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Willink Plaza

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Coordinates: 40°39′48″N 73°57′46″W / 40.663296°N 73.96277°W / 40.663296; -73.96277
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40°39′48″N 73°57′46″W / 40.663296°N 73.96277°W / 40.663296; -73.96277

Willink Entrance to Prospect Park.

The Willink Entrance area, also known as Willink Plaza,[1] is a major urban square of Brooklyn, New York City, formed by the intersection of Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue and Empire Boulevard, at the eastern corner of Prospect Park[2] and the southern corner of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It is serviced by the New York City Subway's Prospect Park station, and features several public spaces and historic buildings. This location is considered the northwestern point of the Prospect Lefferts Gardens neighborhood of Flatbush, and adjoins Crown Heights to its northeast.

Early history and layout

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The Willink family, eastern neighbors of the Lefferts family, owned an estate here. Willink Hill, lying along Ocean Avenue, and the Willink Entrance of Prospect Park are named after them. The Willink house was relocated and repurposed for a time as the Melrose Hotel beside the predecessor of the Prospect Park station.[3][4][5][6][7]

At the turn of the 20th century, there were steps taken toward developing a pedestrianized plaza, but this was never fully realized, and the intersection is rarely given a proper name today.[8][9] The only property that was eventually acquired by the city was the Melrose Hotel site at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Ocean Avenue.[10]

The Malbone Street Wreck occurred under this intersection in 1918, and the disaster's notoriety led to the renaming of "Malbone Street" to Empire Boulevard. There was a centennial commemoration here in 2018,[1][11] and the following anniversary was marked by a historic plaque being installed at the Prospect Park station, and the corner being co-named “Malbone Centennial Way”.[12]

There are two small median islands with trees just north and south of the intersection on Flatbush Avenue. As of 2019 It has recently had proposals for greater traffic calming in this area.[13]

Green side

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Map
Map of notable buildings and structures at Prospect Park (note: not all entrances shown). Click on points for more details.
This map:

On the green side to the northwest, there is the Willink Entrance to Prospect Park, on the west side and just north of the intersection on Flatbush Avenue, marked by two granite turrets. This entrance is currently under reconstruction.[14] Further north on this side is the section of family-friendly attractions known as the "Children's Corner", which include the Prospect Park Carousel, Lefferts Historic House, and the Prospect Park Zoo.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden also has a Flatbush Avenue entrance on the east side, with a brickwork arch,[15] and adjoins a landmarked fire building on Empire Boulevard.[16]

Urban side

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On the urban side to the southeast, on the west side of Flatbush Avenue, there is the Prospect Park station and its northern exit, featuring Prospect Park Zoo artwork. On the adjoining corner with Ocean Avenue, there is the city property which includes an MTA parking lot and the "Flatbush Trees", a sculptural gateway sign to the neighborhood. These three concrete cylinders with green sheet metal canopies were installed in 1979 in the shape of a logo design by the predecessor of the Carbone Smolan Agency as part of an urban branding of the neighborhood,[17][18] and were redecorated in 2015 with vinyl decals representing flowers.[19] The artist Swoon also exhibited an installation here in 2021.[20]

On the east side of Flatbush Avenue, there is the historic Bond Bread Bakery[21] with its prominent clock tower.[22][23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Rivoli, Dan. "MTA, city officials remember deadliest subway crash 100 years later". nydailynews.com. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  2. ^ An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn. Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423619116.
  3. ^ "FYBI: How did Willink Hill get its name?". Brooklyn Eagle. January 23, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  4. ^ "Past and Present: Flatbush at Ocean Avenue". www.brownstoner.com. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  5. ^ "Museum of the City of New York - [Flatbush Avenue and Ocean Avenue.]". collections.mcny.org. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  6. ^ Younger, William Lee (January 1, 1978). Old Brooklyn in Early Photographs, 1865-1929: 157 Prints from the Collection of the Long Island Historical Society. Courier Corporation. ISBN 9780486235875.
  7. ^ Morris), Suzanne Spellen (aka Montrose (November 14, 2013). "Walkabout: Mayhem and Murder at the Melrose". Brownstoner. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "9 Apr 1897, Page 4 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.com". Brooklyn Public Library. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "12 May 1903, Page 22 - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.com". Brooklyn Public Library. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  10. ^ Aldermen, New York (N Y. ) Board of (1902). Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen. The Board.
  11. ^ DeMause, Neil (2001). The Complete Illustrated Guidebook to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Sterling Publishing Company. ISBN 9780760722138.
  12. ^ Barone, Vincent (November 2019). "Officials commemorate deadliest city subway crash with plaque | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  13. ^ "FLATBUSH AVE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS: GRAND ARMY PLAZA TO EMPIRE BLVD" (PDF). New York City Department of Transportation. May 2019.
  14. ^ "Prospect Park New Flatbush Avenue Entrances Construction and Willink Entrance Reconstruction : NYC Parks". www.nycgovparks.org. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  15. ^ "New Garden Entrances". Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  16. ^ "Brooklyn Central Office, Bureau of Fire Communications" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. 1966.
  17. ^ "eg Magazine 04". Issuu. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  18. ^ Bogart, Michele H. (November 15, 2006). The Politics of Urban Beauty: New York and Its Art Commission. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 9780226063058.
  19. ^ "Spring Has Finally Come to the Flatbush Trees". www.brownstoner.com. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  20. ^ Goodman, Wendy (January 25, 2021). "A Box Truck That Carries Our Dreams of Home". Curbed. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  21. ^ Vries, Susan De (May 8, 2017). "Built by Bread, This Prospect Lefferts Gardens Bakery Once Perfumed the Neighborhood". Brownstoner. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  22. ^ "Restoration Planned for Iconic Prospect-Lefferts Gardens Clocktower". DNAinfo New York. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  23. ^ "Outside Prospect Pk - Digital Collections - Brooklyn Public Library". www.bklynlibrary.org. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
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