Author: Brian Abate

Feature Story, Library

When a community comes together, by Brian Abate

One of the projects that the now defunct Red Hook Civic Association worked hard on last year was a location for a temporary library to replace the Wolcott Street library which was pretty much demolished in order to update it. A frustration for those in Red Hook was that the next closest library is in Carroll Gardens and is also […]

Feature Story, Parks

Audubon Society supports Red Hook Conservancy with a beautiful Bay Street mural, by Brian Abate

It seems like this is the summer of murals in Red Hook. The newest will border some of our new ballfields. It will feature eight at-risk birds that are native to New York. It was made possible thanks to the work of Marlene Pantin, the founder and executive of Red Hook Conservancy who is also involved with the National Audubon […]

Feature Story

Visiting a green space under the subway, by Brian Abate

I attended a tour of the new Lowlands Nursery, located by the Smith and 9th Street subway given last month by the Garden Train, a District 15 volunteer organization that was founded in 2017 and is made up of public school parents, school staff, and community partners They believe that all students deserve a school garden and advocate for school […]

Feature Story, History

History: It happened in Red Hook, by Brian Abate

While many Brooklynites associate Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest or fireworks with the Fourth of July, the holiday is also an opportunity to celebrate Fort Defiance. The solid land we know as Red Hook was once pretty much a swamp. In the 1630s Dutch settled in the area and began to turn the marshes into farmland. When the Revolutionary War […]

Education, Feature Story

BASIS seniors present projects, by Brian Abate

Red Hook’s BASIS Independent Brooklyn seniors gave presentations on their projects last month in the school auditorium. A wide variety of subjects were chosen by the students. Students worked independently as they finished normal classes in mid-March. The requirement was to work at least 15 hours per week on their projects in the lead-up to their final presentations. In addition […]

Feature Story

MiniBar notches it’s first ever win in a busy month of May, as the Red Hook softball season takes shape, photos and story by Brian Abate

On May 6, Hometown took on Bait & Tackle in a low-scoring game with excellent defensive plays by both teams. In the bottom of the seventh Hometown led 5-4 but Bait & Tackle led off  with a double. A running catch in center turned into a double play which ended up being the difference in the game as Hometown improved […]

Feature Story

Thank You Jalen Brunson’s story, by Brian Abate

The New York Knicks have captured the hearts of many New Yorkers as this team of undersized underdogs found ways to win despite losing a lot of their key players to injuries. Star point guard Jalen Brunson went from a second-round pick to a star player and Red Hook’s own Lucie Lozinski (Ski Team) has released her song “Thank You, […]

News, Real Estate, Waterfront

Plan To Transform Brooklyn Marine Terminal, by Brian Abate

At a ceremony at the Red Hook Container Terminal, the Mayor, the Governor, the Port Authority and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) made a surprise announcement (at least to most of the public and this newspaper) about the future of the waterfront from Atlantic Avenue up to the Red Hook Cruise Terminal. They were standing in front of […]

Feature Story

Jim Tampakis wants Amazon to use their waterfront, by Brian Abate

“Freight by Water? Why Not?” was a talk given last month at NYC Technical College, hosted by a group called the Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center. The talk featured five speakers including Jim Tampakis of Red Hook’s Tamco Mechanical, who for years has pushed for better use of our waterfront. Other speakers at the event included NY Times writer Liz Alderman, […]