Is It De Graw Or Degraw? How To Spell The Name Of This Neighborhood Street?

An older street sign at Court Street and "DEGRAW" Street

Nigh sign across the street now spells it "De Graw" Street

The street sign at the corner of Smith Street and "DEGRAW" Street back in 2008

The same corner with the street sign now spelled "De Graw"

Pardon me for asking, but what is the correct way of spelling the neighborhood street name that divides Carroll Gardens and Cobble Hill ? Is it De Graw or Degraw?  I have been confused about that for a while.  Obviously, so is the Department of Transportation.
A few days ago, I received the following email from reader Andy:
"Hey Katia,
I've noticed that the new street signs on Court and Degraw St now have Degraw spelled as "De Graw" Just wondering if you have any insight? Thanks! "

Of course I grabbed my camera and took a walk to investigate.  Sure enough, the new signs and the old signs have different spellings for the same street.  On Court Street, the signs attached to the lamp posts are different on opposite sides. Very strange

So how does one spell the name? 

It shows up as Degraw Street on Google Maps:

It also shows up as Degraw Street on this old map below, dated 1874.

The origin of the street name may be traced back to the prominent Degrauw family. John W. Degrauw, a New York City merchant had a house built at #219 Clinton Street for his son Abraham J. W. Degrauw. Abraham was a dedicated fireman of Brooklyn Fire Ladder number 4 and ultimately became President of the Brooklyn Fire Department. He lost his life in the line of duty on January 8, 1856 while trying to save the life of a woman during a fire at the Stillwell's Iron & Steel Rail Foundry at 105 Court Street.

To honor his sacrifice, Fire Ladder #4 adopted his name and a street in this, his neighborhood, was named after him.  The name however, was changed to Degraw.

Matthew Kassel of the New York Observer also noticed the difference in spelling on the new street signs at the intersection with 4th Avenue.  He traces the name back to land-owner James Degraw who sold his 10 acres of Brooklyn land in 1764.In his article, Matthew concludes: "One way to get around the issue is to spell the name “DEGRAW."

That's probably what the Department of Transortation should have done. Or perhaps, we should just change all of the signs to "Degrauw" Street.

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At Noon Today, Fire Broke Out In Brownstone On Clinton Street At DeGraw Street

A friend and reader just sent me the photo above taken at around noon today on Clinton Street at the corner of De Graw Street.  Firemen were responding to a fire in a brownstone. " It looked like it was a furnace fire"  wrote the friend.
Does anyone have any more details?





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The Bounty Of An Apricot Tree On DeGraw Street

(photo credit: Jo Anne Kelly Richards)

(photo credit: Jo Anne Kelly Richards)

(photo credit: Jo Anne Kelly Richards)

(photo credit: Jo Anne Kelly Richards)

Carroll Gardener Jo Anne Kelly Richards was walking down DeGraw Street when she came upon a sign taped to a pole warning of  apricots falling from a tree in a side yard.   Sure enough,  branches heavy with fruit hang over the sidewalk.

Jo Anne writes:  'Over-ripe, fallen apricots rest in peace, curb side. A guy, passing by, said to me, 'I don't know why people aren't picking them up. They are $9.99 a pound." I said, "I think they are ripe when they fall, and not particularly appetizing when they land.'

Luckily, someone had set aside some of the unblemished apricots. "I saw a purple plate, on the sidewalk, beside the fence, under the apricot tree offering three perfectly ripe, local, golden fruits,'  Jo Anne says. "With gratitude for apricots, considerate neighbors, signs of falling fruit, ALL trees, conjuring up the motivation to venture out on a hot summer day, and my life in this diverse neighborhood, I adopted one of the three apricots offered."

I just walked by the tree yesterday and there are still some apricots hanging far up in the tree.  What bounty.  Thanks for pointing it out to us, Jo Anne.

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Picture Of The Day: DeGraw In The Late Afternoon

Late afternoon on DeGraw Street taken

from the corner of Smith, looking towards Hoyt.

I love that block.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°

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When Met Food On Henry Street Was Pilgrim Chapel

Architectural drawings of Pilgrim Chapel

A photo of the 1930's

photo above, Courtesy of Rick Luftglass

Oh, you know how much I love to learn about the history of our Brooklyn neighborhood. 

Reader and friend Rick Luftglass shares my passion. A while back, he sent me some truly interesting information about the Met Food on Henry Street at the corner of Degraw Street. He also passed along a great architectural drawing from the 1870's and an amazing photo of the 1930's

Here is a bit of background info of the chapel from www. nycago.org, a historic organ web site****

The Pilgrim Chapel began as the Columbia Mission, established in 1845 or 1846, when a few active Christians began a Mission in Freeman's Hall at the corner of Amity and Columbia streets in South Brooklyn. The neighborhood was inhabited mostly by foreigners, many of whom were Irish Catholics. As the Sunday-school was established and prospered, a few benevolent gentlemen purchased three lots of ground on Warren Street, between Hicks and Columbia streets. On this ground, a chapel was erected that could accommodate 400 to 500 persons, and it was completed in November 1852, free of debt. The cost of the land and chapel was about $9,000. Over the next few years membership increased and on March 20, 1854, a church was formed. Financial support for the Warren Street Church was provided by Plymouth Congregational Church and the Church of the Pilgrims, in addition to contributions from members. In 1876, the Church of the Pilgrims assumed charge of the mission, and it was renamed Pilgrim Chapel.

On July 10, 1878, the cornerstone was laid for a new building on Henry Street at the corner of Degraw Street. The site consisted of four lots and measured 100 feet square. J. Cleveland Cady (1837-1919), the prominent architect, designed an Italianate-style building with a tall tower that had an exterior of Philadelphia pressed brick trimmed with Belleville stone and terra cotta. The auditorium had a high ceiling with open timbers, and was lighted by a continuous clear-story in which were windows filled with rolled cathedral glass of beautiful designs. There were 15 rooms grouped around the auditorium, all having direct light, ventilation and heat. When the Sunday-school rooms were opened into the auditorium, there was a capacity of 1,200 people. The new Pilgrim Chapel was formally opened on December 15, 1878.

The Church of the Pilgrims merged into Plymouth Congregational Church in 1934, but it has not yet been determined when the Pilgrim Chapel was disbanded.

Rick Luftglass writes: 

Notice that the building structure/shape is exactly the same as it was then – the main church building and the one-story extension on the left, which at the time was the Sunday School and is now the entrance to the Met Food. The only structural difference (that is, aside from the bricking in of the windows and stucco/cement on the 1st floor, which was already done by the 1930 photo) is that today there’s an air conditioner duct where the steeple was. It’s also possible that the steeple was never built, since this was the architectural sketch and the steeple isn’t on the 1930 photo. No way to tell, though.

Also attached are the 1930 photo of the building. The description on the back of the 1930 photo says that it was a garage at the time, and was previously the Oriole Theatre.
Does anyone out there know when the building was turned into a supermarket?

Thanks for sharing these facts and photos with everyone, Rick!


*****Sources used by www. nycago.org :
"A New Church in Brooklyn," The New York Times (Dec. 16, 1878).

Mohr, Louis F. & Co. Specifications (Feb. 18, 1911) of E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 915 (1878); courtesy Larry Trupiano.

Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.

"Pilgrim Chapel Anniversary," The New York Times (Dec. 11, 1893).

Stiles, Henry Reed. History of the City of Brooklyn: Including the Old Town and Village of Brooklyn, the Town of Bushwick, and the Village and City of Williamsburgh. Brooklyn: pub. by subscription, 1863.

Van Pelt, William T., comp. The Hook Opus List, 1829-1916 in Facsimile. Richmond: The Organ Historical Society, 1991.

Photos:

American Architect and Building News (Nov. 2, 1878): original plan of Pilgrim Chapel by J. Cleveland Cady.

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Remembering Schooltime At St. Agnes In 1960

A few days ago, I posted a photo of Sacred Hearts' second grade class in the year 1960/61. Reader Maryann B., who attended Carroll Gardens' other parochial school, Saint Agnes, shared these wonderful memories of her school years there.

I didn't attend Sacred Hearts but did attend St. Agnes on Degraw between Hoyt & Bond, and I was in the second grade in 1960. I have a similar photo of my class, too, and our teacher was Sister Helen. I can tell you that at St. Agnes, we had two "classes" in each grade, i.e., 1A and 1B, 2A and 2B, all the way up to 8th Grade. We also had a little United Nations of nationalities in our classes...all ethnic & racial groups. As for headcount, each class, especially in the lower grades in the late 50s-early 60s had about 60 children in EACH -- so that would total approx 120 children in the first grade alone. No exaggeration! And despite the numbers, the Sisters of St. Joseph (they were a tough bunch!) had total control and discipline over their classrooms. Any appearance of our principal, Sister Mary Bonaventura, was enough to cause spine-tingling fear in all of us, and yet we turned out just fine! Yes, I've got lots of fond memories of St. Agnes...like the first time I and another classmate were invited into the convent for some special task that I can't recall (maybe taking a nun's habit to the French dry cleaner?). It was like Dorothy coming out of her house after the twister and marveling at her mysterious but lovely surroundings. Unfortunately, the school, and subsequently the beautiful convent, were converted into condos. So sad. I'll see if I can dig out my photo. I know I have it somewhere.

Thank you so much, Maryann, for writing this down. More, please, more...



Related reading:

Sacred Hearts' Second Grade In 1960/61. Regognize Any Carroll Gardeners?

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