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Engineering Love

Written by Patricia Glowinski on January 7th, 2011

As the Archives Survey Team enters into our ninth month on the CLIR survey project, we’ve had our share of surveying interesting archival collections, be they large or small. Recently we’ve come across a surprisingly fantastic little collection, the Brooklyn Engineer’s Club publications (ARC.156). As you may have realized by now, we here at BHS love our Brooklyn architecture. But this collection reminds us that behind every great building, structure, or city infrastructure project, stands an engineer. Forever in the shadows of architects who get all the love and adoration (especially today), engineers don’t get the credit they are due. It’s not until some design malfunction or disaster (which, all in all, is pretty rare) that we take notice of the engineer. Well, today we spread the love.

Two facts about engineering and engineers:

  • New York is considered the birthplace of professional engineering in the United States.
  • The first national professional engineering society in the United States was formed in New York City in 1852; the Association of Civil Engineers (ASCE).

Here’s a list of some famous engineers with ties to New York City or Brooklyn (though some may not have used their engineering skills to become famous):

1. Tadeusz Kosciuszko (1746-1817) – Polish revolutionary and engineer. Studied engineering in Poland while at University (Warsaw). Was appointed head engineer of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and lead many defense missions in New York State. The Kosciuszko Bridge, spanning Newtown Creek, connects Brooklyn and Queens and is named in honor of him.

2. Alexander Calder (1898-1976) – Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Known for his art but worked at New York Edison Company before getting to quit his day job.

3. Robert Moog (1934-2005) – Degree in Electrical Engineering. Born in New York City; electronic music pioneer and inventor of the Moog synthesizer.

4. Michael Bloomberg (b. 1942-) – Undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering. Now serving as the 108th Mayor of New York City.

5. John A. Roebling (1806-1869) – German-born Civil Engineer. Designer of aqueducts, railroad bridges, and suspension bridges–including the Brooklyn Bridge.

6. Washington A. Roebling (1837-1926) – Degree in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Oversaw the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge (with the help of his wife Emily Warren Roebling).

The Brooklyn Engineers’ Club was organized on October 6, 1896 with 50 charter members. Meetings where held at their clubhouse located at 117 Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights. The Club met eight times throughout the year, culminating with an annual meeting in December. Every January, the Club would publish its proceedings from the previous year. Included in the Brooklyn Engineer’s Club publications (ARC.156) are the proceedings.

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1901. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156.

These lovely hard bound books (spanning the years 1897 to 1916) include the usual year-in-review items such as reports from Club officers, the Club constitution and bylaws, and detailed Club membership lists (includes names, professional titles, and places of work). The best part of the published proceedings are the papers–presented in full written form–complete with images, photographs, charts, graphs, fold-out maps, and fold-out technical drawings. But there’s more! The pièce de résistance are the printed verbatim discussions that follow the presentation of the papers.

For example, the discussion following the presentation, “The Filtration of Sewage,” by  Albert S. Crane on January 6, 1898, includes this prescient remark by Club member George C. Whipple — “The subject of sewage disposal is one that never grows old.”

Now, you might consider this funny…unless you live in Greenpoint or near the Gowanus Canal. Too true!

Here are a few images from papers presented between 1897 and 1906:

An Account of the Wallabout Improvement, by Frederick E. Pierce, presented March 3, 1898.

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1898. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1898. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156.

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1898. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156.

The Brooklyn Anchorage of the Manhattan Bridge: Contractors’ Plant and Progress, by Gustave Kaufmann, presented May 10, 1906.

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1906. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156.

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1906. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156.

Brooklyn Tunnels, by William T. Bruorton, presented February 4, 1897.

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1897. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156.

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1897. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156.

The Atlantic Avenue Improvement, by Laurence J. Carmalt, presented November 12, 1903.

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1903. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156.

Recent Development in Gas Engineering, by Henry K. Landis, presented November 9, 1899.

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Brooklyn Engineers' Club publications. Proceedings, 1899. Brooklyn Historical Society. ARC.156.

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Brooklyn Architecture and Architects

Written by Patricia Glowinski on October 22nd, 2010

As part of the CLIR team surveying the archival, manuscript, and photography collections at BHS, we’ve come across several collections that document either iconic Brooklyn architecture or local Brooklyn architects. With the recent conclusion of the 8th annual Open House New York, I’ve been thinking about architecture, the multitude of buildings I encounter everyday, and my relationship with them. From the Hotel St. George where the subway lets me out in the morning, to the George B. Post landmarked building I work in at BHS, to the sprawling Concord Village I walk past everyday on my way to the Manhattan Bridge pedestrian walkway, I am in constant interaction with buildings. Buildings can be destinations, hindrances, or points of reference. They can be beautiful or ugly, memorable or forgettable, historic or everyday.

Not only does Brooklyn have iconic buildings such as the towering Art Deco skyscraper, the Williamsburgh Savings Bank building in Fort Greene or the once grandiose destination, the Hotel St. George in Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn neighborhoods have their own unique architectural styles. If someone tells you they live in Fort Greene or Park Slope, you picture rows and rows of brownstones. If you try to describe Red Hook, you can’t do it justice without including both the waterfront red brick industrial factories-turned-artist spaces and lofts, as well the vast housing project, the Red Hook Houses, that are home to over 75% of all the residents of Red Hook. Greenpoint? Vinyl-sided railroad apartments. Williamsburg? The Domino Sugar Factory. Ditmas Park? Candy-colored Victorians.

Our architectural archival collections here at BHS reflect Brooklyn’s architectural diversity. The Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, 1 Hanson Place collection (ARC.116) documents one of the most iconic landmarks in Brooklyn. Our photographic collection captures before, during, and post-construction of the second tallest building in Brooklyn, 1927-1929.

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Williamsburgh Savings Bank building site, before construction, 1927. Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, 1 Hanson Place collection, ARC.116, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (2006.001.1.02).

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Williamsburgh Savings Bank building site, after demolition, 1927. Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, 1 Hanson Place collection, ARC.116, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (2006.001.1.05).

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Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, during construction, circa 1927. Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, 1 Hanson Place collection, ARC.116, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (2006.001.1.09).

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Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, finishing the tower, 1928. Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, 1 Hanson Place collection, ARC.116, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (2006.001.1.12).

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Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, near completion, 1928. Williamsburgh Savings Bank building, 1 Hanson Place collection, ARC.116, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (2006.001.1.15).

The Hotel St. George collection (ARC.100) includes historic picture postcards that make you wish you could have been there when. The hotel, located in Brooklyn Heights,  once had the largest indoor salt water swimming pool and the largest banquet room in the world.

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Postcard of Hotel St. George, circa 1930. Hotel St. George collection, ARC.100, Brooklyn Historical Society Postcard Collection (V1989.30.11).

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Postcard of the natural salt water swimming pool at the Hotel St. George, circa 1940. Hotel St. George collection, ARC.100, Brooklyn Historical Society Postcard Collection (V1989.30.14).

William Thomas McCarthy (d. 1952) was a  Brooklyn architect whose designs included large-scale apartment buildings such as the Cathedral Arms Apartments and the Chateau Frontenac Apartments in Flatbush; some of the last single-family homes built in Park Slope; and some of the most iconic housing projects in New York City, all of which are located in Brooklyn. He co-designed four of the seven buildings of Concord Village (1958, finished after McCarthy died), the Red Hook Houses (1939), and the Gowanus Houses (1949). All of the buildings below still stand today.

The Cathedral Arms Apartments and the Chateau Frontenac Apartments are located in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn and were built circa 1930.

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Exterior view of the Cathedral Arms Apartments, circa 1930. William T. McCarthy collection, ARC.059, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (V1990.70.11).

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Exterior view of the Chateau Frontenac Apartments, circa 1930. William T. McCarthy collection, ARC.059, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (V1990.70.15).

McCarthy designed some of the last single-family homes in Park Slope, circa 1920. The homes below are located along Prospect Park West. The driveways were included in the original designs and are still a very unique aspect of Brooklyn architecture.

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Exterior view of single-family homes in Park Slope, circa 1920. William T. McCarthy collection, ARC.059, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (V1990.70.30).

Concord Village is located on the border of the Brooklyn Heights and Downtown Brooklyn neighborhoods. McCarthy co-designed four of the seven buildings with Italian born architect Rosario Candela (1890-1953). The building complex was completed in phases and was finished after McCarthy died.

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Aerial view of Concord Village, circa 1930. William T. McCarthy collection, ARC.059, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (V1990.70.22).

The rendering below shows an idealized vision of Concord Village. The delineator was Arthur Frappier.

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Photograph of rendering of Concord Village, circa 1930. William T. McCarthy collection, ARC.059, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (V1990.70.19).

The Gowanus Houses (1949) and Red Hook Houses (1939) are prominent parts of the Brooklyn architectural landscape and of Brooklyn architectural history. It’s very rare to read about who designed our large-scale housing projects throughout the city. Today, former and current residents of the Gowanus Houses are creating their own archive of the buildings and the people who live in them on a Facebook page Gowanus Houses Forever, Bklyn, NY. Below are images that help tell the story of the original vision for the housing projects.

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Photograph of a model of the Gowanus Houses, circa 1950. William T. McCarthy collection, ARC.059, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (V1990.70.5).

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Photograph of a rendering of the Red Hook Houses, circa 1930. William T. McCarthy collection, ARC.059, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (V1990.70.18 a,b).

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Photograph of a rendering of the Red Hook Houses, circa 1930. William T. McCarthy collection, ARC.059, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (V1990.70.28).

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Photograph of the Red Hook Houses, circa 1940. William T. McCarthy collection, ARC.059, Brooklyn Historical Society Photograph Collection (V1990.70.19).

If you’re looking to do architectural research on your house, building, block, or neighborhood, the Library and Archives staff at BHS has made it easy for you with the House and Building Research at BHS. Or, if you want an in-depth guide to Brooklyn architecture, the BHS staff has curated a selection of books that are available through the BHS Virtual Bookstore.

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