There are two churches in BH that had steeples but don’t any more. St. Ann’s, at the corner of Montague and Clinton, had theirs removed when the subway was built underneath. You can see a photo of what it looked like pre-subway on the cover of “Brooklyn In Early Photographs”, published by Dover.
The other church with a steeple in early photos, but absent one now, is the Maronite Cathedral at the corner of Remsen and Henry, the one with the doors from the ocean liner Normandie. I’ve seen photos of this church with a steeple in the 1920s, but it’s obviously not there now. What’s the story here?
Our Lady of Lebanon, the Maronite cathedral, was formerly the Church of the Pilgrims, a Congregational church, which merged with Plymouth Church to form today’s Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims. According to Clay Lancaster’s Old Brooklyn Heights, Church of the Pilgrims was designed by Richard Upjohn, who also designed Trinity Church at Broadway and Wall Street in Manhattan, Grace Church on Hicks Street, and the mansions on Pierrepont Place. Church of the Pilgrims/Our Lady of Lebanon is the first building in the U.S. in the Romanesque Revival style ( a later example in the Heights is the Behr Mansion at the southwest corner of Henry and Pierrepont). Lancaster notes the “unfortunate” removal of the steeple from Church of the Pilgrims, but doesn’t give a reason.
Wish I was having a better holiday — but thanks to Golden Hanger, an entire bag marked “dry cleaning” was laundered instead. Thanks guys for ruining thousands in clothing. Really.
You tried to take a break from a dry-cleaning flake and your clothes ended up at the bottom of lake. Now, that’s just not jake. Sounds like a case for Judge Judy. In the meantime, you and yours enjoy your bird and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Homer – You’re right about the new guy at Plaza being a total flake. No problem with my dry cleaning, but the last two times I’ve brought in wash & fold they’ve shrunk my clothes. I asked them last week if they could just wash everything in cold and they charged me extra for it. What’s up with that? He also tries to charge me for an extra two pounds every time I bring in wash and fold.
On this wonderful Thanksgiving Day I give thanks to Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich and this wonderful blog headed by HF but supported by wonderful contributors such as nabeguy, AEB and many others to name a few. Their witty repartee provides a chuckle on a daily basis.
Still laugh when nabeguy deflected a slight and made it comical a few days ago:
TB
LOL! you win gramps!
Comment from nabeguy:
Peace TB. Maybe you and I can share a round of Metamucil together.
and this one in the same thread:
TB
Graffiti can be cleaned off most surfaces and painted out of painted surfaces.
nabeguy
Since you seem to be such an expert on graffiti removal, can you offer any suggestions on how to eradicate your posts?
or this one just yesterday:
Comment from David
nabeguy,
When or if Lou Dobbs ever calls you back be sure to let him know I use his “rant” not to thieve, but to spread his enlightened message.
Comment from nabeguy
Enlightened message? I said Dobbs, not Hobbes.
You got to love this stuff. Thanks again Homer for providing the vehicle for these truly funny contributors.
Also kudos to the brilliance and generosity of Claude Scales. His allocation of time and energy to this blog is second to none.
In conclusion, I’m very appreciative that clever individuals still appreciate the art of writing in this age of….
Wait how did nabeguy put it a couple of months ago:
And, in this digital age, one that’s seeing the writing on the kindle.
Thanks, Karl–a Happy Thanksgiving to you, Homer, the BHB cadre, and all.
I, for one, am particularly thankful because, last night, on entering Fortune House, I saw workers in the process of dismantling the interior.
Turns out that a redecorating job will take place over the next two days, during which FH will be closed.
I’m thankful because, with any luck, I’ll never have to see again:
The year-round tinsel wrapped above-the-counter glass holder;
The carpet, with its use-blackened “track” into the dining room;
The soiled wait-for-your order banquettes;
The high-80s light fixtures with their yellowed shades;
The various “Chinese” tchotkes deployed througout the dining room…
Of course, I fully expect the cloudy fish tank (with taped-on notice explaining WHY it’s cloudy) to be there post-re-do. Some things are not only priceless, but forever.
Yes AEB, but vintage. They’re not in perfect shape, but they are real. Don’t know if the folks at FH have any idea. They’ve probably been hanging by the bar since 1959!
Oooooo, GHB. Time to check out their dumpster. Though, when I passed by FH yesterday, guys were carrying thing out via a kind of fire-line, who-knows-where-to?
I’m happy to report, though, that the carpet is no more. (The fish tank was however, in situ, albeit covered. They claim they’ll reopen by 3:00 tomorrow…..)
When I walked by yesterday, they had the lamps puled to the side, which I took to mean that they were keeping them. Guess we’ll all know by 3:00 tomorrow. BTW does anyone remember what was there in 1959?
Plaza hasn’t ruined any of our clothes, but don’t EVER use a credit card w/ them. They attached my card to someone else’s dry-cleaning order – twice. It was unintentional and I got my $ back but it was a hassle and I had to cancel the card to be on the safe side. I still go there but use cash or a check only. They’re still better than C. Coleman on Hicks St. – serial ruiner of shirts.
I try to use Best Cleaners, the tiny store on Henry St just north of Montague. Although I don’t dry clean too much lately, I have used them over the years and they have been the best. They are able to patch my jeans properly and unobtrusively. The very lovely woman who used to be there all the time seems to be gone, and the man there now I find rather arrogant. The store is decidedly mediocre for alterations, but the best option over all that I have found. Does anyone know of someone who is good at taloring and alterations for women in the neighborhood?
FH re-do update. Your reporter passed the restaurant at approximately 8:20 AM. He peeked in and saw:
1) Work still in progress. Will FH meet its 3:00 deadline? I DON’T THINK SO!
2) Think pink! Many surfaces are now so-colored.
3) The floor is minus carpet. Revealed: ancient parquet. Will a carpet be laid over? Stay tuned.
4) The George Nelson shades are in place. In bright daylight, your reporter noticed that one has a large hole. The shades may be choice, but these iterations are OLD.
5) Bar “woodwork” appears to have received a “cherry-wood” restain. So right with pink!
6) Fish tank still covered. The fish have now, presumably, been asleep for forty days and forty nights.
Is it just me, or does the coffee at Cranberry’s suck (not to mention overpriced)? I love some of the baked goods, but there coffee is just terrible black water.
Regarding the Fortune House lamps, yes they are real Nelson lamps ( I think) and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had gathered a few holes over the years. My example has picked up a few over the decades also. Hope they stay put! I will be first dumpster diver if they tossed them!
As for Cranberry’s, i think that has turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of living in the north heights. When I arrived here I thought “How quaint! What an adorable local coffee shop and bakery! I want to be one of their regular customers!” After years of living here I got sick of the glacial pace of the service there and general inefficient flailing by the staff, not to mention the crabby clientele I have often seen there (people arguing about matters of 11 cents when there is a line behind waiting to pay!). Every time I want to nip in for a cup of coffee on my way to the AC train, there are maybe 12 or 15 pissed off people crammed in there…It’s for the birds…Also they have some of the worst Black and White cookies I have ever tasted, but their brownies are good.
Your reporter doesn’t often see the world through rose-colored glasses–but he did, erroneously, when checking out the color of the “new” FH’s walls earlier today.
He rechecked and now sees that they’re in fact a sunny apricot–rather nice, actually–and that the much discussed Nelson lamps are GONE! Replaced by a newer yet still modern (which I think makes them a little quaint) iteration.
PS, Cranberry’s baked goods? Crisco-city!
He also believed that the place was to reopen today. Mais non! The unveiling is the 29th. He can’t wait to get there early and break a bottle of soy sauce over the new FH’s prow.
After some encouraging posts here, i took a walk with my daughter to try
Wi Pie. Well, they were closed at 3pm on Saturday. Was opening week so hard on everyone they took the weekend off? I’m all for vacation, but take a clue from Fascati’s. Which is where, by the way, we ended up and couldn’t have been happier. Yankee fans eating pizza served by Yankee fans.
I’m addicted to Cranberry’s coffee. Been going there every morning at the crack of dawn for 30 years. Their coffee with a coffee cake muffin or 2 apple turnovers is the only way to start a day in the North Heights. I thank my lucky stars they are just where they are.
Now if the Clinton Bakery was close by I could be persuaded to …………….
One more thing, drinking my coffee in the warmer months on their bench is great for people watching from 7 to 8.
By the way, the reason there is a long line in the morning is probably because many North Heights residents feel the same way I do.
Karl, it isn’t just the length of the line. It’s the speed at which it moves. But having said that I do find your affection for the place heartwarming and I mean that without irony. It’s good to have a place one feels one has bonded with in a neighborhood. I was hoping to feel that way too, but it just didn’t happen for me with Cranberry’s.
Homer, I haven’t gone to Coleman since they washed a wool full size blanket and it became a crib blanket.
BTW, they do all their bulk washing using the machines in the basement of 55 Pineapple Street, which charge $1.75 for a wash, and another $2 or so for the dryers. So they’re making a big profit on bulk washing.
Domestic disturbance is probably the cause. My Sunday personal assistant spoke with a PO who said that a woman was screaming and wouldn’t let anyone in the apartment. Thanks for the update everyone!
Indeed. I had a friend that didn’t get help quickly enough. It is certainly a tragic situation. Unfortunately this time of year can be stressful for some.
I happen to really like Cranberry’s. The staff as always been friendly (although they occasionally mistakenly overcharge), and the muffins are very good. I like the coffee taste, but it’s not really strong enough for my liking. And as for the black-and-whites, I absolutely love them. Black-and-white cookies on a chocolate cookie? Brilliantly delicious.
There are two churches in BH that had steeples but don’t any more. St. Ann’s, at the corner of Montague and Clinton, had theirs removed when the subway was built underneath. You can see a photo of what it looked like pre-subway on the cover of “Brooklyn In Early Photographs”, published by Dover.
The other church with a steeple in early photos, but absent one now, is the Maronite Cathedral at the corner of Remsen and Henry, the one with the doors from the ocean liner Normandie. I’ve seen photos of this church with a steeple in the 1920s, but it’s obviously not there now. What’s the story here?
I’d blame it on the DOH, Andrew.
Judy Stanton thought it looked better without it.
They swapped it for the doors. Made a good masthead.
They traded it for the right to have parishioners park on the sidewalk.
Our Lady of Lebanon, the Maronite cathedral, was formerly the Church of the Pilgrims, a Congregational church, which merged with Plymouth Church to form today’s Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims. According to Clay Lancaster’s Old Brooklyn Heights, Church of the Pilgrims was designed by Richard Upjohn, who also designed Trinity Church at Broadway and Wall Street in Manhattan, Grace Church on Hicks Street, and the mansions on Pierrepont Place. Church of the Pilgrims/Our Lady of Lebanon is the first building in the U.S. in the Romanesque Revival style ( a later example in the Heights is the Behr Mansion at the southwest corner of Henry and Pierrepont). Lancaster notes the “unfortunate” removal of the steeple from Church of the Pilgrims, but doesn’t give a reason.
Happy Thanksgiving to Homer, Mrs Fink, Claude and the whole cast and crew of the Brooklyn Heights Blog.
Thanks, Melanie, and a very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at BHB.
happy Thanksgivings to all the blogger’s in the Heights !
Wish I was having a better holiday — but thanks to Golden Hanger, an entire bag marked “dry cleaning” was laundered instead. Thanks guys for ruining thousands in clothing. Really.
Oh, that truly sux. Sorry to hear that HF.
Been using them because “new guy” at Plaza is a total flake and was screwing up badly. Can’t catch a break.
You tried to take a break from a dry-cleaning flake and your clothes ended up at the bottom of lake. Now, that’s just not jake. Sounds like a case for Judge Judy. In the meantime, you and yours enjoy your bird and have a Happy Thanksgiving.
Homer – You’re right about the new guy at Plaza being a total flake. No problem with my dry cleaning, but the last two times I’ve brought in wash & fold they’ve shrunk my clothes. I asked them last week if they could just wash everything in cold and they charged me extra for it. What’s up with that? He also tries to charge me for an extra two pounds every time I bring in wash and fold.
On this wonderful Thanksgiving Day I give thanks to Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich and this wonderful blog headed by HF but supported by wonderful contributors such as nabeguy, AEB and many others to name a few. Their witty repartee provides a chuckle on a daily basis.
Still laugh when nabeguy deflected a slight and made it comical a few days ago:
TB
LOL! you win gramps!
Comment from nabeguy:
Peace TB. Maybe you and I can share a round of Metamucil together.
and this one in the same thread:
TB
Graffiti can be cleaned off most surfaces and painted out of painted surfaces.
nabeguy
Since you seem to be such an expert on graffiti removal, can you offer any suggestions on how to eradicate your posts?
or this one just yesterday:
Comment from David
nabeguy,
When or if Lou Dobbs ever calls you back be sure to let him know I use his “rant” not to thieve, but to spread his enlightened message.
Comment from nabeguy
Enlightened message? I said Dobbs, not Hobbes.
You got to love this stuff. Thanks again Homer for providing the vehicle for these truly funny contributors.
Also kudos to the brilliance and generosity of Claude Scales. His allocation of time and energy to this blog is second to none.
In conclusion, I’m very appreciative that clever individuals still appreciate the art of writing in this age of….
Wait how did nabeguy put it a couple of months ago:
And, in this digital age, one that’s seeing the writing on the kindle.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Thanks, Karl–a Happy Thanksgiving to you, Homer, the BHB cadre, and all.
I, for one, am particularly thankful because, last night, on entering Fortune House, I saw workers in the process of dismantling the interior.
Turns out that a redecorating job will take place over the next two days, during which FH will be closed.
I’m thankful because, with any luck, I’ll never have to see again:
The year-round tinsel wrapped above-the-counter glass holder;
The carpet, with its use-blackened “track” into the dining room;
The soiled wait-for-your order banquettes;
The high-80s light fixtures with their yellowed shades;
The various “Chinese” tchotkes deployed througout the dining room…
Of course, I fully expect the cloudy fish tank (with taped-on notice explaining WHY it’s cloudy) to be there post-re-do. Some things are not only priceless, but forever.
AEB, those yellowed “80s light fixtures” are actually ’50s-’60s George Nelson bubble shades. And they’re not knock-offs. I hope they keep them!
Thanks Karl. Let me know when you put together the Collected Wit and Wisdom of Nabeguy. I’ll be sure to autograph your copy first.
Wait, GHB, you mean:
http://www.ylighting.com/bub-xlsaucer.html ?
Do the good folks at FH know? Still–everything has its own span-’o-days….
(Should I investigate the fish more closely?)
Yes AEB, but vintage. They’re not in perfect shape, but they are real. Don’t know if the folks at FH have any idea. They’ve probably been hanging by the bar since 1959!
Oooooo, GHB. Time to check out their dumpster. Though, when I passed by FH yesterday, guys were carrying thing out via a kind of fire-line, who-knows-where-to?
I’m happy to report, though, that the carpet is no more. (The fish tank was however, in situ, albeit covered. They claim they’ll reopen by 3:00 tomorrow…..)
When I walked by yesterday, they had the lamps puled to the side, which I took to mean that they were keeping them. Guess we’ll all know by 3:00 tomorrow. BTW does anyone remember what was there in 1959?
Homer, that totally sucks and I’m so sorry to hear it. I’ve been having pretty good luck with Lung’s, in case that helps.
Plaza hasn’t ruined any of our clothes, but don’t EVER use a credit card w/ them. They attached my card to someone else’s dry-cleaning order – twice. It was unintentional and I got my $ back but it was a hassle and I had to cancel the card to be on the safe side. I still go there but use cash or a check only. They’re still better than C. Coleman on Hicks St. – serial ruiner of shirts.
Hey lamp fanciers – http://www.stardust.com/SAUCERLAMP-p-nelsonlamp.html
Heightsdiho thanks for that tidbit.
Also if anyone has photos of fortune house redo please send em over!
I try to use Best Cleaners, the tiny store on Henry St just north of Montague. Although I don’t dry clean too much lately, I have used them over the years and they have been the best. They are able to patch my jeans properly and unobtrusively. The very lovely woman who used to be there all the time seems to be gone, and the man there now I find rather arrogant. The store is decidedly mediocre for alterations, but the best option over all that I have found. Does anyone know of someone who is good at taloring and alterations for women in the neighborhood?
FH re-do update. Your reporter passed the restaurant at approximately 8:20 AM. He peeked in and saw:
1) Work still in progress. Will FH meet its 3:00 deadline? I DON’T THINK SO!
2) Think pink! Many surfaces are now so-colored.
3) The floor is minus carpet. Revealed: ancient parquet. Will a carpet be laid over? Stay tuned.
4) The George Nelson shades are in place. In bright daylight, your reporter noticed that one has a large hole. The shades may be choice, but these iterations are OLD.
5) Bar “woodwork” appears to have received a “cherry-wood” restain. So right with pink!
6) Fish tank still covered. The fish have now, presumably, been asleep for forty days and forty nights.
More to come, I’m sure.
Is it just me, or does the coffee at Cranberry’s suck (not to mention overpriced)? I love some of the baked goods, but there coffee is just terrible black water.
No worse than Tazza’s coffee. Good baked goods, but their coffee sucks.
Regarding the Fortune House lamps, yes they are real Nelson lamps ( I think) and I wouldn’t be surprised if they had gathered a few holes over the years. My example has picked up a few over the decades also. Hope they stay put! I will be first dumpster diver if they tossed them!
As for Cranberry’s, i think that has turned out to be one of the biggest disappointments of living in the north heights. When I arrived here I thought “How quaint! What an adorable local coffee shop and bakery! I want to be one of their regular customers!” After years of living here I got sick of the glacial pace of the service there and general inefficient flailing by the staff, not to mention the crabby clientele I have often seen there (people arguing about matters of 11 cents when there is a line behind waiting to pay!). Every time I want to nip in for a cup of coffee on my way to the AC train, there are maybe 12 or 15 pissed off people crammed in there…It’s for the birds…Also they have some of the worst Black and White cookies I have ever tasted, but their brownies are good.
@ bklyn20: Try the tailor in the St. George on the Henry st side. He has fixed some things for me rather nicely.
Your reporter doesn’t often see the world through rose-colored glasses–but he did, erroneously, when checking out the color of the “new” FH’s walls earlier today.
He rechecked and now sees that they’re in fact a sunny apricot–rather nice, actually–and that the much discussed Nelson lamps are GONE! Replaced by a newer yet still modern (which I think makes them a little quaint) iteration.
PS, Cranberry’s baked goods? Crisco-city!
He also believed that the place was to reopen today. Mais non! The unveiling is the 29th. He can’t wait to get there early and break a bottle of soy sauce over the new FH’s prow.
(The two final graphs in the post right above should be switched, one for the other. Sorry!)
After some encouraging posts here, i took a walk with my daughter to try
Wi Pie. Well, they were closed at 3pm on Saturday. Was opening week so hard on everyone they took the weekend off? I’m all for vacation, but take a clue from Fascati’s. Which is where, by the way, we ended up and couldn’t have been happier. Yankee fans eating pizza served by Yankee fans.
I’m addicted to Cranberry’s coffee. Been going there every morning at the crack of dawn for 30 years. Their coffee with a coffee cake muffin or 2 apple turnovers is the only way to start a day in the North Heights. I thank my lucky stars they are just where they are.
Now if the Clinton Bakery was close by I could be persuaded to …………….
One more thing, drinking my coffee in the warmer months on their bench is great for people watching from 7 to 8.
By the way, the reason there is a long line in the morning is probably because many North Heights residents feel the same way I do.
Karl, it isn’t just the length of the line. It’s the speed at which it moves. But having said that I do find your affection for the place heartwarming and I mean that without irony. It’s good to have a place one feels one has bonded with in a neighborhood. I was hoping to feel that way too, but it just didn’t happen for me with Cranberry’s.
Homer, I haven’t gone to Coleman since they washed a wool full size blanket and it became a crib blanket.
BTW, they do all their bulk washing using the machines in the basement of 55 Pineapple Street, which charge $1.75 for a wash, and another $2 or so for the dryers. So they’re making a big profit on bulk washing.
My2? Dumpster diving? Excuse me, but that’s my job.
Nabeguy: wasn’t the Pam-Pam where the Fortune House is now? Not 1959 of course, but that’s a tad early on my recollection scale.
There seems to be a lot of police activity on Pierrepont Street. Does anyone know what is going on?
Just saw the Pierrepont thing now. Possible domestic dispute.
I am about to go investigate TK. They have the street roped off. I’ll let ya know.
Domestic disturbance is probably the cause. My Sunday personal assistant spoke with a PO who said that a woman was screaming and wouldn’t let anyone in the apartment. Thanks for the update everyone!
TK, attempted suicide. I’m reluctant to publicize such sad news so I’ll leave it at that. Let’s hope the individual gets help and gets better.
Indeed. I had a friend that didn’t get help quickly enough. It is certainly a tragic situation. Unfortunately this time of year can be stressful for some.
I happen to really like Cranberry’s. The staff as always been friendly (although they occasionally mistakenly overcharge), and the muffins are very good. I like the coffee taste, but it’s not really strong enough for my liking. And as for the black-and-whites, I absolutely love them. Black-and-white cookies on a chocolate cookie? Brilliantly delicious.