A Choice Tidbit From The New York Times Archives

August 26, 2009 by
Filed under: 11211, Asshole, Williamsburg, Williamsburg Brooklyn 

Speaking as someone who has lived in north Brooklyn for ten years I remember a time when Williamsburg was more or less defined as the first four stops on the L train— no “ifs” “ands” or “buts”. Over the ensuing years this has been expanded to include pretty much anything short of Ridgewood and given current trends they may very well be next. Only time will tell if my fair burgh will be rechristened “Williamsburg(h) Heights”. Lest the first three sentences of this post have not made it clear I have found a heaping help of black humor to be immensely helpful when living in the shadow such a capacious and rapacious giant. And what a shadow it is! Case in point:

luxuryrentalsNYS

I found this bad boy outside the Morgan Avenue stop of the L. Per the ad copy (which can be seen in larger format by clicking on the above image*) this Valhalla is located off the DeKalb Avenue stop of the L. Apparently eight stops out of Manhattan now qualifies as “East Williamsburg”. Albeit with a significantly smaller typeface.

Imagine if you will, dear readers, a time when real estate agents were not so fast and loose about “branding” a neighborhood  “Williamsburg”. A time when Williamsburgers didn’t even want to be called Williamsburgers; they wanted to be simple Brooklynites. There was such a time. What’s more, the New York Times documented it on February 23, 1896. Enjoy!

02231896NYTIMES

tolbrotFIB

Found In Brooklyn, who took the above photograph, writes:

And this Toll Brothers monolith on the other side. Ewwwww. Can you imagine being one of the numbers living in there? This would fit in better in a business district of a city such as Phoenix or Miami but whatever it’s here and they are not selling like hotcakes.

Welcome to the newer conditions of society.

Miss Heather

Comments

3 Comments on A Choice Tidbit From The New York Times Archives

  1. lylet on Wed, 26th Aug 2009 12:57 pm
  2. …and all this time I thought that the 8th stop on the L officially qualified as ‘West Montauk’…

  3. Rebecca11222 on Wed, 26th Aug 2009 9:54 pm
  4. and that park btw N12 & Lorimer? GREENPOINT.

    They used to drive cattle up N6th to be slaughtered.

    If you’d take the Ugg’s off your head and wash the tribal tattoo out of your eyes, you’d see your broker is selling you empty shit.

    Williamsburg is like so many in Hollywood: famous for being famous.

  5. Kirsty Anne on Thu, 27th Aug 2009 12:03 pm
  6. What a great find that article is. Makes me wonder about the connection to William III. He was after all rumored to be a homosexual and married to his cousin – Williamsburg’s first hipster?

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