Flatlands, Brooklyn
Encyclopedia
Flatlands is a neighborhood in the New York City
borough
of Brooklyn
. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18
.
One of the original five Dutch towns on Long Island (given the right to local rule by Peter Stuyvesant
in 1661), this neighborhood was originally known as Nieuw Amersfoort, after the Dutch city of Amersfoort
, but the name was changed to "Flatlands" after the British captured the area (future Kings County) from the Dutch in 1664. The area may have been settled by French Walloons
as early as 1623, and by native Lenape
Native Americans
long before that.
Flatlands was originally a farming community where tobacco, corn, squash, and beans were grown, and oysters and clams were harvested from Jamaica Bay
. Historic homes dated to the 18th century include the Stoothoff-Baxter-Kouwenhaven House
and Joost Van Nuyse House
.
The neighborhood borders are roughly delineated by Flatlands Avenue
on the North, Avenue U to the south, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Flatbush Avenue
to the west.
Subway service
in the Flatlands is marginal. The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line
terminates at the Junction of Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues. City buses serve the core of the neighborhood.
According to the 2000 census, combined population of Canarsie
and Flatlands is roughly 194,653 people (total Brooklyn residents: about 2,465,286).
There are several historical structures in Flatlands, including the Hendrick I. Lott House
(East 36th Street between Fillmore Ave and Ave. S, built around 1720), which was a stop on the Underground Railroad
, and the Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church
.
Flatlands is also home to the Gemini Lounge where Roy DeMeo
of the Gambino Mafia Family
frequented during the late 1970s-early 1980s. However, today the Gemini is a church.
The Town of Flatlands was annexed by the City of Brooklyn in 1895, the last municipality in Kings County to be annexed by Brooklyn.
, former NBA basketball player, was born and raised in Flatlands.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...
of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18
Brooklyn Community Board 18
Brooklyn Community Board 18 is a local governmental body in the New York City borough of Brooklyn that encompasses the neighborhoods of Canarsie, Bergen Beach, Mill Basin, Flatlands, Marine Park, Georgetown, and Mill Island...
.
One of the original five Dutch towns on Long Island (given the right to local rule by Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant
Peter Stuyvesant , served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664, after which it was renamed New York...
in 1661), this neighborhood was originally known as Nieuw Amersfoort, after the Dutch city of Amersfoort
Amersfoort
Amersfoort is a municipality and the second largest city of the province of Utrecht in central Netherlands. The city is growing quickly but has a well-preserved and protected medieval centre. Amersfoort is one of the largest railway junctions in the country, because of its location on two of the...
, but the name was changed to "Flatlands" after the British captured the area (future Kings County) from the Dutch in 1664. The area may have been settled by French Walloons
Walloons
Walloons are a French-speaking people who live in Belgium, principally in Wallonia. Walloons are a distinctive community within Belgium, important historical and anthropological criteria bind Walloons to the French people. More generally, the term also refers to the inhabitants of the Walloon...
as early as 1623, and by native Lenape
Lenape
The Lenape are an Algonquian group of Native Americans of the Northeastern Woodlands. They are also called Delaware Indians. As a result of the American Revolutionary War and later Indian removals from the eastern United States, today the main groups live in Canada, where they are enrolled in the...
Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
long before that.
Flatlands was originally a farming community where tobacco, corn, squash, and beans were grown, and oysters and clams were harvested from Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay
Jamaica Bay is located on the southwestern tip of Long Island in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, New York City, and the town of Hempstead, New York/hamlet of Inwood...
. Historic homes dated to the 18th century include the Stoothoff-Baxter-Kouwenhaven House
Stoothoff-Baxter-Kouwenhaven House
Stoothoff-Baxter-Kouwenhaven House is a historic home located in Flatlands, Brooklyn, New York, New York. The original section was built in 1747 and the larger main portion dates to 1811. A kitchen wing was added in 1880. It is one and one half stories with steeply pitched gable roofs, curved...
and Joost Van Nuyse House
Joost Van Nuyse House
Joost Van Nuyse House, also known as the Ditmas Coe House, is a historic home located in Flatlands, Brooklyn, New York, New York. The original section was built in 1744 and enlarged between 1793 and 1806. It was moved to its present site in 1925...
.
The neighborhood borders are roughly delineated by Flatlands Avenue
Flatlands Avenue
Flatlands Avenue is a major street in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It runs approximately five miles east / west, from Avenue N and East 35th Street in Flatlands, Brooklyn in the west to Forbell Street, east of Fountain Avenue....
on the North, Avenue U to the south, Ralph Avenue to the east, and Flatbush Avenue
Flatbush Avenue (Brooklyn)
Flatbush Avenue is one of the major avenues in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn. It runs from the Manhattan Bridge south-southeastward to Jamaica Bay, where it joins the Marine Parkway Bridge, which connects Brooklyn to the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens...
to the west.
Subway service
New York City Subway
The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system owned by the City of New York and leased to the New York City Transit Authority, a subsidiary agency of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and also known as MTA New York City Transit...
in the Flatlands is marginal. The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line
IRT Nostrand Avenue Line
The IRT Nostrand Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the IRT division of the New York City Subway, and is served by the at all times, joined by the trains on weekdays, running under Nostrand Avenue in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn....
terminates at the Junction of Flatbush and Nostrand Avenues. City buses serve the core of the neighborhood.
According to the 2000 census, combined population of Canarsie
Canarsie, Brooklyn
Canarsie is a neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the borough of Brooklyn, in New York City, United States. The area is part of Brooklyn Community Board 18....
and Flatlands is roughly 194,653 people (total Brooklyn residents: about 2,465,286).
Hendrick I. Lott House
The Hendrick I. Lott House is a historic home located at 1940 East 36th Street, resting in the neighborhood known as Marine Park, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, there lies one of the oldest Dutch Colonial farmhouses in Kings County. It is listed on the National Register of Historic...
(East 36th Street between Fillmore Ave and Ave. S, built around 1720), which was a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
, and the Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church
Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church
Flatlands Dutch Reformed Church, also known as Flatlands Reformed Church, is a historic Dutch Reformed church at Kings Highway and E. 40th Street in Flatlands, Brooklyn, New York, New York. The complex consists of the church, administration building, and cemetery. The congregation was founded in...
.
Flatlands is also home to the Gemini Lounge where Roy DeMeo
Roy DeMeo
Roy Albert DeMeo was a soldier in the Gambino crime family. He is infamous for heading the DeMeo crew, a gang suspected by the FBI of murdering at least 70 people between 1973 and 1983. The vast majority were disposed of so thoroughly that they were never found...
of the Gambino Mafia Family
Gambino crime family
The Gambino crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The group is named after Carlo Gambino, boss of the family at the time of the McClellan hearings in 1963...
frequented during the late 1970s-early 1980s. However, today the Gemini is a church.
The Town of Flatlands was annexed by the City of Brooklyn in 1895, the last municipality in Kings County to be annexed by Brooklyn.
Notable residents
Chris MullinChris Mullin (basketball)
Christopher Paul Mullin is a retired American basketball player and former general manager of the NBA's Golden State Warriors. He has also been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame....
, former NBA basketball player, was born and raised in Flatlands.
External links
- New York Times article on Flatlands
- Wyckoff House Museum website
- History of Flatlands including early Dutch settlers
- The Neighborhoods of Brooklyn, ISBN 0-300-07752-1
- Guide to New York City Landmarks, ISBN 0-471-18289-3