Cycles Are Not Always Clear Circles
Howe's Brooklyn: Memories of the Bossert Hotel
The imminent return of the Bossert Hotel brings back recent memories of the 1970s, when there were still eight hotels operating within the small historic district called Brooklyn Heights.
That included the Bossert itself, which was operated by an elegant, old-world European who struggled to retain the dignity of the Bossert name in the face of decline in occupancy.
Indeed, the Bossert was the only one of the eight that refused to take New York City’s SRO (Single Room Occupancy) welfare tenants. The other seven — the Montague at 105 Montague St., the Pierrepont at 55 Pierrepont St., the Standish Harbor View on Columbia Heights, the Margaret at 97 Columbia Heights, the Standish Arms at 66 Orange St., the Towers at Clark and Willow streets and the famous Hotel St. George at Clark and Henry streets — each suffered greater declines in revenue and reputation than the Bossert. And all fell into other hands, other uses.