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113-626: In the months before the regular season began, both leagues battled with each other for fan support and the right to play at Ebbets Field . The NFL emerged as the winner, as the Lions signed the lease to use the stadium on July 20. On November 12, 1926, the Horsemen withdrew from the AFL and merged with Lions. The new team created by the merger was initially called the Brooklyn Lions and competed in

226-417: A suburb . Towards the end of the century, the land was worth more if used for real estate than farming, and large landowners began selling off plots. John Lefferts divided his family's Flatbush homestead into 516 parcels, restricted by covenant to only be developed into single-family housing. These formed Lefferts Manor, containing possibly the neighborhood's earliest row houses . Another early development

339-678: A 376 marker was added to the right corner of the seating area wall. Result of a merger between the Brooklyn Horsemen of the American Football League and the Brooklyn Lions of the National Football League for the 1926 NFL season †= Team's stadium under construction or refurbishment at time 1 = A team used the stadium when their permanent stadium was unable to be used as

452-594: A Brooklyn stadium. Ultimately, O'Malley and Moses could not come to agreement on a new location for the stadium, and the club moved west to Los Angeles after the 1957 season . During their last two years in Brooklyn, the Dodgers played several games each year in Jersey City, New Jersey 's Roosevelt Stadium , which was a tactic by O'Malley to force Moses to acquiesce and allow a new stadium to be built. Ebbets Field

565-418: A brownstone cornerstone of the stadium. The Ebbets Field Apartments were built on the former ballpark site, opening in 1962, and remaining under private ownership. Middle School 320, across McKeever Place, was renamed Jackie Robinson Intermediate School. In January 2014, the street sign that once stood at the corner of McKeever Place and Montgomery Street was sold at auction for $ 58,852.08. Ebbets Field

678-481: A case deciding the use of the Brooklyn Dodgers' trademark called O'Malley's relocation of the franchise from its historic home to Los Angeles "one of the most notorious abandonments in the history of sports". An auction Ebbets Field's structure and contents was held on April 20, 1960. An estimated 500 people bid on locker room stools, benches, team banners, seats, bricks, bats, caps, team photos, balls, and

791-534: A century. A church was built in 1654, replaced by another structure in 1698. The early settlement was enclosed by a palisade wall for protection. By 1658, it was the location of the courts and seat of Justice for the County. There were records of schoolmasters in the town from 1659. The north end of Midwout was called Steenraap, the main business center the Dorp, and the south end Rustenburgh or resting-place. Among

904-463: A college education or higher. The percentage of Flatbush and Midwood students excelling in math rose from 43 percent in 2000 to 68 percent in 2011, though reading achievement remained steady at 48% during the same time period. Flatbush and Midwood's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is about equal to the rest of New York City. In Flatbush and Midwood, 18% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year , compared to

1017-452: A coming merger with Brooklyn, and lamented that the Dutch character of the town was gone. The only remaining signs of its presence to her were "the reminiscences and traditions, while the old family names mark the localities still, as the projecting peaks mark the submerged rock." In 1894, Flatbush was successfully annexed into Brooklyn. A reception hosting Brooklyn mayor Charles A. Schieren

1130-448: A dire shortage. The response from the government was a slew of housing and tenant bills, with one allowing the city to exempt new residential construction from property taxes until 1932. The ordinance spurred a housing boom across the borough, with significant development in the much cheaper land of southern Brooklyn and Flatbush, which was increasingly connected to the rest of the city via new infrastructure projects. Extant homes—including

1243-481: A few years after Flatbush and the other towns of Kings County avoided annexation by Brooklyn. The Brooklyn, Flatbush and Coney Island Railway , established 1878, connected Flatbush to the pleasure spots at Coney Island and the Atlantic Coast to the south, and downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan to the north. The railways and the opening of bridges connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan began transforming Flatbush into

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1356-427: A lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 79.9% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 6 murders, 43 rapes, 246 robberies, 601 felony assaults, 225 burglaries, 586 grand larcenies, and 98 grand larcenies auto in 2018. In 1997, officers from the 70th Precinct restrained and sexually assaulted innocent suspect Abner Louima in the precinct's restroom. Louima received

1469-540: A non-profit rescue organization, has a large social media following. Flatbush is covered by two precincts of the NYPD . The 70th Precinct is located at 154 Lawrence Avenue in Parkville and serves Ditmas Park, Prospect Park South, and Midwood, while the 67th Precinct is located at 2820 Snyder Avenue and serves East Flatbush. The 70th Precinct ranked 30th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010, while

1582-478: A piece of Connecticut granite that held newspapers, pictures of baseball players, cards, telegrams, and almanacs, was laid on July 6, 1912. At the laying ceremony, Ebbets said that the ballpark was going to be ready for play on September 1, and that Brooklyn was going to win the National League pennant in 1913. Neither of Ebbets' predictions was correct: on August 29, 1912, as the deadline drew near and it

1695-480: A relatively high population of residents who are uninsured , or who receive healthcare through Medicaid . In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 16%, which is higher than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter , the deadliest type of air pollutant , in Flatbush and Midwood is 0.0077 milligrams per cubic metre (7.7 × 10  oz/cu ft), lower than

1808-530: A result of damage. Flatbush, Brooklyn Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn . The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park to the north, East Flatbush to the east, Midwood to the south, and Kensington and Parkville to the west. The modern neighborhood includes or borders several institutions of note, including Brooklyn College . The area

1921-487: A row (1949–53), challenging the five time World Champion cross-town Yankees during that stretch. Ebbets Field also hosted the 1949 Major League Baseball All-Star Game . The Dodgers found themselves victims of their own success soon thereafter, as Ebbets Field never seated more than 35,000 people, and the constraints of the neighborhood made its expansion impossible. It also had almost no automobile parking for Dodger fans who had moved east to suburban Long Island , though it

2034-584: A scheduled game at Ebbets Field against league leader (and eventual champion) Philadelphia Quakers was cancelled due to inclement weather. On November 7, 1926, the Horsemen played their last AFL game, a 21–13 loss to the New York Yankees , and then merged with their NFL cousins, the Brooklyn Lions, to complete the season in the NFL. The result of the merger was derisively dubbed the Horse-Lions by

2147-729: A settlement from the city of $ 8.7 million, at that time the largest individual payment for an NYPD brutality case. Approximately $ 1.6 million of the settlement money came from the police union, which allegedly tried to help cover up the crime. Flatbush is served by three New York City Fire Department (FDNY) fire stations: As of 2018 , preterm births are more common in Flatbush and Midwood than in other places citywide, though births to teenage mothers are less common. In Flatbush and Midwood, there were 99 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 17.1 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Flatbush and Midwood has

2260-404: A sign reading 364 + 1 ⁄ 2 feet (111.1 m). Above the street-exit door in the deep center field notch was a sign reading 399 feet (122 m). The last changes came in 1948, when several rows of seats were installed in front of the outfield stands, reducing the left and center dimensions to their final distances. The 399 marker above the deep center field door was painted over, while

2373-448: Is 57% in Flatbush and Midwood, higher than the citywide and boroughwide rates of 52% and 51% respectively. As according to the 2020 census data from New York City Department of City Planning showed a diverse racial population, though the concentrations of each racial groups varied between different sections of Flatbush. Western portions of the community had between 10,000 to 19,999 White residents, 5,000 to 9,999 Black residents, and each

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2486-428: Is covered by ZIP Codes 11203, 11210, 11225, and 11226. Flatbush and Midwood generally has a similar ratio of college-educated residents to the rest of the city as of 2018 . Though 43% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 18% have less than a high school education and 39% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 40% of Brooklynites and 38% of city residents have

2599-424: Is located at 22 Linden Boulevard east of Flatbush Avenue. It was built in 1905 as a Carnegie library branch . The Clarendon branch is located at 2035 Nostrand Avenue south of Farragut Road. It was founded as a deposit station with a small circulating collection in 1913. The branch moved into its current building in 1954, and it was renovated in 1990. The Crown Heights branch, located on the border with Crown Heights,

2712-477: Is notable for its relatively unique architecture. Since 1994, the building has been divided internally into five smaller high schools, each concentrating on a different academic area. Brooklyn College (one of the four-year colleges in the City University of New York system) occupies a 35-acre (14 ha) campus shared between the neighborhoods of Flatbush and Midwood . Several Jewish yeshivas are in

2825-698: Is part of Brooklyn Community District 14 . It is patrolled by the 67th and 70th Precincts of the New York City Police Department . Politically, Flatbush is represented by the New York City Council 's 40th and 45th Districts. In the 16th century, western Long Island was inhabited by the Canarsee people, who called it Sewanhacka. The Canarsee and related Lenape tribes lived semi-nomadic lives, moving seasonally to follow food sources. Their crisscrossing trails through

2938-541: The All-Ireland champion County Kerry team defeated Kildare by a score of 18–3 with an attendance of 2,500 fans under floodlights in a night game. Ebbets Field also hosted nearly 90 fight cards between 1915 and 1947. A detailed plan of the new ballpark was published in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle for January 3, 1912, p. 21. The right field line was to be 298 feet (91 m) from home plate,

3051-489: The Beverley Squares (Beverley Square East and Beverley Square West), Prospect Lefferts Gardens , Ditmas Park , Fiske Terrace , Victorian Flatbush , and Albemarle-Kenmore Terrace . Bordering Flatbush on the north is Crown Heights, to the east is East Flatbush , to the west is Kensington and Parkville, and to the south is Midwood. Well-known institutions within Flatbush include Erasmus Hall High School ,

3164-732: The New Jersey Nets of the National Basketball Association moved to Brooklyn in 2012, marking a return of major-league professional sports to the borough after a 55-year absence, they installed the Ebbets Field flagpole in front of their home arena, the Barclays Center . Ebbets Field was frequently used for collegiate football match-ups, and was home base for Manhattan College's team in the 1930s. It also hosted three pro football teams –

3277-665: The New York Brickley Giants for one game in 1921, the Brooklyn Lions/Horsemen in 1926, and the Brooklyn Dodgers/Tigers from 1930 to 1944. On 1927, the soccer Club Nacional de Football in its North American tour played two games against Brooklyn Wanderers , winning both. The Nacionals fielded Olympic medal winners such as José Andrade and Héctor Scarone . The stadium also hosted numerous soccer games, including

3390-530: The New York Yankees on April 5, 1913, played before an overcapacity of 30,000 fans, with 5,000 more who had arrived but were not able to get in. After a loss against the Yankees in another exhibition game on April 7 in front of about 1,000 fans on a very cold day, the first regular season game was played on April 9 against the Philadelphia Phillies , with Brooklyn losing, 1–0. When the park

3503-745: The Parade Ground , the Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church , and Brooklyn College . The Kings Theatre , listed on the National Register of Historic Places , operated from 1929 to 1977; it reopened as a live show venue in February 2015 after extensive renovations. Based on data from the 2010 United States Census , the population of Flatbush was 105,804, a decrease of 5,071 (4.6%) from the 110,875 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 1,038.56 acres (420.29 ha),

Brooklyn Lions / Horsemen (1926) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3616-615: The Prospect Park South neighborhood hired private security to patrol the neighbhorhood. Residents lobbied commercial business to return to the area. Local merchants, the city, and the Flatbush Development Corporation worked to revitalize the neighborhood's commercial core. The Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement District was founded in 1990, and by 1996 included 195 merchants on the stretch of road between Parkside Avenue and Cortelyou Road. In

3729-417: The "circus seats". They built an extension of the main double-deck stands, which stretched across left and center fields, leaving a notch for the big door in deep right center field. Once this work was done, the general layout was fairly well set. The left field corner had a unique arrangement, with the foul line actually running atop the box seat railing to the foul pole. A new door in left center field once had

3842-482: The "soldier from Flatbush" became a symbol of the All-American soldier. After the war, Flatbush saw demographic shifts along with the rest of the city. Owners and renters from the interwar years aged, and their children moved out of the neighborhood; from 1950 to 1960 children under six in Flatbush dropped 14 percent, while the number of seniors over 65 rose 42 percent. The Dodgers left Brooklyn, and Ebbets Field

3955-548: The 18th century. In 1738, 29% of Flatbush's recorded population of 539 were slaves, jumping to 41% by 1790. The enslaved labor pool was also supplemented by indentured servants from the British Isles or Germany. During the American Revolution (1775–1783), Flatbush demonstrated conflicting loyalties to either the loyalist or patriot causes. Patriot troops burned houses and farmland early in war to deny

4068-606: The 1926 NFL season Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn , New York . It is mainly known for having been the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team of the National League (1913–1957). It was also home to five professional football teams, including three NFL teams (1921–1948). Ebbets Field was demolished in 1960 and replaced by

4181-529: The 1957 season. To avoid being the only team west of St. Louis, O'Malley urged Horace Stoneham , owner of the Dodgers' long-time crosstown rivals , the New York Giants , to also move west: Stoneham, who was having stadium and financial difficulties of his own, agreed, and moved the Giants to San Francisco after the 1957 season. The departure of the Dodgers was followed by a "twilight" phase in which

4294-418: The 1980s, families and young couples priced out of areas like Park Slope and looking for cheaper real estate moved into the homes in the historic areas. Residents started buying their houses and forming block associations; the high percentage of buyers who were middle-class black residents made it atypical from other gentrification waves on the time in the city that displaced the current residents. Owners in

4407-420: The 2000s, Flatbush began to shed its poor reputation, and residents came to the area for its cheaper prices, attractive housing stock, and retail. The Junction was redeveloped with the addition of Target Corporation 's largest-ever store. The demographics of the neighborhood continued to shift; new Jewish residents from Syria arrived alongside Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Russians, and Chinese. The Muslim community

4520-629: The 67th Precinct ranked 40th safest. As of 2018 , with a non-fatal assault rate of 42 per 100,000 people, Flatbush and Midwood's rate of violent crimes per capita is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 372 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole. The 70th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 89.1% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 6 murders, 27 rapes, 162 robberies, 273 felony assaults, 173 burglaries, 527 grand larcenies, and 75 grand larcenies auto in 2018. The 67th Precinct also has

4633-565: The British the resources. Landowners in Brooklyn were concerned that a full conflict between the Colonies and the British would result in loss of their critical source of slave labor. Parts of the Battle of Long Island took place in Flatbush; the patriots checked the British advance north at what is now known as Battle Pass , until they were surprised by a flanking attack. The town of Flatbush

Brooklyn Lions / Horsemen (1926) - Misplaced Pages Continue

4746-533: The Brooklyn, Flatbush & Coney Island Railroad (now called the Brooklyn & Brighton Beach Railroad) was electrified in 1901 and run over the Brooklyn Bridge , connecting Flatbush more directly with lower Manhattan. This was followed by further improvements to the line in the subsequent years, including the addition of more tracks and removal of at-grade crossings. The railways lived alongside five trolley lines that ran to Williamsburg in north Brooklyn and

4859-492: The Canarsee (who did not share the Dutch's view of property rights, viewing the sales not as final but essentially leases.) One of the Dutch settlements was Midwout (alternatively Midwoud or Medwoud ,) Dutch for "middle wood". Midwout was established inland, in a forested area bounded by hills to the north and flat open spaces to the south, which had been managed by the natives for cultivation and game purposes. The geography

4972-464: The Dodgers early successes the team slid into hard times. It remained there for two decades, until new ownership first brought in MacPhail in 1938, and then, after MacPhail's wartime resignation, player development specialist Branch Rickey in 1943 . In addition to his well-known breaking of the color line by signing Jackie Robinson in 1948, Rickey's savvy with farm systems (which he had honed with

5085-532: The Dodgers to move to a city-owned stadium in Flushing Meadows in the borough of Queens (the future site of Shea Stadium and Citi Field ). O'Malley refused to consider Moses' proposal, famously telling him "We are the Brooklyn Dodgers, not the Queens Dodgers!" As a result, O'Malley began to flirt publicly with Los Angeles , using a relocation threat as political leverage to win favor for

5198-579: The Ebbets Field Apartments, the site's current occupant. After locating the prospective new site to build a permanent stadium to replace the old wooden Washington Park , Dodgers' owner Charles Ebbets acquired the property over several years, starting in 1908, by buying lots until he owned the entire block. Ebbets Field was bounded by Bedford Avenue to the east, Sullivan Place to the South, Cedar Street (renamed McKeever Place in 1932 ) to

5311-535: The Empire State Cup, which can be seen in the Heart of Midlothian FC Museum. On June 28, 1959, Napoli of Italy lost to Rapid Vienna of Austria 1–0 in front of 18,512, and game officials were attacked afterwards. At the rematch three days later in front of 13,000 people, Napoli tied Rapid Vienna 1–1, in one of the last events held there. Gaelic football was also played at Ebbets Field. On June 24, 1931,

5424-465: The English captured nearby New Amsterdam , and New Netherland was ceded to the English, remaining permanently in their hands after 1674 as New York. The towns of Long Island were united as Kings County in 1683. The borders of Widwout were fixed in 1685 in a new charter granted by Thomas Dongan , the English governor of New York province. The English "Flatbush" gradually supplanted the Dutch names for

5537-631: The Flatbush BID organizes the Flatbush Avenue Street Fair, an event that celebrates the cultures of the community. The Flatbush Development Corporation hosts events and programs that are aimed to support the "vitality, diversity and quality of life" in the Flatbush community. CAMBA, Inc . is a Flatbush-based nonprofit that since 1977 has provided housing, youth education and development, legal services and healthcare services to residents of Flatbush and beyond. Flatbush Cats ,

5650-587: The Hispanic and Asian populations were between 5,000 to 9,999 residents. Eastern portions of the community had between 30,000 to 39,999 Black residents, 10,000 to 19,999 Hispanic residents, and 5,000 to 9,999 White residents. The bustling business district and neighborhoods of Flatbush are supported by several community organizations. The Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement District provides services to keep Flatbush Avenue from Parkside Avenue to Cortelyou Road clean, safe and profitable for its businesses. Every year,

5763-495: The Horsemen got the team name after McNeely's signing of Elmer Layden and Harry Stuhldreher , two of Notre Dame 's Four Horsemen . While the team's first game was decided by a 60-yard touchdown pass from Stuldreher to Ed Harrison, the team had trouble maintaining a steady offense (and, ultimately maintaining a fan base). After losses to the Los Angeles Wildcats and Boston Bulldogs in front of decreasing crowds,

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5876-599: The Horsemen in the AFL and the Lions/Horsemen in the NFL: In addition, guard Hec Garvey was on the rosters of no fewer than four teams in the AFL or NFL in 1926: the Hartford Blues (NFL), the Horsemen (AFL), the Lions (NFL), and the New York Yankees . Result of a merger between the Brooklyn Horsemen of the American Football League and the Brooklyn Lions of the National Football League for

5989-646: The Lions merged with the Horsemen. At the time of the merger, the Lions had compiled a 2–5 win–loss record. NOTE: Final NFL standings: official franchise won–lost record combines the wins and losses of the Lions with the results of the games played by the merged team, originally named the Brooklyn Lions and later the Brooklyn Horsemen. The Horsemen of the first AFL were owned by boxing promoter Humbert Fugazy and played their home games in Brooklyn 's Commercial Field . Coached by Eddie McNeely,

6102-589: The Lower East Side in Manhattan. Development of the north end of Flatbush was helped along with the construction of Ebbets Field , home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team. Construction across Brooklyn slowed as Europe and then America became embroiled in World War I ; the cost of construction spiked, and the city emerged from the war years having gone from a surplus of housing a decade earlier to

6215-428: The NFL from November 22, 1926. For the last three games of the 1926, the team used the Horsemen name to finish the season. After three consecutive losses by shutout, the merged team winked out of existence. Coached by Punk Berryman , the Lions featured Rex Thomas and Herm Bagby , two members of the backfield who could play either tailback or wingback . On defense, Thomas also snared four interceptions . Notably,

6328-635: The U.S. National Challenge Cup soccer tournament, now known as the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup . Bethlehem Steel F.C. from Pennsylvania of the American Soccer League won its sixth and final National Challenge Cup title, on April 11, 1926, scoring a convincing 7–2 victory over Ben Miller F.C. of St. Louis in the final before more than 18,000 fans. On June 7, 1931, over 10,000 fans came out to Ebbets Field to watch Celtic of Scotland defeat Brooklyn Wanderers 5–0. On June 17, 1947,

6441-564: The area formed some of the early roads for the modern region. One of their primary settlements was located roughly at the current intersection of Flatbush Avenue and Kings Highway , named Keskachane or "council fire". Henry Hudson is reported to have landed on the island in 1609. Hudson was an Englishman working for the Dutch East India Company, and the Dutch established trading posts and settlements in their new colony of Nieuw Nederland thereafter, buying up land from

6554-515: The area had focused on farming, which proved lucrative as nearby New York City grew. The need for labor spurred the importation of African slaves, making New York one of the largest slaveholding regions in the northern English colonies. Dutch slavery was less rigid and repressive than that of the Southern Colonies , but as the English assumed control of the region, harsher legal codes came into effect. The slave population swelled through

6667-445: The area in 1971 recalled that his building gradually shed staff and maintenance was neglected as the decade wore on, amid a wider drop in city services following the city's financial crisis . Parts of the neighborhood in the west and to the south of Prospect Park continued to attract a sizable number of wealthier homeowners, and doctors still resided and practiced on a stretch of Parkside Avenue immediately adjacent to Prospect Park. By

6780-405: The area is one with fuzzier boundaries, compared to neighborhoods with sharp, widely-agreed-upon delineations. The borders roughly coincide with Brooklyn Community District 14 , which also includes portions of Midwood and Kensington. Over time, neighborhoods once considered part of Flatbush have gained their own distinct identities. These include the planned communities of Prospect Park South ,

6893-486: The area, comprising the majority of the rural labor force by 1860. Though Flatbush and Kings County did not support Abraham Lincoln 's presidency in 1860, after the American Civil War broke out, Flatbush residents raised funds and soldiers for the war effort. Blacks fleeing the violence of the New York City draft riots found refuge in Flatbush and nearby Weeksville . Flatbush built a Town Hall in 1875,

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7006-455: The city where real estate was expected to take off, as buyers looked for more affordable options. Flatbush was disparately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic compared to higher-income parts of the city. As housing prices have increased, the neighborhood's predominantly black population has begun to shrink. The neighborhood continues to face issues as a lower-income neighborhood compared to

7119-500: The city, with a 2016 WNYC reporting finding the neighborhood was disproportionately the target of Vision Zero traffic safety enforcement compared to whiter neighborhoods like Williamsburg and Greenpoint . a 2023 Gothamist analysis of 311 data revealing the neighborhood was one of the largest problem areas in the city for illegal waste dumping. Little remains of the original Flatbush village and its surroundings. The 18th-century Lefferts family house , which resided in Flatbush,

7232-417: The citywide and boroughwide averages. Ten percent of Flatbush and Midwood residents are smokers , which is slightly lower than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Flatbush and Midwood, 28% of residents are obese , 13% are diabetic , and 31% have high blood pressure —compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. In addition, 21% of children are obese, compared to

7345-484: The citywide average of 20% of students. Additionally, 75% of high school students in Flatbush and Midwood graduate on time, equal to the citywide average of 75% of students. Flatbush is home to a number of elementary and intermediate schools, as well as the Erasmus Hall High School campus. Founded in 1786, it has a long list of famous alumni. Its building has been expanded numerous times, and

7458-577: The citywide average of 20%. Eighty percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is lower than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 77% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", slightly less than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Flatbush and Midwood, there are 21 bodegas . Major hospitals in close proximity to Flatbush include Kings County Hospital and SUNY Downstate Medical Center . The facilities are located in neighboring East Flatbush just east of New York Avenue. Flatbush

7571-466: The community of free blacks. Slavery was fully abolished in 1827, though many former slaves continued to work as under their former owners. Into the 19th century, Flatbush remained a slow-growing farming community. The opening of the Erie Canal shifted cultivation away from grains and towards market produce, with Kings County being the second-largest largest provider of produce in the country until

7684-577: The early colonists in Midwout who would rise to prominence was Leffert Pietersen Van Haughwout. Van Haughwout's family, later known as the Lefferts, would build a homestead in the 1680s in the north of town, now part of Prospect Lefferts Gardens . Other Dutch families would ultimately lend their names to the streets of the modern city. In its early years, Midwout came into conflict with its neighboring town of New Amersfoort over its borders, as well as with

7797-459: The east, Avenue H to the south, and Coney Island Avenue to the west. However they also noted that some residents still considered Midwood part of Flatbush, and the historic definitions had it stretch from Ocean Parkway to New York Avenue. By the 2000s, the Times had shifted the boundaries eastward, with New York Avenue the eastern border and Ocean Avenue the western one; the paper also noted that

7910-461: The end of the century after Queens County. It remained isolated from the growing Brooklyn by open country. Prospect Park was developed from land partially in Flatbush, though it was wholly claimed by Brooklyn. The rural character of the town, however, would not last. In the second quarter of the century, a street grid was laid out, and the main north-south road was established as Flatbush Avenue. A stream of Irish and some German immigrants arrived in

8023-468: The farther-flung areas remaining mostly rural and dotted with wood-framed houses. Amid the construction of houses and the infrastructure to support them, Flatbush's population tripled in the decades before 1900. In the face of increasing urbanization, some community leaders wished for Flatbush and the outlying Kings County towns to retain their rural character. Resident and amateur historian Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt, writing in 1881, correctly predicted

8136-502: The field was very large for its time in both left field (419 feet (128 m)) and center (508 feet (155 m)); with additional seating the playing field shrunk to 356 feet (109 m) in left, 406 feet (124 m) in center, and 297 feet (91 m) to right, which gained a screen above its fence and a scoreboard. At its peak it had a capacity of around 32,000. As with Boston's Fenway Park and Detroit's Tiger Stadium , two ballparks that had opened one year earlier than Ebbets Field,

8249-864: The first known televised soccer game in the US took place when Hapoel Tel Aviv lost to the American League Stars 2–0. On June 18, 1948, Liverpool of England beat Djurgården of Sweden 3–2 in front of 20,000 fans. On October 17 of that year, the U.S. national team beat the Israel national team in front of 25,000 fans. On May 8, 1955, Sunderland of England beat the American League Stars 7–2. On May 17, Sunderland drew 1-1 with 1. FC Nürnberg of Germany. On May 25, 1958, Manchester City of England lost to Hearts of Scotland 6–5 in front of more than 20,000 patrons. The winners received

8362-496: The historic center of Flatbush at Church and Flatbush Avenues. When Flatbush merged with Brooklyn, the old town became coterminous with the 29th ward . There are no official boundaries for the modern neighborhood, which is smaller than the old boundaries of the town, and have long been disputed. In 1928, the Brooklyn Standard Union gave an expansive definition of Flatbush as running from Ocean Parkway in

8475-463: The home of some of baseball's greatest dramas. Newspaper coverage in the spring of 1913 was filled with glowing praise about the new park, calling it "A Monument to the National Game" and predicting it could last 200 years: in the end it only lasted 47 years, failing to survive the exit of the Dodgers for Los Angeles in 1957. The first game played was an inter-league exhibition game against

8588-472: The intimate configuration of some of each park's dimensions prompted some baseball writers to also refer to Ebbets Field as a "cigar box" or a "bandbox." Ebbets Field was the scene of some early successes, as the Dodgers, also called the "Robins" after long-time manager Wilbert Robinson , won National League championships in 1916 and 1920 . The seating area was expanded in the 1920s, a boom time for baseball when many ballparks were expanded. The double deck

8701-418: The left field line 401 feet (122 m), and to the front of the intended triangle-shaped center field bleachers the plan said 407 feet (124 m) "+ or −". When the ballpark opened in 1913, the outfield was bounded by bare concrete walls all around, which would soon be covered with advertising. The triangular center field was used for the flag pole, with just a short fence in front of it, no bleachers. There

8814-512: The local media, but initially (November 14, 1926) the merged team played under the Brooklyn Lions banner. The new team, with eight members of the now-defunct AFL team, trounced the Canton Bulldogs 19–0 in front of a small crowd in Ebbets Field. In a last-ditch effort to attract paying fans, the Lions then adopted the Horsemen nickname of the old AFL team and lost the last three games of their existence by shutout. Eight men played for both

8927-475: The local natives; in 1670 the Rockaway Indians challenged the Dutch claims, saying the Canarsee had no authority to sell the land. Midwout's leadership bought the land again to avoid trouble. By the end of the century most of the natives in the region were either dead by war or disease, or dispossessed of their ancestral lands; a few remained in Midwout as farmhands or servants for the Dutch. In 1664,

9040-480: The mid-1980s, however, the neighborhood had numerous abandoned or semi-abandoned buildings, many of which had fallen into a state of disrepair. The eastern parts of Flatbush were particularly affected. Crime worsened significantly during the 1970s and 80s, alongside a rise in drugs. A number of stores on Flatbush and Church Avenues fell victim to looting during the 1977 blackout . Tenants rights organizations and neighborhood associations formed to fight back against

9153-420: The neighborhood had a population density of 101.9 inhabitants per acre (65,200/sq mi; 25,200/km ). The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 19.9% (21,030) White , 48.6% (51,470) African American , 0.3% (281) Native American , 9.2% (9,712) Asian , 0.0% (26) Pacific Islander , 0.5% (575) from other races , and 1.9% (2,051) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 19.5% (20,659) of

9266-453: The neighborhood shifted from 89% white in 1970 to 30% white in a decade. The white and Jewish residents were replaced by Hispanic, Asian, and black ones, and the commercial properties shifted to reflect the change. Afro-Caribbean immigrants joined African Americans in moving from traditional neighborhoods like Harlem to Flatbush, particularly Haitians fleeing the dictatorial rule of François and Jean-Claude Duvalier . One resident who moved to

9379-434: The neighborhood's decay. The Flatbush Development Corporation, one of a number of community development corporations that formed in poorer areas of the country starting in the late 1960s, sought to revitalize the community. The FDC investigated bad landlords and agitated for loans to developers willing to refurbish old buildings. Other groups worked to protect threatened buildings and neighborhoods as historic landmarks . In

9492-463: The neighborhood's earliest suburban development—were converted to multifamily dwellings or demolished for new homes or apartments, which came in an array of architectural styles. Alongside the residential construction came commercial developments, from movie palaces like the Loew's Kings Theatre to department stores like Sears Roebuck & Company . An entertainment and commercial district developed in

9605-518: The neighborhood, including the Mir Yeshiva , Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin , Yeshiva Torah Vodaas , Yeshiva Torah Temimah , Yeshiva Tiferes Yisroel , and the Yeshivah of Flatbush . Combined, they form a major center of Jewish learning. The area had an estimated total enrollment of 14,500 students in 2004. The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has three branches in Flatbush. The Flatbush branch

9718-512: The park sporadically hosted soccer , as well as high school, college, and a handful of Negro league baseball games featuring a team formed by ex-Dodger star Roy Campanella . In one of those games pitcher Satchel Paige made a special guest appearance. The demolition of Ebbets Field began on February 23, 1960. More than 35 years after the Dodgers had left Brooklyn, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York presiding over

9831-603: The plot of the film Field of Dreams , were featured in an entire episode of Ken Burns ' acclaimed public-television documentary Baseball , as well as a 2007 HBO documentary called Brooklyn Dodgers: Ghosts of Flatbush . By 2006 the Dodgers had played as many years in Dodger Stadium as they had at Ebbets Field, matched by the New York Mets ' duration in Shea Stadium from 1964 to 2008. When

9944-496: The population. The entirety of Community Board 14, which comprises Flatbush and Midwood, had 165,543 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 82.4 years. This is slightly higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 25% are between the ages of 0–17, 29% between 25–44, and 24% between 45–64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents

10057-534: The remaining Anglo-Dutch, who decamped to farther-off suburbs in Long Island or New Jersey. By the Great Depression , Flatbush had a population of 400,000, and boasted fifteen theaters, rail and trolly lines, dozens of schools, fifty-four churches, and five newspapers. New York greatly benefited from New Deal policies and funds, which helped build Brooklyn College in 1935. During World War II

10170-510: The rival St. Louis Cardinals ) produced results that made the Brooklyn Dodger "Bums" a perennial contender through their exit to California after the 1957 season. The Dodgers won pennants in 1941 (under MacPhail), 1947 , 1949 , 1952 , 1953 , 1955 and 1956 . They won the 1955 World Series , their only world title, and were within two games (in 1950) and a playoff heartbreak (in 1951) of winning five National League pennants in

10283-533: The team signed 32-year old former Pitt offensive lineman Jim Bond , who hadn't played in organized sports in six years and was even offered his own one-man Broadway show on his way to sign his contract with the Lions. Unfortunately, the team was only slightly more consistent in its play than the Horsemen, and after the November 7 game against the Kansas City Cowboys (a 10–9 loss at Ebbets Field),

10396-409: The town. The Dutch character of Flatbush remained despite the English takeover; Dutch landowners continued to exert political control, and Dutch remained the dominant language until the latter part of the 18th century. Marriage outside of Dutch social circles was discouraged, which helped retain Dutch culture and kept the inhabitants "clannish", in the words of one historian. Early Dutch settlement of

10509-742: The vicinity of Church and Flatbush Avenues, with another developing at the intersection of Flatbush, Avenue H, and Nostrand Avenue, known as the Junction. As six-story Art Deco and Colonial Revival elevator apartment houses alongside stylistically analogous walk-ups were developed on Ocean Avenue and throughout its periphery, Flatbush nurtured a socioeconomically diverse population of Irish Americans , Italian Americans and American Jews ; according to anthropologist Ansley Hamid, occupants ranged from "merchants [and] professionals" to "skilled [and] manual laborers." By 1930, one-third of Flatbush's residents were Jewish. The new residents ultimately displaced

10622-402: The west to Schenectady Avenue in the east, and from Prospect Park in the north as far south as Sheepshead Bay . By the 1960s, the northern region of the neighborhood was now considered part of Crown Heights instead. 1980s New York Times articles, following the definition of the Flatbush Development Corporation, outlined the narrow boundaries as Parkside Avenue to the north, Bedford Avenue to

10735-472: The west, and Montgomery Street to the north. The land included the site of a garbage dump called Pigtown , so named because of the pigs that once ate their fill there and the stench that filled the air. At the groundbreaking, the site was described as containing several old houses, shanties, goats, and tomato cans, and although the streets bordering the field were mapped, two of them had not been built yet. Construction began on March 4, 1912. The cornerstone,

10848-476: Was Vanderveer Park, formed from 65 acres of the Vanderveer family's holdings. Like Lefferts Manor, Vanderveer Park traded on the Dutch history of the region to attract buyers. The developers of the new housing pitched Flatbush as a country oasis offering respite from the "cliff-dwelling" vertical living of Manhattan. Much of the development focused on the areas immediately south and east of Prospect Park, with

10961-413: Was a large door in deep right center field, at the one place where the outfield and the sloping Bedford Avenue were at the same elevation. By 1920, several rows of wooden bleachers had been constructed inside the left field wall, which the newspapers called "circus seats". In the spring of 1931, the Dodgers began expanding Ebbets Field. They demolished the old concrete bleachers beyond third base as well as

11074-663: Was consolidated into the City of Greater New York in 1898 and was further connected to the rest of the city with the development of the New York City Subway in the early 20th century. Post-World War II, the neighborhood underwent tremendous demographic shifts, becoming home to increasing numbers of immigrants from the Caribbean, Asia, and elsewhere. In the late 20th century and 21st century it has continued to see changes due to gentrification and new immigrants. Flatbush

11187-428: Was created by the ancient glacier that once covered the area, leaving behind as it retreated the hills of the terminal moraine and a large outwash plain beyond. Midwout was settled between 1630 and 1636, and received a patent of township by 1652. In the following years it would also be known as Vlachte Bos or Flackebos ("wooded plain"), and the various names and spellings of the town were used interchangeably for nearly

11300-466: Was extended from third base around the left field corner, across left field, and into center field, allowing right-hand hitters to garner many more home runs. By the 1940s, a big scoreboard had been installed in right field, as well as a screen atop the high wall which made home runs to right field a tougher accomplishment. Additional rows of seating across left field reduced that area by about 15 feet, aiding right-handed hitters. The park's first night game

11413-479: Was held at the Midwood Club House, where Schieren called the former town "the prettiest and most fascinating suburban village of Kings County." Brooklyn itself was merged into New York City in 1898, a move opposed by many in Brooklyn and passed by just 277 votes. In the early 20th century, Flatbush changed even more rapidly as further transit improvements spurred additional development. The course of

11526-463: Was hit hard in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks ; an estimated 20,000 residents left voluntarily or otherwise after immigration crackdowns. Recognizing the changed makeup of the eastern part of the neighborhood, the city designated two areas "Little Caribbean" and "Little Haiti" in 2017 and 2018, respectively. The Times featured the neighborhood in 2016 as one of four in

11639-627: Was home to the Canarsee people before contact with Europeans; many of the tribe's paths would become important roads through the region. Flatbush was originally chartered as the Dutch Nieuw Nederland colony town of Midwout, also called Vlachte Bos. It was one of the six original European towns on Long Island. The town remained primarily Dutch and rural in character until the latter half of the 19th century, when increasing rail and road connectivity to other parts of New York made it an attractive suburb to Brooklyn and New York City. The town

11752-523: Was lower, at 9% and 13% respectively. As of 2016, the median household income in Community Board 14 was $ 56,599. In 2018, an estimated 22% of Flatbush and Midwood residents lived in poverty, compared to 21% in all of Brooklyn and 20% in all of New York City. One in eleven residents (9%) were unemployed, compared to 9% in the rest of both Brooklyn and New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent,

11865-729: Was moved in 1918 from its original location to Prospect Park along Flatbush Avenue. Near the Lefferts house is a former toll booth from the 19th century that once sat along the Flatbush Turnpike leading to Brooklyn. Other historic houses nearby include the Wyckoff-Bennett Homestead , built 1766, and the Wyckoff House , built on Twiller's Flats. A marker in Prospect Park marks the site of Battle Pass. The Flatbush Reformed Dutch Church remains at

11978-538: Was near a subway station . Walter O'Malley , who obtained majority ownership of the Dodgers in 1950, announced plans for a privately owned domed stadium at the Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn (currently the site of the Atlantic Terminal Mall ), where a large market was being torn down. New York City Building Commissioner Robert Moses refused to help O'Malley secure the land, instead wanting

12091-415: Was obvious that due to an ironworker's strike the ballpark was not even close to being finished, it was announced that Ebbets had sold a 50% interest in the team to brothers Stephen W. and Edward J. McKeever , who had built their fortune in contracting and were able to speed along the construction. Though the sale led to management troubles years later, by early 1913 Ebbets Field was ready, and would become

12204-710: Was occupied by the British for seven years, with British troops and American prisoners of war billeted in area homes. Some Flatbush residents maintained their loyalist sympathies: the King's Arms, for example, appeared in the town's inn for a half-century after the conclusion of the conflict. For several decades after the Revolution, New York merchants and farmers continued to engage in the slave trade. The Gradual Emancipation Law of 1799 emancipated people of African descent born after July 4, 1799. Men and women escaping enslavement often went to Manhattan, where they could live within

12317-507: Was one of several historic major league ballparks demolished in the 1960s. Of the many teams that uprooted in the 1950s and 1960s, the Dodgers' legacy perhaps has lingered the longest. Roger Kahn 's acclaimed book The Boys of Summer and Frank Sinatra 's song " There Used to Be a Ballpark " mourned the loss of places like Ebbets Field and their time. The story of Ebbets Field and the Brooklyn Dodgers' move to Los Angeles were further chronicled by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin , figured into

12430-532: Was opened it was discovered that an American flag, keys to the bleachers, and a press box had all been forgotten. The press box level was not added until 1929. The original double-decked seating covered all of right field, rounded home plate, and extended past third base, with an open concrete bleacher stand continuing to the left field wall. The ballpark was built on a sloping piece of ground, raised above street level in right field, which resulted in short foul line there of just 301 feet (92 m)). When it opened,

12543-525: Was played on June 15, 1938, drawing a crowd of 38,748. Johnny Vander Meer of the visiting Cincinnati Reds pitched his second consecutive no-hitter , a feat that has never been duplicated in Major League Baseball. It was also in 1938 that Hilda Chester , one of the earlier sports " superfans ," became a regular attendee when promotional wizard Larry MacPhail brought Ladies' Days to Ebbets Field, welcoming women for only ten-cents. After

12656-486: Was sold by O'Malley to real estate developer Marvin Kratter for about $ 2,000,000 on October 31, 1956. The deal included a five-year lease that allowed the Dodgers to move out as soon as a proposed Downtown Brooklyn stadium was ready for business and Kratter to raze the ballpark and redevelop the land for a $ 25 million housing project beginning in 1961. When stadium plans fell through the team left for Los Angeles after

12769-409: Was torn down. In the 1960s, poorer African Americans and Puerto Ricans began moving into the corridor along Nostrand Avenue , where the subway offered access to job opportunities, while middle-class African Americans bought up row houses to the west. Blockbusting encouraged white residents to sell and leave the neighborhood, and properties fell into disrepair while crime increased. The population of

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