Atlantic Avenue is at once a celebration of key elements: History, commerce & culture
Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue, aside from being one of the longest avenues in the borough (Bedford is officially the longest), has many significant historic landmarks. Some, like the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel, are not readily visible. But the corner that most people think of as simply ‘Atlantic and Court’ has a profound place in American history.
On a recent walking tour with Kelly Carroll, the new Executive Director of the Atlantic Avenue BID (Business Improvement District), Kelly brought along one of her biggest budget items: the crew who takes care of housecleaning on the street. The tour was led by Kelly and Andrzej Drozd, a supervisor for Block by Block, the company contracted to clean Atlantic Avenue.
The tour paused in front of the historic South Brooklyn Savings Bank building (now a Trader Joe’s that can boast having the largest open cubic space of any retailer on the Avenue). The historical marker on the front of the building celebrates a place and an event of the Revolutionary War. The plaque celebrates a reference to a Dutch name, Ponkiesberg, which translates into ‘Cobble Hill.’ This rocky hill, between 60 and 80 feet high, was the point from which General George Washington is said to have observed the emergence of the British forces marching through Gowanus toward downtown.
As the British began what would become the famous Battle of Brooklyn (aka the Battle of Long Island), Washington realized his army would be crushed if he didn’t escape with part of his troops. Books have been written about the amazing last minute retreat Washington made across the East River at Fulton Ferry, to escape and fight another day. Meanwhile, brave volunteers and mercenaries led by Lord Stirling held the British at bay while Washington fled with the bulk of his army.