Brooklyn Heights Does it Right!!

Arguably the best-documented  New York City preservation effort is the story of the preservation of Brooklyn Heights.  In large part this is due to the efforts of Otis Pratt Pearsall, a legendary preservationist and a born archivist.  Not only do we have several rich oral histories with Otis,  a major player in that story, as well as several written accounts of his memories of that effort, we also have an extensive archive of original documents covering virtually every step of that multi-year effort.  Thanks to Otis, even the original neighborhood survey map, lovingly prepared by volunteers, survives.

To this wonderful collection we now have a terrific new addition.  Martin Schneider, another of those who discovered the Heights in the 1950s and have devoted decades to its care and feeding, has written Battling for Brooklyn Heights. Based on a series of articles originally published in the Brooklyn Heights Press in 1993, Martin tells the story through the eyes of a witness to history.  He captures the emotions of one who lived through it all.  Martin’s personal account significantly adds to our understanding of the multi-faceted civic drama that was the saving of the Heights.  Martin provides us insights into the larger context of Brooklyn Height’s preservation efforts.  He addresses everything from the Height’s need and dsire for middle-income housing to the rise of reform politics in Brooklyn.  He covers the growing real estate pressures threatening the neighborhood and the debates over providing quality public education.  He writes of the changing dynamics of slum clearance and the unfolding of urban renewal policies. Civic villains and neighborhood heroes come to life as he weaves together the many threads of this fascinating epic.

This photograph from the Brooklyn Heights Press, March 26, 1964, shows Otis Pratt Pearsall, on the left, Martin Schneider, kneeling, and Nancy Pearsall investigating historic houses in the Heights.

As both a companion piece to Martin’s book and a stand alone account, Martin and Karl Junkersfeld have produced a professional quality, 13 minute video on Brooklyn Heights, “Brooklyn Is My Neighborhood/ The Story of New York’s First Historic District.” It is well worth a viewing.

Thanks in great part to Martin and Otis, the story of the preservation of Brooklyn Heights has been captured.  It is there for us to study in rare detail.  The strategies and tactics used in this effort still have much to teach us.  The political mine fields that had to be navigated, the constituency building that was required, the alliances that had to be forged, are all instructive of what it still takes to save a cherished piece of our city.  The documentation of this story should inspire all who have been in volved in such efforts to make sure the story of their accomplishments is captured so it is not only “on the record” but there to inspire future efforts.