January 1
Shirley Chisholm Died
Born in Brooklyn, Chishom was the first black woman to be elected to Congress in 1968, an office she held through 1983. She was also the first black woman to run for President, and the first black candidate running within a major party, and received 152 first ballot votes at the 1972 Democratic National Convention. Her platform included a call to end the Vietnam War, and promoted the causes of universal childcare, women’s equality, and gay rights.
May 2
Williamsburg-Greenpoint Waterfront Rezoning Approved
Unanimously approved by a City Council committee, the rezoning of the once primarily industrial north Brooklyn waterfront would lead to the complete transformation of huge swathes of Williamsburg and Greenpoint—a transformation that is still ongoing. While the most noticeable changes have taken place to the Williamsburg skyline, what with the addition of all those towering condos, this rezoning also led to the creation of miles of bike paths, and promised the creation of acres of parkland, including an Olympic-quality aquatic center on the East River. Councilwoman Melinda Katz of Queens told the New York Times, “In 10 years, I can’t imagine what Williamsburg-Greenpoint is going to look like.” Well, we can, Melinda! Because the future is now. And the future holds lots and lots of condos, some parkland—though certainly not the promised amount—and the ongoing transformation of a once working- and middle-class neighborhood into one of the most expensive places to live in the borough. Who knew? (Basically everybody.)
July 5
Bruce Ratner Announces the New Brooklyn Arena Will Be Surrounded by Up to 17 Skyscrapers, All Part of a Design Conceived by Ratner and Frank Gehry
(Spoiler Alert: This isn’t exactlywhat winds up happening.)
September 13
Noemie LaFrance Performs Agora in the Empty Mccarren Park Pool
This was the first time the abandoned pool was used for a public event, and was the turning point in launching the eventual concert series, and, ultimately, the revitalization of the pool as a pool.
October 29
The Air in New York SmellsLike Maple Syrup
This was a real thing that happened. Nobody knew why. Nobody knows why now. We kind of hope it happens again.
Openings
• Applewood, Park Slope
• Baked, Red Hook
• Northeast Kingdom, Bushwick
• Olea, Fort Greene
Albums
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
• LCD Soundsystem, by LCD Soundsystem
Books
• Indecision by Benjamin Kunkel
• The Brooklyn Follies by Paul Auster
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Real Estate Notes
Average sale price for a home/condo
• Williamsburg, $491K
• Park Slope, $629K
• Brooklyn Heights, $482K
• DUMBO. $971K