Start your tour at the 45th Street subway station. On the west side of 4th Avenue, between 45th and 46th Street, is the Marien-Heim Senior Citizen Housing Center. Begin walking north along 4th Avenue. On the southeast corner of 44th Street are two co-operative apartment houses from 1911. Many of the first co-ops in America are located here in Sunset Park, in fact, most are located along the borders of our 24.5 acre recreational park that we are about to explore. Continue walking north toward 43rd Street.

 

     Evidence of growth and prosperity in Sunset Park is exhibited by new housing units and businesses, finding a home in our neighborhood. On the northeast corner are several modern, luxury apartments that have been recently constructed.

 

1) On the east side of 4th Avenue, from 42nd Street to 43rd Street is the “old court house”. This Classical Revival style Magistrate’s Court House was designed by Mortimer D. Metcalfe. Note the six huge columns at the 43rd Street entrance. Built in 1930, on the whim and a bet of a local politician (William Heffernan), it is today the headquarters of Community Board Seven. Fifty neighborhood residents serve in an advisory capacity on this board. They are involved in decisions having to do primarily with land-use and zoning. A paid staff resolves neighborhood complaints ranging from potholes to littering.

 

     Across the avenue, between 42nd and 43rd Street are St. Michael’s Church and Elementary School. The white egg-shaped steeple, resting on a square column of red brick can be seen from throughout the neighborhood.

 

     On the southwest corner of 43rd Street is the former 68th Police Precinct. It is now undergoing renovation as the Sunset Park School of Music. The building, designed by E. M. Grue, was built in 1889 and has New York City Landmark status. Before its designation as the 68th Precinct, it was first the 18th and then the 43rd.

 

2) Begin walking east on 43rd Street. Rows of three-story brownstones line both the north and south sides of the street. To inexpensively halt the damaging effects of city air pollution, most of the porous brownstone has been painted over. Of special note is the interesting treatment of the doorway at house number 412.

 

     As you reach 5th Avenue you will notice a central stairway leading into Sunset Park. We suggest that you by-pass this entry point and instead walk north to 41st Street. There, just east of 5th Avenue, you will find a curving side entrance. Before entering the park, note the decorative border made of rectangular, cast-cement stones that edge the sidewalk along the curbs surrounding the park. The field stone walls of the park are of note also. The walls were constructed in 1909 to prevent soil erosion.

 

     The trees that line the sidewalks outside the park, as well as those along the 6th Avenue walkway, are sycamores. Their multi-colored trunks and branches, caused by the natural peeling of older, darker bark, is quite attractive as it leaves mottled patterns of reddish-brown, yellow, light cream and olive green. Sycamores “shed” because their bark doesn’t “stretch” as much as the bark of other trees. Popular among children are the fruit of the sycamore, but not for eating. The round balls are made of tiny dry fruits known as achenes. Children call these compact balls of fruit “itchy” balls and playfully attack each other with them.

 

     While the majority of trees are sycamores, Sunset Park has been planted with elms, lindens, pines, oak, birch and ash.

 

     The land for this park was acquired in two phases. The first in June of 1891 covered 41st to 43rd Street. The second, covering 43rd to 44th Street took place in December of 1905.

 

     Our map, of areas inside the park, is meant only for general purposes. Enjoy yourself and stroll in whichever direction you take a fancy to.

 

3) From the “great” lawn, just west of the 6th Avenue path, is the best viewing spot in the park. The panorama before you extends from 53rd Street on your left to 33rd Street on your right. Directly in front of you, across the bay, is New Jersey. You can stand here and observe the Staten Island ferry, tug boats, fire boats, Wall Street ferries, tankers, container ships, cargo ships and even an occasional ocean liner.

 

     The large white building, to your right, is part of the Bush Terminal complex (now known as Industry City). To the right o that building you can observe two giant inoperative container cranes (one blue and one orange). Almost directly in front of you, is St. Micahel’s steeple. To the right of St. Michael’s is Dewey Junior High School.

 

     For a moment, let’s leave the present and journey back some 17,000 years. A giant monstrous sheet of ice was slowly but determinedly inching towards your position from the area of New Jersey and Manhattan. As it moved forward, it pushed a wall of dirt, rock and debris (collected from the lands that it had previously invaded). Nothing could stop it. Nothing, that is, except the sun. Just as the glacier reached today’s 6th Avenue, it halted. The mountain of dirt, boulders, and crushed rock became the ridge that extends from Bay Ridge into Sunset Park and through Greenwood Cemetery. But the glacier’s housekeeping wasn’t over. Hundreds of millions of gallons of melting glacier became flooding waters, rolling along the top of the ice sheet and pounding down upon the land beyond 6th Avenue. It created a great flat land that today is Brooklyn, with neighborhoods such as FLATbush and FLATlands!

 

     So there you have it. Sunset Park stopped the last great ice age! Amateur geologists may find it interesting to note that the soil and rock composition of the Sunset Park community is identical to areas of New Jersey and Manhattan. It isn’t really identical, it’s actually the same material, picked up and carried to Sunset Park by the glacier!

 

4) The highest public points in all of Brooklyn are here in Sunset Park. In a direct line with 6th Avenue, is a pleasant tree-lined walk bordered by benches. On its extreme northern end, is a flag pole at the center of a modest plaza. This area was the location of summer band performances many decades ago.

 

     From this location it is very easy to allow your mind to drift back in time. The town of Breuckelen (Brooklyn) was established in 1646 as one of six Dutch and English towns on the western end of the “long” island. In the area of 24th to 28th Street was the small hamlet of Gowanus. In 1816 the sleepy town of Brooklyn became a village. In 1834 it became the City of Brooklyn. In 1898 Brooklyn became a borough as it joined the City of New York. Sunset Park had its greatest “boom” period between 1890 and 1910. The population of the general area, mostly known as Ward 8 at the time, went from about 30,000 to 60,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) As you wander about the eastern portions of Sunset Park, you will notice paved softball fields, basketball and handball courts, and our magnificent 165-foot by 256-foot pool (holding about 500,000 gallons of water) and a 16-foot diving pool.

 

6) Inside the park, near 7th Avenue, is a red brick building with beige trim. This is the entrance to the pool area and a combination locker room (in the summer) and play center (the rest of the year). Children from our community’s schools recently completed a new mural inside the entrance.

     As you explore the park’s paved paths and observe the vintage light fixtures, benches and grassy areas, you will come to love this park. While Central Park is noted for its ability to hide the sight of buildings that border the park, Sunset Park rejoices in the buildings that surround it. From the southeast end of the park, you can see P.S. 169 with its turreted white masonry entrance way. Along the northern border of the park, you can see a number of co-ops and private homes.

 

     While Sunset Park is a wonderful place to view the New York Bay and to stroll casually, it lacks sufficient areas of flat grass lawn for recreation and picnicking. Much of the 24.5 acres is sloped too steeply or is bordered by fences or paths into spaces too small for use. Sunset Park neighborhood is still in need of open fields where people can create their own recreation or just enjoy the immensity of nature (so that we can give regard to our smallness, in respect of the greatness of the universe). While Prospect Park and Shore Road offer relief, some local residents look to the waterfront as a hope for the future. For more information, see our Tour of the Waterfront of Sunset Park.

 

7) We suggest that you leave the park by way of 6th Avenue and 44th Street. Stand at this spot for a moment. To your left you will see 44th Street from 6th to 7th Avenue. A long row of two and a half-story brick homes dating back to 1903. To the right, where you will be walking in a moment, are three well-kept co-ops (1913-14) and a row of 1906 limestone homes (designed by William Bennett). But the reason for stopping is to give you an opportunity to turn around and take one last look at the park on the hill. Gaze once more at the understated, simple but memorable tree-lined walk that leads to the flag pole.

 

8) Once outside the park turn west onto 44th Street and begin walking towards 5th Avenue. You may wish to note the Beaux-Arts style iron and glass entrance canopies at 566 and 570. As you continue past the bay front limestone homes, take note that they have a ground floor of brownstone. What may sound on paper to be a risky combination, in reality offers a very pleasant contrasting of two stones. The interesting detail of the buildings adds to their beauty.

 

     At 5th Avenue turn south and walk to 45th Street. The pace at this end of 5th Avenue may seem a bit more “rushed” or hectic than other portions of 5th Avenue. The busy car service located here may have something to do with that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9) When you reach 45th Street, turn west and continue to 4th Avenue. Extending more than halfway down the block, on both sides are lovely brownstones. One of the buildings, on your right, usually has a full complement of window awnings in use. At one time every fine home of Sunset Park had canvas window and door awnings. Once you have seen a brownstone with awnings, they seem naked without them.

 

     Notice the view just before entering the subway, take one last look at the bay to the west.

 

     Thank you for visiting Sunset Park! Have a safe journey home. And remember, if you lived here, you’d be home right now!

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

     History buffs may be interested to know that long before the park was established, many local residents already used the area for recreation. There had been a small natural lake on which local farmers kept boats. Nearby, Irish residents had established a six-hole golf course. After the designation as a park, the lake was modified and fenced in. The lake was eight feet deep and situated in the area of today’s paved softball court. The golf course finally had to close in 1906 because picknickers were getting hit by golf balls. A very popular carousel was located about 150 feet north and slightly west of the 6th Avenue comfort station. Also one today are tennis courts and a horse shoe tossing area. During World War II, soldiers were stationed in the park and some residents remember an actual artillery piece.

 

     Many people remember catching catfish, goldfish and sunfish in the park’s lake. One senior citizen remembers his mother continually “nagging” him about climbing the fence that surrounded the lake. In the end, “peer” pressure would win out, and he and his friends would not only climb the fence but catch fish and sell them to the local fish store on 5th Avenue and 44th Street. The B & O Rapid Transit Surface Railway for many years rumbled along 5th Avenue in front of the park. But the most unusual mode of transportation around the park was demonstrated by Finnish immigrants whenever enough snow was on the ground. They would ski and hike through the park grounds with snowshoes.