Hidden Brooklyn BROOKLYN-USA.ORG
Have you discovered
these local sights?
Brooklyn has gained fame from Manhattan to Mumbai for its world-renowned
sights and sounds. But there are also other hidden points of interest
that are an important part of the borough’s diverse mosaic. Borough
President Adams seeks to highlight the many artistic, cultural, and historic
sites that go under the radar. In this edition of Hidden Brooklyn, check out
several museums that share unique perspectives on the borough’s history:
ONE BROOKLYN | W 22 INTER 2018–2019
CITY RELIQUARY
The City Reliquary, opened in 2002
as a window display in founder Dave
Herman’s apartment on the corner of
Grand and Havemeyer streets in Williamsburg,
is a not-for-profi t community
museum and civic organization.
The small museum has a permanent
exhibition of New York City artifacts
and rotating exhibits of community
collections. Items that can be found
in the permanent exhibition include
a collection of Jackie Robinson photographs,
historic maps, items from the
1939 New York World’s Fair, Statue
of Liberty postcards, terracotta fragments
of landmark buildings, subway
tokens, and even an old subway door.
Ben Sisto’s “Rock Collection Collection”
is a new exhibit featuring various
kinds of rocks and sediments that are
housed within the rotating Community
Collection, which celebrates the
archival work of New York collectors.
Tours are available upon request.
Stop by for a visit to the City Reliquary
(370 Metropolitan Ave. at Metropolitan
Avenue and Havemeyer Street
in Williamsburg, www.cityreliquary.
org). Thurs–Sun from 12 pm to 6 pm.
HARBOR DEFENSE MUSEUM
The Harbor Defense Museum
housed within the walls of Fort
Hamilton — a coastal defense fortifi
cation built on the Narrows and the
fourth oldest army installation in
the United States — is the only U.S.
Army museum in the city. Opened in
1980, it sits within the original structure
made of brick and stone built
in 1825. Its mission is to educate the
public on the central role that Brooklyn
played throughout the nation’s
tumultuous history of domestic and
international combat.
The museum provides guided
tours of all their displays including
special exhibits on the 59th Coastal
Artillery Corps in World War I, the
Battle of Brooklyn during the Revolutionary
War, as well as a historical
overview of harbor defenses in New
York City from 1794 to 1945. Tours are
available upon request.
Visit the Harbor Defense Museum
(230 Sheridan Loop between Sterling
Drive and Pence Street in Fort Hamilton,
www.history.army.mil/museums/
IMCOM/forthamilton). Tues–Fri from
10 am to 4 pm.
WEEKSVILLE HERITAGE CENTER
Weeksville Heritage Center in
Crown Heights is a cultural hub and
historic site with a mission to document,
preserve, and interpret the
history of the 19th-century African-
American community of Weeksville.
Named after James Weeks, who purchased
property in the area in 1838,
Weeksville played a critically important
role in the history of free black
communities in America. Weeksville
Heritage Center interprets the history
of Weeksville through tours of the
landmarked Hunterfl y Road Houses
and supports innovative, contemporary
uses of African-American history
through education, the arts, and
civic engagement. Walk-in tours of the
Hunterfl y Road Houses are offered
Tuesday through Friday at 3 pm, and
pre-scheduled group tours are available
Tuesday through Thursday.
This past spring, the Center celebrated
the 50th anniversary of the
rediscovery of historic Weeksville
with a lineup of programming that
included community gatherings, dinner
theater, fi lm screenings, historical
exhibitions, and literary readings.
You can stop by on second Saturdays
of the month for Weeksville Weekends,
or drop in for one of their Wednesday
evening events.
Stop by the Weeksville Heritage Center
(158 Buffalo Avenue between St.
Marks Avenue and Bergen Street in
Crown Heights, www.weeksvillesociety.
org). Tues— Fri from 10 am to 5 pm,
Weds from 10 am to 9 pm.
WYCKOFF HOUSE MUSEUM
Wyckoff House Museum is a historical
home built in 1638 by Dutch
settler Wouter Van Twiller. The East
Flatbush house is one of the oldest examples
of Dutch saltbox frame homes
in America, and it is one of the fi rst
free-standing structures built by European
settlers on Long Island. The
site was declared a National Historic
Landmark in 1967, and it now conducts
programs for students year-round, including
a historical overview of migration,
colonial life, farming and agriculture.
The grounds are also home to 1.5
acres of undeveloped farmland used
as an urban green space, and for educational
purposes on topics such as
sustainability and food science. The
grounds are open to the public Friday
and Saturday afternoons and most
weekdays when the gates are open.
The museum is open to the public
with guided tours on select days.
Visit the Wyckoff House Museum
(5816 Clarendon Road between Clarendon
Road and Ditmas Avenue in East
Flatbush, www.wyckoffmuseum.org).
Fri—Sat from 1 pm to 4 pm.
/www.weeksvillesociety
/
/www.cityreliquary
/www.wyckoffmuseum.org