Reliable & Frank's

Inside Reliable and Frank's, two customers], 1978, v1988.21.370; Frank J. Trezza Seatrain Shipbuilding collection, v1988.21; Brooklyn Historical Society.

The photo of the week depicts the interior of Reliable and Frank's, an Army-Navy store located across from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, in 1978. The store sold uniforms to sailors until 1966, when the Navy decommissioned the Yard. Despite this, the store remained opened by diversifying their clientele. They later sold uniforms to cruise ship workers, college students, and even the Village People. The Brooklyn store closed in 2006.

This photograph comes from the Frank J. Trezza Seatrain Shipbuilding collection that documents the shipbuilding activities at the Brooklyn Navy Yard from its closing in the 1960s through its reuse under the management of the Seatrain Shipbuilding Corps from 1968 to 1981. Frank Trezza was hired by Seatrain Shipbuilding as a Mechanic Helper, and eventually worked his way up to First Class Marine Electrician. He took hundreds of photographs during his tenure at Seatrain Shipbuilding during the 1970s. The photographs from this collection have been digitized and are available online.

Interested in seeing more photos from BHS’s collection? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images. Interested in seeing even more historic Brooklyn images? Visit our Brooklyn Visual Heritage website here. To search BHS’s entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections visit BHS’s Othmer Library Wed-Sat, 1:00-5:00 p.m. library@brooklynhistory.org