The Double Life of Don Francione
I didn't mean to imply anything sinister by the title of this post about Don Francione. I'm just pointing out that he was able to do something in life that many of us only dream about--to spend our lives doing the things that we love to do. We all know how hard it is to work a full time job and pursue other interests. In New York, it's even more of a challenge because there's always so much to do here; your own creative energy often gets stymied by merely going-out-on-the-town-- 'cause this is one "helluva town." Photographer Don Francione figured out how to do it. Through the small but…
"We Live in Brooklyn, Baby"
Several weeks ago I attended the Roy Ayers concert at SummerStage (here's the live performance) in Central Park. It was a gorgeous evening, with a crowd that probably represented six of the seven continents. When Ayers played Harry Whitaker's song, We Live in Brooklyn, Baby (originally recorded on Ayers' 1971 album, He's Coming), everyone knew it. The entire audience sang in unison "We live in Brooklyn, baby. We're trying to make it, baby. We wanna make it, baby. We're gonna make it, baby." (link to the 1971 version) It was an amazing feeling when we--people from Brooklyn, Manhattan, the…
The Brooklyn Shore
Once described as the "nation's playground," (well, at least in the image above) the Brooklyn shore used to be the hot place to holiday. Except, back then, it was less Snooki, and more on par with a holiday Monsieur Hulot would take. As the BHS archives and photograph collection survey project enters its second summer, we've uncovered much in our collections, as well as uncovered so much Brooklyn history. The photograph collection tells volumes about Brooklyn. For example, beginning in the 1820s, but largely from the 1880s to the 1930s, people vacationed in Brooklyn--and not just tourists.…
In Like a Lion, and Out Like a Lamb?
Engineering Love
As the Archives Survey Team enters into our ninth month on the CLIR survey project, we've had our share of surveying interesting archival collections, be they large or small. Recently we've come across a surprisingly fantastic little collection, the Brooklyn Engineer's Club publications (ARC.156). As you may have realized by now, we here at BHS love our Brooklyn architecture. But this collection reminds us that behind every great building, structure, or city infrastructure project, stands an engineer. Forever in the shadows of architects who get all the love and adoration (especially today),…
Brooklyn Architecture and Architects
As part of the CLIR team surveying the archival, manuscript, and photography collections at BHS, we’ve come across several collections that document either iconic Brooklyn architecture or local Brooklyn architects. With the recent conclusion of the 8th annual Open House New York, I’ve been thinking about architecture, the multitude of buildings I encounter everyday, and my relationship with them. From the Hotel St. George where the subway lets me out in the morning, to the George B. Post landmarked building I work in at BHS, to the sprawling Concord Village I walk past everyday on my way to…