Bushwick Walking Tour 7/21/07
This sounds fun!
Bushwick Walking Tour
July 21, Saturday 1:00 – 3:00 pm
This walking tour will focus on central and southern Bushwick, as a complement to the exhibition Up From Flames: Mapping the Recovery of Bushwick 1977-2007 . Led by curator Adam J. Schwartz and Bushwick historian John A. Dereszewski, the tour will explore Bushwick’s central core that had been devastated by fire in the 1970s, beginning at the site of the largest of Bushwick’s fires, the “All Hands Fire” of July 18, 1977, an event which helped to turn around the firestorm. On this tour, we will see the fruits of that success, the preserved housing stock of Southern Bushwick , as well as some of the newer buildings that are changing the face of Bushwick. Current and former residents are encouraged to participate. Highlights include the 83 precinct house (site of the “all hands fire”), Bushwick High School, the new Bushwick firehouse, St. Martin of Tours Church, and Irving Park.
Meet at the Myrtle-Wyckoff L Station, at the corner of Gates and Myrtle, at 1:00 p.m. Tour will end at the Wilson Avenue L train station at 3:00 p.m. Free.
yes honey, streetsmarts! not to sound tiresome (I hate authenticity pissing contests) but I was mugged at gunpoint on Harman St in 2003. I have paid some dues here… OK!!!!
I’m not a newbie here. I’ve been in Bushwick since 2000. trust me, back then, when I’d see another white person on the street, we’d both jump, thinking we’d seen a ghost or walked unknowingly in front of a mirror!
frankly, I also have a somewhat unusual perspective: I grew up white-trash/working-class and my stepmother is black. I am fairly colorblind and I am grateful for that. I love my latin neighbors and love to bullshit with them on the stoop when I come home from work/school. some of them are even on (gasp) welfare! yet I try and see their humanity first. we live in a society that gives so little, I’m not going to begrudge someone being on welfare to help feed their kids.
I’m going to nursing school at a city college.. that’s what I’m comfortable disclosing here. I’m no wuss (or I wouldn’t be living in Bushwick) but giving out specific, identifying, personal information on a blog bugs me out a bit – sorry!
yes there are plenty of bad apples in this neighborhood (and I bitch about it aplenty in other posts) yet most long time locals are good people trying to work and raise kids; not just impediments standing in the way of your increasing property values!
the tone of some posts on here is quite sad in it’s callousness. but as much as I am smug about the bad attitudes of some of the long time locals towards the newcomers (because the neighborhood will improve despite their reluctance); I also am smug about the fact that despite how much it seems some of the new, land-owning folks would like to pack the oldtimers on a truck and get rid of them all within the next five years, it will NOT happen that way in this neighborhood! there is far too much stabilized housing, and activism in Bushwick, and there are Democrats sitting in office. so everyone it going to have to compromise, and frankly, I just love that!
as for measurements, I’m no expert and I forget I am posting on a real estate blog essentially! forgive me.
as I said, there are two apartments per floor in these buildings and though I’m not good at guess-timating, I know my apt is somewhere around 80ft long by 12ft wide with 9ft ceilings; so combining two apartments into one would give you…what? help me out.
lastly, let me say I love this blog and love hearing from other folks in the hood that give a shit despite how I may sound sometimes.
PS – I moved from my last apartment because my landlord was selling the building (a small one w/3 apartments). Now as someone who had an epiphany in my 30s and decided to go back to school, I don’t have to worry about that anymore, cuz I’s rent-stabilized; my identity isn’t dependent on what I own (or not); and I’m proud of ALL of that my dears!!
This isn’t purposely a real estate blog, but it is a local blog that tries to cover almost everything, so by nature I think a lot of that ends up being about real estate or at least housing in general. Even on a real estate blog, I would think it’s WEIRD for someone to ask the dimensions and layout of your apartment!
ok. figured it out, my apt is 830sf, so two combined into one apt would be 1660sf, yet you would also not need as much room for stairwells if there were only one apt per floor so they could possibly add more space to the apartments if they were reconfigured. all of this, mind you, is conjecture on a very boring day at work.
for those of you who would like to contribute to the 8/11 walking tour, please check out this google map!
Jen, is the landlord safe with people going through the basement? Imagine if you had a tenant that wanted to do some damage down there with the plumbing or electric. Glad the other tenants and you are working out.
My point is that if the house was laid out as a single family they probably sliced it up for a 3 family which means the size of your rooms and how they are configured might be strange. Does anyone else feel werid besides Jeremy? Aren’t layouts and sizes important. Look at the real estate round up posted. has anyone ever checked out those places to see if they are all too good to be true (layouts and sizes are important I feel but anxious to hear from others).
I don’t think there is anything wrong with asking the dimension of someone’s home and their rooms. These are real estate issues, but also related to one’s life. Just like some families don’t like railroad style because it disturbs others in the house. Thanks Armstrong for taking the time to measure your apt! If that’s what you did. Sounds like a great place. 80′ long sounds VERY unusual. You sure about that? In that case each room must lead to the next including the kitchen and bathroom. Sorry about your mugging, I hope you were okay and that you weren’t injuried or your identity or money too badly taken. Did the police help, if you reported it.
I think many white people feel that way now when another is met in passing. It’s natural because whites are the minority here.
White trash? Are we talking Jerry Springer material here?! Or just blue collar laborers trying to make ends meet?
The question is whether you think those welfare people are milking the system or it’s really a question of many kids to feed and someone has to watch them, thus welfare $$$.
No deal about the school and identity stuff. It just about getting to know people and wandering what kind of people moved to Bushwick, and why. Someone said the area will never have a Wall Street type here. Thanks for the compliments about liking to hear from others on the blog. It’s good to talk and discuss, so lets keep it up?
The idea of the long time residents hold out while gentrification takes place is tough. How would anyone feel if someone moves into their area better dressed or appearing to have more money than them. Don’t you think there might be some resentment.
Armstrong you don’t seem to be driven by what others think of you. so I guess material possessions, jewelry are tokens you’d just assume do without. Way to go!
So what if a small number of people are milking the welfare system! They applied for benefits and were accepted, beyond that, what business is it of yours? Clearly they are still poor. There is, after all, no one that I see in Bushwick living in a mansion w/a chauffeur, getting food stamps!
You want to talk about welfare fraud, let’s talk about corporate welfare: obscene corporate tax breaks, outrageous eminent domain abuses.
According to http://www.propertyshark.com, our lot is 100×25 ft. There is a tiny back yard. So yes, my building is definitely, say: 75-80 ft long.
PS: one room leading into the next is what a RailRoad apartment is, and that is what I have.
Sorry, I’m hijacking the thread, I know, but I keep reading other things you’ve said..
Look: when I first moved here, I would not see another white person for DAYS at a time in this hood – and I am serious about that.
That is SO not the case anymore. All I have to do is look out at the park and I see other whitey’s within 5 minutes or less.
Lots of those buildings around the park are 6 families, and long. This means presumably 2 or even 4 apts. per floor.
Although I believe there is a restaurant on the corner that blasts spanish music at all hours of the day and night.