Archive for the ‘Brooklyn’ Category
Project Firebox 7
Firebox (actual number) 182 – photo by Mitch Waxman
Just down the block from the Grand Avenue Bridge, on the Brooklyn side, one may marvel at this survivor of an earlier time. Oddly, it’s also just up the block from a firehouse which should negate its necessity. The sticker affixed is meant to boost the fortunes of a candidate for high office in the Teamsters union, James P. Hoffa.
Of course, this is Hoffa the younger, as the storied elder Hoffa has been missing from our national dialogue for some time.
from wikipedia
He is the only son of Jimmy Hoffa, who was also a president of the Teamsters, and his wife Josephine (née Poszywak). He is the brother of Judge Barbara Ann Crancer. Hoffa has a wife, Virginia, and two sons, David and Geoffrey.
Born in Detroit, Michigan on May 19, 1941, Hoffa established himself as a leader as early as his high school years while attending Cooley High School. There, he became a member of the National Honor Society, and an all-city and all-state football player.
Hoffa often accompanied his father to Teamster meetings and events, and became a Teamster on his 18th birthday. Hoffa holds a degree in economics from Michigan State University (1963) and a law degree (LL.B) from the University of Michigan Law School (1966). Hoffa was awarded a Ford Foundation Fellowship to work in the Michigan State Senate as an aide to senate and house members doing constituent relations and research. Hoffa is a member of Alpha Tau Omega.
A member of the Teamsters since his 18th birthday (1959), Hoffa was an attorney for the Teamsters from 1968 to 1993.
123rd Annual Feast of Our Lady of Carmel and Saint Paulinus of Nola
– photos by Mitch Waxman
Here’s a slideshow of what was going on in Williamsburg on Sunday the 11th of July. According to the Press Release I was handed when I began brandishing my camera around- the “Giglio” (italian for lilies) is 80 feet tall, weighs three tons, and requires 130 men to dance it around the mean streets of Brooklyn. An additional 120 men are required to perform the locomotive tasks for a second platform, upon which a second band and a life sized representation of a boat ride, which means that 250 “lifters” are required.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel has a continuing series of celebrations next weekend, check them out at OLMCfeast.com.
from catholic.org
Bishop of Nola and writer. Pontius Meropius Anicius Paulinus was born to a wealthy Roman family at Bordeaux, in Gaul. His father was the praetorian prefect of Gaul who made certain that his son received a sound education. Paulinus studied rhetoric and poetry and learned from the famed poet Ausonius. He subsequently became a well known lawyer. He became the prefect of Rome, married a Spanish noble lady, Therasia, and led a luxury filled life. Following the death of his son a week after his birth in 390, Paulinus retreated from the world and came to be baptized a Christian by St. Delphinus in Aquitaine. With Therasia, he gave away their property and vast fortune to the poor and to the Church, and they pursued a life of deep austerity and mortifications. About 393, he was forcibly ordained a priest by the bishop of Barcelona. Soon after, he moved to an estate near the tomb of St. Nola near Naples, Italy There, he and his wife practiced rigorous asceticism and helped to establish a community of monks. To the consternation of his other relatives, he sold all of their estates in Gaul and gave the money to the poor.
Greenpoint Parade
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Memorial Day weekend was a busy couple of days. In addition to certain bacchanal gatherings here in Astoria, where the flesh of lower animals would be roasted over open flame whilst inebriating beverages were consumed by revelers, your humble narrator was meant to meet up with the redoubtable Kevin Walsh of Forgotten-NY fame in Brooklyn. Both Mr. Walsh and myself are associates of the Newtown Historical Society, and we have recently produced certain booklets detailing sites and scenes discussed during two tours of the Newtown area- specifically Elmhurst and Woodside.
Keen on the notion of providing such printed collateral to his own venture, I volunteered to meet him in Bushwick and get some photos for an upcoming June 27th tour of the area. I was a bit early, and decided to walk from Astoria to Bushwick, wandering through and about storied Greenpoint for a awhile.
I found a parade, with soldiers, sailors, and several historic vehicles.
from ironandsteelnyctofortbenning.org/
Engine 343 is a 1951 Mack Fire Truck and is engraved with the names of the 343 Firefighters who gave their lives at the World Trade Center on September 11 2001.
and from firefamilytransport.org
THE FDNY FIRE FAMILY TRANSPORT FOUNDATION s a registered 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the well-being of the fire department family; for recognition of the unique sacrifices that firefighters and their families selflessly make for the sake of all; and to honor those sacrifices. The central focus of the Foundation is assisting the families of firefighters in their times of greatest need, in transporting firefighters, family members and department personnel to and from medical institutions both for care and family support. We also are dedicated to the comfort and support of the families of firefighters in their times of bereavement. Our immediate aim is to minimize the negative impact of injuries and fatalities that members of the fire family endure, by providing vehicles and transportation assistance, in conjunction with the Fire Department of the City of New York. On a broader scale, we are dedicated to the good of the community in building awareness of the often-overlooked needs of the fire department family.
The Foundation is all-volunteer, entirely non-profit, and depends on donations of equipment, funds and service to carry out its mission. The Foundation has, through donations, acquired a fleet of vehicles that are commissioned to the Fire Department and are available around the clock to provide transportation services throughout the City of New York and environs. The Foundation also assists fire families in funeral details, tributes and memorials, to preserve the honor of their sacrifices. The Foundation also joins to support other organizations and endeavors in the broader community, in honor of all who serve in the same spirit.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The usual military honorifics were in effect, color guard and ROTC, a bagpipe brigade, and several on duty soldiers. There was also a few politicians wandering around, which I of course didn’t realize until I closely examined the images later that night. All in all, it was a pretty festive affair, although the troops looked like they were suffering from standing in formation forced to endure the extreme heat and direct sunlight experienced by New Yorkers that weekend.
There isn’t a whole lot of linkage I can direct you towards to explain the green and black “colorway” of the vintage NYPD patrol car (a Plymouth Fury 2) pictured above. Suffice to say that in 1972, it was decided to drop the traditional green, white, and black scheme and adopt the “white on blue” colors that precede the modern “blue on white” so familiar to us. The whole transition is actually best described by scale model enthusiasts, click here.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Everywhere you looked, incidentally, were examples of Brooklyn “characters”. It’s one of the great things about Greenpoint, to me, that its still old Brooklyn- a neighborhood full of wise asses and jokers. On the faces of many a lifetime resident, one can see a map of the world, drawn in over the course of decades.
from wikipedia
Greenpoint was originally inhabited by Keskachauge (Keshaechqueren) Indians, a sub-tribe of the Lenape. Contemporary accounts describe it as remarkably verdant and beautiful, with Jack pine and oak forest, meadows, fresh water creeks and briny marshes. Water fowl and fish were abundant. The name originally referred to a small bluff of land jutting into the East River at what is now the westernmost end of Freeman Street, but eventually came to describe the whole peninsula.
In 1638 the Dutch West India Company negotiated the right to settle Brooklyn from the Lenape. The first recorded European settler of what is now Greenpoint was Dirck Volckertsen (Dutchified from Holgerssøn), a Norwegian immigrant who in 1645 built a one-and-a-half story farmhouse there with the help of two Dutch carpenters. In was in the contemporary Dutch style just west of what is now the intersection of Calyer St. and Franklin Street. There he planted orchards and raised crops, sheep and cattle. He was called Dirck de Noorman by the Dutch colonists of the region, Noorman being the Dutch word for “Norseman” or “Northman.” The creek which ran by his farmhouse became known as Norman Kill (Creek); it ran into a large salt marsh and was later filled in. Volckertsen received title to the land after prevailing in court the year before over a Jan De Pree, who had a rival claim. He initially commuted to his farm by boat and may not have moved into the house full time until after 1655, when the small nearby settlement of Boswyck was established, on the charter of which Volckertsen was listed along with twenty-two other families. Volckertsen’s wife, Christine Vigne, was a Walloon.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
The enigmatic couple in the shot above are strangers to me, and I apologize for violating this moment between them, but they just seemed to sum up the general mood of the crowd. I’m led to believe that Trashed MC is a motorcycle club which was founded by DSNY sanitation workers.
from flagshipnews.com
Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen supporting Fleet Week New York 2010 gathered in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn to participate in a Memorial Day Veterans Parade hosted by the American Legion St. Stanislaus Post 1771, May 30.
More than 50 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen marched in the parade.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling of patriotism as a Navy veteran,” said Jim Feith, co-founder of the Greenpoint Memorial Day Veterans Parade. “For us older veterans, who are now 40 – 50 years removed from our time of service, it has never left us.”
The parade was held in honor of the men and women who have made countless sacrifices in defense of our nation.
“It is a great honor,” said Pat Sparano, a World War II Army veteran and the parade’s Grand Marshal. “I thank everybody that arranged this for me, it’s an honor to have been chosen as today’s Grand Marshal.”
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This was on Driggs and Leonard, by the way, and the whole do was taking place on Leonard.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Leaving the parade behind and continuing toward Bushwick, I happened across this vintage bus stalled out in the middle of the street around a mile away. The driver of the bus, sitting on an empty bucket nearby, informed me that he had broken down on the way to some parade in Greenpoint, and did I know where the corner of Driggs and Leonard was. He also said that this bus was but one of many relict models that the MTA has hidden away.
this next link takes you to the arcane world of the “foamers” at subchat. A group of railfans, transit workers, and enthusiasts. EVERYTHING- every historical fact, model number, and arcane regulation about nyc transit can be found in their collective hive mind…
this bus is a 1961 GMC 5301 model Fishbowl bus. #1059
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Bushwick, and its curious mix of atavist housing and modern possibility awaited, and I had to go meet up with Kevin Walsh in front of some statue. I learned quite a bit, and visited a few places I hadn’t seen since the hot summers of the 1970’s.
You can too, incidentally, on June 27th.
Check out this page at forgotten-ny.com for info on tour pricing and availability– don’t wait too long, FNY keeps their walking tours down to an intimate number, and space fills up fast with rabid forgotten-fans. There is a photographic wonderland in Brooklyn, let Mr. Walsh guide you through a few of your first steps in this forgotten place.
Project Firebox 5
Project Firebox, 1314 – photo by Mitch Waxman
Storied and replete with historical allegories and cautionary tales, Greenpoint in Brooklyn hosts some of New York’s most ancient street furniture. This survivor of the 20th century, I am told by certain reputable experts, would have had a lit globe at its summit when new. Said globe would light to indicate to arriving firefighters where the fire alarm was raised. This is on Provost street, near the Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.
As it turns out, Provost street is named for one of the original European settlers of Greenpoint:
from nyc-architecture.com
The Praa’s and Volchertsen’s, together, with the Mesorole’s, Calyer’s, Provoost’s, and Bennet’s formed the core of settler farmer families that lived and flourished on the land consisting of Green Point. They and their ancestors would do so for almost 200 years. The fertile land provided enough to supply the needs of the families that toiled on the land, and an abundant excess to trade at nearby markets. Each family kept a large row boat on the river to transport their harvest to the markets downstream in the emerging cities of Williamsburg and Brooklyn, and across the river in New York. Thus, Green Point became a major agricultural center and breadbasket for the area. It’s grains, cereals, fruits, vegetables and livestock made it possible for others to take up other trades in the New World, and contributed to the overall success of the pioneer efforts of that era.
opiate peace
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This is not a dead place, this Creek which forms the currently undefended border between much of Brooklyn and Queens, despite wholly inaccurate statements to the contrary recently presented by major publications. To begin with, there is the teeming human infestation, whose population is in the millions. Additionally- migratory birds, invertebrate and vertebrate water fauna, and an enormous hidden population of higher mammals lurk amongst the canalized shorelines of the Newtown Creek.
from the nytimes.com– an article that gets a lot of things completely wrong, which is surprising for the times, and seems to be shilling against “Big Oil”
People don’t often think of urban creeks as biodiverse waterways, but Newtown Creek was once a rich tidal estuary popular among hunters and fishermen. Starting in the 1870s, however, Standard Oil and other refineries began spilling or dumping excess fuels and toxic chemicals into the water or onto the soil, slowly poisoning the ecosystem.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
Famously and recently, a Dolphin’s appearance near the Pulaski Bridge excited the neighboring communities, but such extravagances of nature would have a difficult time at Newtown Creek. There are ocean going and brackish water fish that get swept into the Creek by the East River’s irresistible tidal cycles, which actually drown in the oxygen poor water, but I’ve observed other things swimming in its shallow depths. Weird squamous things that defy description, burrowers and soft bodied tunnelers which thrive in the putrid muds that line its soft bottom. Perhaps, when the federal EPA superfund work begins, studies of these uncommented organisms will commence.
Hey, not everything that lives is beautiful, but against all the odds- life is tenacious and nature will find a way to get by.
from epa.gov
Newtown Creek is a part of the New York – New Jersey Harbor Estuary that forms the northernmost border between the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. In the mid 1800s, the area adjacent to the 3.8 mile Newtown Creek was one of the busiest hubs of industrial activity in New York City. More than 50 refineries were located along its banks, including oil refineries, petrochemical plants, fertilizer and glue factories, sawmills, and lumber and coal yards. The creek was crowded with commercial vessels, including large boats bringing in raw materials and fuel and taking out oil, chemicals and metals. In addition to the industrial pollution that resulted from all of this activity, the city began dumping raw sewage directly into the water in 1856. During World War II, the creek was one of the busiest ports in the nation. Currently, factories and facilities still operate along the creek. Various contaminated sites along the creek have contributed to the contamination at Newtown Creek. Today, as a result of its industrial history, including countless spills, Newtown Creek is one of the nation’s most polluted waterways.
Various sediment and surface water samples have been taken along the creek. Pesticides, metals, PCBs, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are potentially harmful contaminants that can easily evaporate into the air, have been detected at the creek.
In the early 1990s, New York State declared that Newtown Creek was not meeting water quality standards under the Clean Water Act. Since then, a number of government sponsored cleanups of the creek have taken place. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has sampled sediment and surface water at a number of locations along the creek since 1980. In 2009, EPA will further sample the sediment throughout the length of Newtown Creek and its tributaries. The samples will be analyzed for a wide range of industrial contaminants. EPA will use the data collected to define the nature of the environmental problems associated with Newtown Creek as a whole.
The Newtown Pentacle 