POTW: Process of EL-imination: the last days of the Fulton Street elevated

In search of something wholly unrelated, I fell upon the mischievous photograph above from the Eagle commemorating the final run of the Fulton Street “L”, also known as the “El”.

The Kings County Elevated Railway and its main line, popularly known as the Fulton Street “L”, rattled along Fulton Street for more than half a century. Trains originally operated by steam, and later converted to electric between the late 1890s and early 1900s.

A large retrospective story on the last day of operation (Brooklyn Citizen, 31 May 1940, p. 13) makes no bones about its feelings towards the line:

Fulton Street elevated road drag on boro for 64 years: line’s history both comical and tragical … The Fulton Steet line, which was to shut out the light and air from Brooklyn’s “Main Street,” was completed from Fulton Ferry to Nostrand Avenue on April 24, 1888.

By the second decade of the 20th century there was a movement towards transit unification and, as more subways lines were built, the possibility of replacing the elevated with underground routes. Decades of impassioned debates ensued. Elevated lines began to come down in Manhattan in the 1920s and pressure mounted to do the same in Brooklyn. One gets a sense of almost giddy joy from many articles published around the dismantling of the elevated line; Brooklyn was rejoicing at being released from the noise and shadow that the “L” had cast on the neighborhood.

In the same Brooklyn Citizen article we can see hopes for a more gracious city.

Another artist’s sketch among the Brooklyn Daily Eagle photographs, this one several years before, proposes what Cadman Plaza would look like:

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle commemorated the demise of the elevated with a 28-page special section, published on the last day of the run.

The section afforded the opportunity for politicians, local business leaders, and merchants to place ads proclaiming their approval of, and long fight for, the downing of the “L”. Key to finalizing the project were Mayor Fiorello La Guardia and Borough President Raymond V. Ingersoll, who was also instrumental in completing the Central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. Inside the lavish feature puns abound; one example: 3 cheers for the EL razers. Yet, other articles show there were those who professed a soft spot for the old structure: Shed a tear for the old “L”, it was dear to our hearts.

The landscape of a city, both good and bad, shapes and endears us through sheer force of familiarity. For those who would like to experience the cool underbelly of an “El” there are still many miles of elevated in all five boroughs.

Interested in seeing more photos from CBH’s collections? Visit our online image gallery, which includes a selection of our images, or the digital collections portal at Brooklyn Public Library. We look forward to inviting you to CBH in the future to research in our entire collection of images, archives, maps, and special collections. In the meantime, please visit our resources page to search our collections. Questions? Our reference staff is available to help with your research! You can reach us at cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org.