About Archives & Special Collections
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Lefferts Family Collection (1671-1980). 6 record cartons, 1 document box, 1 flat box (7 cubic feet).
ArMs 2006.004
Since the eighteenth century, the Lefferts family, decended from the Dutch settlers of New York, has fostered a notable Brooklyn legacy, anchored by such family members as Pieter Leffert, a farmer, army lieutenant, and judge, who in 1783 built a farmhouse in Flatbush that has remained a Brooklyn landmark, currently standing in Prospect Park and housing the Lefferts Historic House Museum; and Gertrude Lefferts Vanderbilt, Pieter’s granddaughter, who documented her family life and that of the Flatbush community in The Social History of Flatbush, published in 1881.
This collection was originally discovered in the Lefferts family’s summer home in Bellport, Long Island, built by James Leffert in 1917. The collection, spanning the mid-17th century through mid-20th century, includes personal family books and letters, archival documentation, slave bills of sale, indentures, manuscripts, business and legal papers, newspaper clippings, a sub-division map of John Lefferts’s Flatbush property, as well as visual arts materials: scrapbooks, glass slides, photographs, and other materials from the Flatbush- and extended Lefferts family branches. It also includes information on other multi-generational Brooklyn families.
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Arthur I. Okanst Scrapbooks, 1928-1965. 2 record cartons and 1 manuscript box (2.5 cubic feet).
ArMs 2004.023
Arthur I. Okanst was a Jewish-American Brooklynite who documented his life and interests in numerous scrapbooks. Born on 22 March 1886, Okanst lived with his wife and daughter in Flatbush, Brooklyn. He was an active member of his Jewish community and followed news related to the world and national state of Jewish affairs. Okanst also enjoyed popular entertainment, followed celebrity news, and frequently attended the theater. Nothing is known of his professional life. Okanst died in September of 1965.
A total of seventeen scrapbooks, as well as an incomplete index, are included in this collection. They contain clippings and published obituaries; theater and event programs and playbills; souvenirs, menus, leaflets and other printed ephemera; greeting cards (especially Birthday and Anniversary cards), telegrams, and invitations to weddings and bar mitzvahs. Also included are newsletters from Okanst’s local Temple and clippings documenting the events leading up to and during World War II.
Access Points:
Personal Names
- Grossfield, Anne Faith, b. 1942
- Grossfield, Avery
- Grossfield, Harriet
- Grossfield, Rena
- Okanst, Arthur I., 1886-1965
- Okanst, Helen (nee Newman), d. 1970
Subjects
- Temple Ahavath Sholom (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)
- Jews
- Jews-Charities-20th century
- Jews-United States-20th century
- Antisemitism in the press-20th century
- Zionism in the press-20th century
- World War, 1939-1945
- United States-Foreign relations-20th century
- United States presidents-20th century
- United States-Politics and government-20th century
- Celebrities-United States-20th century
- Theater-United States-20th century
- Television-United States-20th century
- Radio-United States-20th century
- Sports-United States-20th century
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y)-Social life and customs-20th century
- Flatbush (New York, N.Y.)-Social life and customs-20th century
- New York (N.Y) -Social life and customs-20th century
- United States-Social life and customs-20th century
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The Reverend Peter Lowe of Flatbush Correspondence, 1782-1818. 1 legal manuscript box (0.25 linear feet).
ArMs 1974.008
The Reverend Peter Lowe was a beloved pastor who served the Brooklyn community from 1788-1818. Originally presiding over a union of six churches throughout the Brooklyn area, Lowe remained Pastor of the Dutch Church of Flatbush after the union dissolved, a position he held until his death in 1818.
This collection contains correspondence between the Reverend Lowe and various correspondents, many of them fellow clergymen. Includes items in Dutch and Latin, as well as English.
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Brooklyn (N.Y.) Neighborhood Renewal and Development Collection, 1962-1987. 3 boxes (1 document box, 1 record carton, 1 oversize box), 2.25 cubic ft.
ArMs 1987.002
The Brooklyn Neighborhood Renewal and Development Collection was compiled by Robert H. Vadheim, M.D., a physician and long-time resident of Brooklyn Heights. Dr. Vadheim is an active member of the Brooklyn community and is recognized as a medical doctor, family man, and philanthropist. The collection contains materials dating from 1962 to 1987 focusing on revival, renewal, and renovation efforts within Brooklyn’s diverse neighborhoods and cultural institutions. These changes are reflected in newspaper clippings, magazine articles, social announcements, invitations, neighborhood tour pamphlets, and other memorabilia. The collection also includes ephemera relating to the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn Bridge - including the 1983 Brooklyn Bridge Centennial - and other notable subjects, including brownstones and building restoration.
The borough of Brooklyn, N.Y. began experiencing significant surges of change and renewal in the 1960’s. Efforts to renovate and preserve Brooklyn’s diverse landscapes were sparked by local concern for neighborhoods suffering from neglect or in need of preservation, and by general interests in Brooklyn’s history, architecture, and geographic location. Proposals for “urban renewal” and “gentrification” garnered support not only from Brooklynites, but from outside land developers, business investors, and potential home owners attracted by the intact federal and Victorian houses in many Brooklyn neighborhoods. The steady renewal of buildings and physical landscapes in the 1970’s and 1980’s drew new attention and financial interests to Brooklyn as new resident populations and businesses began moving into the borough’s various neighborhoods. As renewal efforts continued, property values rose in spectacular leaps and continued to rise as revitalization continued.
Access Points:
- Brooklyn Museum
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- The Phoenix
- Brooklyn Heights Press & Cobble Hill News
- Urban renewal
- Renovation (Architecture)
- City planning
- Brownstone buildings
- Brooklyn Bridge (New York, N.Y.)
- Brooklyn (New York, N.Y.)
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