire of 1876

On the evening of December 5th, 1876, approximately three hundred people were killed at this location when the new and popular Brooklyn Theatre was consumed by fire. The tragedy remains the third-most deadly fire in American history. Built in 1871 at the present location of the park just west of the court building, the Brooklyn Theatre usually filled all of its 1,200 seats. The theater was home to a number of original productions, such as “The Two Orphans,” which enjoyed a run of sell-out performances throughout the fall and winter of 1876. Nearly a thousand people purchased tickets to see one of the final performances of The Two Orphans on December 5th, 1876-the day the fire produced thousands of orphans. Up to 100 victims were burned beyond recognition and buried in a mass grave at nearby Green-Wood. A tall granite monument at Green-Wood Cemetery marks the common grave.

15. Church of the Saviour - First Unitarian Church Brooklyn

Dedicated in 1844, this church is home to Brooklyn's oldest Unitarian society, formed in 1833. The gothic revival-style structure was designed by architect Minard Lafever.

16. Brooklyn Historical Society

The Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS), founded in 1863, is a museum, library, and educational center, preserving and encouraging the study of Brooklyn' s 400-year past. The Society's headquarters building is a National Historic Landmark designed by George B. Post and constructed in 1878-81 for what was then named the Long Island Historical Society. The headquarters is located in the Brooklyn Heights Historic District, an elegant neighborhood that was established after the first steam-powered ferry connected the city to Brooklyn. Its booming growth ended after the Brooklyn Bridge opened in 1883 followed by the consolidation of Brooklyn and New York City in 1898. Along with its lovely homes, this upper-middle-class neighborhood also is beautified by 19th Century churches. It was designated the first historic district in 1965.

17. St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church

Originally named Church of the Holy Trinity, St. Ann's Church is one of the most prominent and historical Episcopal churches in America. Completed in 1848, this church was designed by American architect Minard Lafever. After closing for more than a decade, in 1969, St. Ann's Church, the oldest Episcopal parish in Brooklyn, moved into the building.

18. Hamilton Club and Resmen House (1878-1936)

At this location in the mid-19th century, New York's elite would gather at the Hamilton Club. Elizabeth and Reverend James Gloucester, African American real estate investors, purchased the five-story building shortly after they sold all of their property in Manhattan. With approximately $150,000, the couple purchased the Hamilton Club and renamed it Remsen House after the street where it was located. The Gloucesters turned the building into a boarding house with the top floor of their property serving as their family home. The couple held many meetings and dinners at the property and the other floors were rented to commercial enterprises.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Downtown Brooklyn Walking Tour

Created by Clio Admin on July 22nd 2019, 7:36:27 pm.

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Description

This short walk through downtown Brooklyn includes iconic landmarks such as the Brooklyn War Memorial, Abolitionist Place, Brooklyn Borough Hall, and several other landmark buildings and historical markers. The tour also stops at the New York Transit Museum and the Brooklyn Historical Society where visitors to the city should plan on spending several hours to experience world-class exhibits. The tour concludes at BRIC which offers free performances and art exhibitions.

Entries on This Tour

Downtown Brooklyn Walking Tour

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