Williamsburg, Brooklyn#Education
{{Short description|Neighborhood in New York City}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Williamsburg
| other_name =
| settlement_type = Neighborhood
| image_skyline = WilliamsburgBK.jpg
| imagesize = 350px
| image_caption = Williamsburg Bridge and Domino Park
| nickname = The WillieB, The Burg, Billyburg
| image_map = {{maplink|frame=y|plain=y|frame-align=center|zoom=12|type=shape|from=Neighbourhoods/New York City/Williamsburg.map}}
| map_caption = Location in New York City
| coordinates = {{coord|40.71|-73.96|type:city_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|New York}}
| subdivision_type2 = City
| subdivision_name2 = New York City
| subdivision_type3 = Borough
| subdivision_name3 = Brooklyn
| subdivision_type4 = Community District
| subdivision_name4 = Brooklyn 1{{cite web |title=NYC Planning {{!}} Community Profiles |url=https://communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov/brooklyn/1 |website=communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov |publisher=New York City Department of City Planning |access-date=March 18, 2019}}
Brooklyn 3{{cite web |title=NYC Planning {{!}} Community Profiles |url=https://communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov/Brooklyn/3 |website=communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov |access-date=July 3, 2020}}
| named_for = Jonathan Williams
| area_total_sq_mi = 2.179
| population_total = 151,308
| population_as_of = 2010
| population_density_km2 =
| population_density_sq_mi = auto
| population_note =
| population_demonym =
| demographics_type1 = Race/Ethnicity
| demographics1_title1 = White
| demographics1_info1 = 66.5%
| demographics1_title2 = Hispanic
| demographics1_info2 = 26.3%
| demographics1_title3 = Asian
| demographics1_info3 = 2.9%
| demographics1_title4 = Black
| demographics1_info4 = 2.8%
| demographics1_title5 = Other
| demographics1_info5 = 2.4%
| demographics_type2 = Economics
| demographics2_footnotes = {{cite web |url=https://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US3604001-nyc-brooklyn-community-district-1-greenpoint-williamsburg-puma-ny/ |title=NYC-Brooklyn Community District 1—Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY}}
| demographics2_title1 = Median income
| demographics2_info1 = $98,284
| postal_code_type = ZIP Codes
| postal_code = 11206, 11211, 11249
| area_code_type = Area code
| area_code = 718, 347, 929, and 917
| website =
}}
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant to the south; Bushwick and East Williamsburg to the east; and the East River to the west. It was an independent city until 1855, when it was annexed by Brooklyn; at that time, the spelling was changed from Williamsburgh (with an "h") to Williamsburg.{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/05/15/realestate/posting-visiting-the-past-williamsburg-tour.html |title=Visiting the Past; Williamsburg Tour |first=Thomas L. |last=Waite |date=May 15, 1988}}
Williamsburg, especially near the waterfront, was a vital industrial district until the mid-20th century. As many of the jobs were outsourced beginning in the 1970s, the area endured a period of economic contraction which did not begin to turn around until activist groups began to address housing, infrastructure, and youth education issues in the late 20th century.{{Cite news |date=August 1, 1974 |title=Brooklyn Youth Gangs Concentrating on Robbery |work=The New York Times |pages=33}} An ecosocial arts movement emerged alongside the activists in the late 1980s, often referred to as the Brooklyn Immersionists.The Williamsburg Avant-Garde: Experimental Music and Sound on the Brooklyn Waterfront by Cisco Bradley, Duke University Press, 2023, p. 27 The community-based scene cultivated a web of activity in the streets, rooftops and large warehouses, and attracted both the national and international press.{{Cite book |last=Bradley |first=Cisco |title=The Williamsburg Avant-Garde: Experimental Music and Sound on the Brooklyn Waterfront |publisher=Duke University Press |year=2023 |pages=27}}Steinberg, Claudia, "Vis a Vis Manhattan," Die Zeit, September 19, 1997, p. 77 Small, locally owned businesses began to return to the neighborhood during this expansion of creative urbanism in the 1990s.Rose, Mark (March 6–12, 1991). "Brooklyn Unbound". The New York Press. p. 10.
In the 21st century, the city provided zoning changes and tax abatements to corporate developers which shifted the area from a creative, slow growth revival to an economy that was dominated by high rises and chain stores.{{Cite news |last1=Buettner |first1=Russ |last2=Rivera |first2=Ray |date=October 28, 2009 |title=A Stalled Vision: Big Development as City's Future |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/29/nyregion/29develop.html |access-date=November 23, 2023 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite journal |last1=Hackworth |first1=Jason |last2=Smith |first2=Neil |date=November 1, 2001 |title=The Changing State of Gentrification |journal=Tijdschrift voor economische en sociale geografie |volume=92 |issue=4 |pages=464–477 |doi=10.1111/1467-9663.00172}} Despite the rise in the cost of living that followed, and the loss of the original creative community that had rejuvenated the district, a new contemporary art scene and vibrant nightlife emerged that catered to new residents. However, the intensity and innovations of the Immersionist era in Williamsburg has continued to project the district's image internationally as a "Little Berlin".{{cite web |title=The rest of the US sleeps, in "Little Berlin" the big party kicks off |url=http://www.sueddeutsche.de/reise/nachtleben-williamsburg-in-new-york-brooklyn-schlaeft-wirklich-nicht-1.2204944-2 |publisher=Süddeutsche Zeitung (German) |access-date=November 1, 2015 |date=November 10, 2014}} During the early 2000s, the neighborhood became a center for indie rock and electroclash.{{cite news |newspaper=the New York Times |title=Verboten, a New Dance Club in Williamsburg, Opens |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/01/fashion/verboten-a-new-dance-club-in-williamsburg-opens.html |access-date=November 1, 2015 |date=April 30, 2014}} Numerous ethnic groups still inhabit enclaves within the neighborhood, including Italians, Jews, Hispanics, Poles, Puerto Ricans, and Dominicans.
Williamsburg is part of Brooklyn Community District 1, and its primary ZIP Codes are 11206, 11211 and 11249.{{Cite web |title=USPS adds new ZIP Code in Williamsburg on July 1 (2011) |url=https://about.usps.com/news/state-releases/ny/2011/ny_2011_0603.htm |access-date=March 30, 2024 |website=United States Postal Service |language=en}} It is patrolled by the 90th and 94th Precincts of the New York City Police Department. Politically, it is represented by the New York City Council's 33rd District, which represents the western and southern parts of the neighborhood, and the 34th District, which represents the eastern part.[http://www.nyc.gov/html/dc/downloads/pdf/brooklyn.pdf Current City Council Districts for Kings County] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170131103455/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dc/downloads/pdf/brooklyn.pdf |date=January 31, 2017 }}, New York City. Accessed May 5, 2017. As of the 2020 United States census, the neighborhood's population is 151,308.{{Cite web |title=Census profile: NYC-Brooklyn Community District 1—Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY |url=http://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US3604001-nyc-brooklyn-community-district-1-greenpoint-williamsburg-puma-ny/ |access-date=March 9, 2021 |website=Census Reporter |language=en |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308181159/https://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US3604001-nyc-brooklyn-community-district-1-greenpoint-williamsburg-puma-ny/ |url-status=dead}}
History
=Founding=
{{stack|File:Dime Savings of Williamsburgh jeh.JPG.]]}}
In 1638, the Dutch West India Company purchased the area's land from the Lenape Native Americans who occupied the area. In 1661, the company chartered the Town of Boswijck, including land that would later become Williamsburg. After the English takeover of New Netherland in 1664, the town's name was anglicized to Bushwick. During colonial times, villagers called the area "Bushwick Shore", a name that lasted for about 140 years. Bushwick Shore was cut off from the other villages in Bushwick by Bushwick Creek to the north and by Cripplebush, a region of thick, boggy shrub land that extended from Wallabout Creek in the south to Newtown Creek in the east. Bushwick residents called Bushwick Shore "the Strand".{{cite web |url=http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Town/Wmsburgh.html |title=The Site of WILLIAMSBURG |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060824232147/http://www.bklyn-genealogy-info.com/Town/Wmsburgh.html |archive-date=August 24, 2006 |access-date=October 18, 2006}}
Farmers and gardeners from the other Bushwick villages sent their goods to Bushwick Shore to be ferried across the East River to Manhattan for sale via a market at present day Grand Street. Bushwick Shore's favorable location close to New York City led to the creation of several farming developments. In 1802, real estate speculator Richard M. Woodhull acquired {{convert|13|acre|abbr=off}} near what would become Metropolitan Avenue, then North 2nd Street. He had Colonel Jonathan Williams, a U.S. Engineer, survey the property, and named it Williamsburgh (with an h at the end) in his honor. Originally a {{convert|13|acre|adj=on}} development within Bushwick Shore, Williamsburg rapidly expanded during the first half of the 19th century and eventually seceded from Bushwick and formed its own independent city. Abraham J. Berry was the first mayor of the independent city of Williamsburgh;{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1865/10/23/archives/died.html |title=DIED. |date=October 23, 1865}}{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1931/03/19/archives/evelyn-griswold-bride-of-b-mayor-rev-dr-coffin-performs-the.html |title=EVELYN GRISWOLD BRIDE OF B. MAYOR; Rev. Dr. Coffin Performs the Ceremony in Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church. SISTER IS HONOR MATRON A. Hyatt Mayor Best Man for His Brother—Wedding Tour to the West Indies. |quote=great-granddaughter of the late Dr. Abraham J. Berry, first Mayor of Williamsburg. |date=March 19, 1931}} the "h" at the end of the name was dropped in 1855.{{cite news |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/19/nyregion/the-new-brooklynstipping-points-how-williamsburg-got-its-groove.html |title=How Williamsburg Got Its Groove |first=Jake |last=Mooney |date=June 19, 2005}}
=Incorporation of Williamsburgh=
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File:1827 Williamsburg Map.jpg
File:1845 Williamsburg Map.jpg
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Williamsburg was incorporated as the Village of Williamsburgh within the Town of Bushwick on April 14, 1827.{{cite book |author=New York (State). Supreme Court |last2=Wendell |first2=J.L. |title=Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Judicature: And in the Court for the Trial of Impeachments and the Correction of Errors of the State of New York [1828–1841] |publisher=Gould, Banks & Company |issue=v. 10 |year=1834 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UPg2AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA125 |access-date=July 1, 2024 |page=125}} In two years, it had a fire company, a post office, and a population of over 1,000. The deep drafts along the East River encouraged industrialists, many from Germany, to build shipyards around Williamsburg. Raw material was shipped in, and finished products were sent out of factories straight to the docks. Several sugar barons built processing refineries, all of which are now gone, except the refinery of the now-defunct Domino Sugar (formerly Havemeyer & Elder). Other important industries included shipbuilding and brewing.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
On April 18, 1835, the Village of Williamsburg annexed a portion of the Town of Bushwick. The Village then consisted of three districts. The first district was commonly called the "South Side", the second district was called the "North Side", and the third district was called the "New Village".{{cite book |last=Armbruster |first=Eugene L. |title=Brooklyn's Eastern District |year=1942 |location=Brooklyn |pages=8–9}} The names "North Side" and "South Side" remain in common usage today, but the name for the Third District has changed often. The New Village became populated by Germans, and for a time was known by the sobriquet of "Dutchtown".
In 1845, the population of Williamsburgh was 11,500.{{cite book |title=Population given in the legend of "A Map of Williamsburg" |first=Isaac |last=Vieth |location=Brooklyn |date=1845}}
On April 7, 1840. reflecting its increasing urbanization, Williamsburg separated from Bushwick as the Town of Williamsburg. Edmund Smith Driggs (1809–1889) was a Williamsburg resident and was elected the first president of the Village of Williamsburg in 1850.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65826946 |title=Driggs Avenue Name. |work=Greenpoint Weekly Star |place=Brooklyn, New York |date=June 23, 1961 |page=8 |via=Newspapers.com {{open access}} |access-date=December 22, 2020}} He was also president of the Williamsburg City Fire Insurance Company and built a row of houses on South Second Street. Driggs Avenue is named after him.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/65826870 |title=Edmund Driggs Is Dead. |work=Times Union |place=Brooklyn, New York |date=July 31, 1889 |page=1 |via=Newspapers.com {{open access}} |access-date=December 22, 2020}}
In 1851, the municipality became the City of Williamsburgh (it would discard the "h" in 1855), which was organized into three wards. The old First Ward roughly coincides with the South Side, and the Second Ward with the North Side, with the modern boundary at Grand Street. The Third Ward was to the east of these, stretching from Union Avenue east to Bushwick Avenue, beyond which is Bushwick (some of which is now called East Williamsburg).{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
=Incorporation into the Eastern District=
{{stack|
File:Brewers Row Wythe Av N11 St jeh.jpg
File:Williamsburg-Bedford-N8th.png and North 8th Street.]]
}}
In 1855, the City of Williamsburg, along with the adjoining Town of Bushwick, was annexed into the City of Brooklyn as the so-called Eastern District. The First Ward of Williamsburg became Brooklyn's 13th Ward, the Second Ward Brooklyn's 14th Ward, and the Third Ward Brooklyn's 15th and 16th Wards.{{cite book |last=Armbruster |first=Eugene L. |title=Brooklyn's Eastern District |year=1942 |location=Brooklyn}}
During its period as part of Brooklyn's Eastern District, the area achieved remarkable industrial, cultural, and economic growth, and local businesses thrived. Wealthy New Yorkers such as Cornelius Vanderbilt and railroad magnate Jubilee Jim Fisk built shore-side mansions. Charles Pratt and his family founded the Pratt Institute, the great school of art & architecture, and the Astral Oil Works, which later became part of Standard Oil. Corning Glass Works was founded here, before moving upstate to Corning, New York. German immigrant, chemist Charles Pfizer founded Pfizer Pharmaceutical in Williamsburg, and the company maintained an industrial plant in the neighborhood through 2007, although its headquarters were moved to Manhattan in the 1960s.{{cite news |title=After Decades, A Factory for Williamsburg |first=John T. |last=McQuiston |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE1D6173CF933A05750C0A960948260 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 30, 1986 |access-date=July 11, 2010}}{{cite news |title=Pfizer's Birthplace, Soon Without Pfizer |first=Andy |last=Newman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/nyregion/28pfizer.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 28, 2007 |access-date=July 11, 2010}}
Brooklyn's Broadway, ending in the ferry to Manhattan, became the area's lifeline. The area proved popular for condiment and household product manufacturers. Factories for Domino Sugar, Esquire Shoe Polish, Dutch Mustard, and many others were established in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} Many of these factory buildings are now being (or already have been) converted to non-industrial uses, primarily residential.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
The population was at first heavily German, but many Jews from the Lower East side of Manhattan came to the area after the completion of the Williamsburg Bridge in 1903. Williamsburg had two major community banks: the Williamsburgh Savings Bank at 175 Broadway (chartered 1851, since absorbed by HSBC); and its rival, the Dime Savings Bank of Williamsburgh one block west (chartered 1864, now known as the DIME, has remained independent). The area around the Peter Luger Steak House, established in 1887, in the predominantly German neighborhood under the Williamsburg Bridge, was a major banking hub, until the City of Brooklyn united with the City of Greater New York.Bernardo, Leonard and Jennifer Weiss. Brooklyn by Name: How the Neighborhoods, Streets, Parks, Bridges, and More Got Their Names. New York. NYU Press:2006. One of the early high schools in Brooklyn, the Eastern District High School, opened here in February 1900.Staff. [https://www.newspapers.com/image/50383294/?terms=%22Eastern%2BDistrict%2BHigh%2BSchool%22 "New E.D. High School Open; Lessons Were Given Out And Pupils Assigned to Classes – 182 Present"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103111637/https://www.newspapers.com/image/50383294/?terms=%22Eastern%2BDistrict%2BHigh%2BSchool%22 |date=January 3, 2017 }}, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, February 5, 1900. Accessed May 12, 2016.{{cite web |title=DR. W.T.YMEN, 74, LONG TEACHER, DIES; Succumbs at His Florida Home – At Retirement in 1930 Had Taught 48 Years. -lEADED BROOKLYN SCHOOL First PHncipal in lg00 of the Eastern District High School Was Strict Disciplinarian. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1934/08/17/94557343.pdf |website=The New York Times |access-date=May 24, 2015 |location=Panama City, Florida |date=August 17, 1934}}
=Incorporation into New York City=
{{stack|
File:LGBWilliamsburgBridge.jpg connects the area with Manhattan's Lower East Side.]]
File:View of South Williamsburg.jpg
}}
In 1898, Brooklyn became one of five boroughs within the City of Greater New York, and the Williamsburg neighborhood was opened to closer connections with the rest of the newly consolidated city. Five years later, the opening of the Williamsburg Bridge in 1903 further opened up the community to thousands of upwardly mobile immigrants and second-generation Americans fleeing the over-crowded slum tenements of Manhattan's Lower East Side.[https://www.tenement.org/encyclopedia/lower_landscape.htm The Physical Landscape] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160418065105/https://tenement.org/encyclopedia/lower_landscape.htm |date=April 18, 2016 }}, Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Accessed May 12, 2016. "Built in 1903, the Williamsburg Bridge had a greater effect on the ability of immigrants to leave the Lower East Side. In the early 20th century, the bridge was seen as a passageway to a new life in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, by thousands of Jewish immigrants fleeing the overcrowded neighborhood." Williamsburg itself soon became the most densely populated neighborhood in New York City, which, in turn, was the most densely populated city in the United States.[http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ourbrooklyn/williamsburg/ Williamsburg] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070405101654/http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ourbrooklyn/williamsburg/ |date=April 5, 2007 }}, Brooklyn Public Library. Retrieved November 20, 2008. "By 1917, the neighborhood had the most densely populated blocks in New York City." The novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn addresses a young girl growing up in the tenements of Williamsburg during this era.
Brooklyn Union Gas in the early 20th century consolidated its coal gas production to Williamsburg at 370 Vandervoort Avenue, closing the Gowanus Canal gasworks. The 1970s energy crisis led the company to build a syngas factory. Late in the century, facilities were built to import liquefied natural gas from overseas. The intersection of Broadway, Flushing Avenue, and Graham Avenue was a cross-roads for many "inter-urbans", prior to World War I. These light rail trolleys ran from Long Island to Williamsburg.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
Refugees from war-torn Europe began to stream into Brooklyn during and after World War II, including the Hasidim, whose populations had been devastated in the Holocaust. The area south of Division Avenue became home to a large population of adherents to the Satmar Hasidic sect, who came to the area from Hungary and Romania.Idov, Michael. [https://nymag.com/realestate/neighborhoods/2010/65356/ "Clash of the Bearded Ones; Hipsters, Hasids, and the Williamsburg street."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222202121/http://nymag.com/realestate/neighborhoods/2010/65356/ |date=December 22, 2019 }}, New York, April 11, 2010. Accessed May 12, 2016. "The Satmars came to the neighborhood from Hungary and Romania after World War II, led by the revered rabbi Joel Teitelbaum... For years, the invisible border between South and North Williamsburg used to be, aptly enough, Division Avenue, which separated the Hasidim from the Hispanics." Hispanics from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic also began to settle in the area. But the population explosion was eventually confronted with a decline of heavy industry, and from the 1960s, Williamsburg saw a marked increase in unemployment, crime, gang activity, and illegal drug use. Those who were able to move out often did, and the area became chiefly known for its crime and other social ills.{{cite web |url=http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ourbrooklyn/williamsburg/ |title=Brooklyn Public Library |publisher=Brooklyn Public Library |access-date=January 29, 2011 |archive-date=January 23, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110123220514/http://brooklynpubliclibrary.org/ourbrooklyn/williamsburg/ |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |title=Brooklyn Youth Gangs Concentrating on Robbery |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/08/01/archives/brooklyn-youth-gangs-concentrating-on-robbery-young-members.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=August 1, 1974 |page=33 |access-date=July 11, 2010}}
On February 3, 1971, at 10:42 pm, police officer Frank Serpico was shot during a drug bust, during a stakeout at 778 Driggs Avenue.Staff. [https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0DE7DE1F3EE63BBC4953DFB0668389669EDE "The Man Who Shot Serpico Is Convicted in Brooklyn"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604211048/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C0DE7DE1F3EE63BBC4953DFB0668389669EDE |date=June 4, 2016 }}, The New York Times, June 1, 1972. Accessed May 12, 2016. Serpico had been one of the driving forces in the creation of the Knapp Commission, which exposed widespread police corruption. His fellow officers failed to call for assistance, and he was rushed to Greenpoint Hospital only when an elderly neighbor called the police. The incident was later dramatized in the opening scene of the 1973 film Serpico, starring Al Pacino in the title role.Dai, Serena. [https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150918/williamsburg/south-williamsburg-drug-house-was-also-site-of-frank-serpico-shooting "South Williamsburg Drug House Was Also Site of Frank Serpico Shooting"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160616154540/https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150918/williamsburg/south-williamsburg-drug-house-was-also-site-of-frank-serpico-shooting |date=June 16, 2016 }}, DNAinfo.com, September 18, 2015. "The shooting at 778 Driggs Ave. later became the opening scene in a drama based on Serpico's life, in which he was played by Al Pacino."
=Rezoning and corporate expansion=
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File:2018Dominorefinery.jpg in 2018, amid redevelopment for residential and commercial use.|314x314px]]
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The price of land in Williamsburg has increased significantly since the 2000s.{{cite news |title=A Rental Market Surge in Brooklyn |first=Julie |last=Santon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/realestate/commercial/a-rental-market-surge-in-brooklyn.html |magazine=New York Times |date=May 29, 2012 |access-date=October 19, 2012}}{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Joyce |title=With Rents Going Down, They Looked to Trade Up. Which of These Homes Would You Choose? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/17/realestate/17hunt-sazo.html |access-date=February 21, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=December 17, 2020}} The North Side, above Grand Street, which separates the North Side from the South Side, is somewhat more expensive due to its proximity to the New York City Subway (specifically, the {{NYCS trains|Canarsie}} and {{NYCS trains|Crosstown}} on the BMT Canarsie Line and IND Crosstown Line, respectively). Increased gentrification has entered the South Side along the route of the J/Z and M trains (of which the latter route was modified to go from the downtown BMT Nassau Street Line to the midtown IND Sixth Avenue Line in 2010). This has prompted increases in rents south of Grand Street as well. Higher rents have driven out many bohemians, activists and creative urbanists to other neighborhoods farther afield such as Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Cobble Hill, and Red Hook.{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/williamsburg-brooklyn-gentrification-in-3-maps-2013-12 |title=Williamsburg, Brooklyn Gentrification In 3 Maps |website=Business Insider |date=December 17, 2013 |access-date=May 6, 2014}}{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Harris |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/dec/12/new-york-brooklyn-williamsburg-gentrification |title=Brooklyn's Williamsburg becomes new front line of the gentrification battle | World news | The Observer |work=Theguardian.com |access-date=May 6, 2014}}{{cite web |last=Leland |first=John |title=Gentrification Brings Discord to Williamsburg, Brooklyn |website=The New York Times |date=May 28, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/nyregion/gentrification-brings-discord-to-williamsburg-brooklyn.html |access-date=September 10, 2015}}
On May 11, 2005, the New York City Council passed a large-scale rezoning of the North Side and Greenpoint waterfront.[http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/greenpointwill/greenoverview.shtml Greenpoint-Williamsburg Follow-Up Zoning Text and Map Changes – Approved] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051124144840/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/greenpointwill/greenoverview.shtml |date=November 24, 2005 }}. Retrieved October 21, 2006. Billions of dollars in tax abatements were also provided to developers. Much of the waterfront district was rezoned to accommodate mixed-use high density residential buildings with a set-aside (but no earmarked funding) for public waterfront park space, with strict building guidelines calling for developers to create a continuous {{convert|2|mi|adj=on}} string of waterfront esplanades. Although a slow growth economic revival was already underway and was bringing back family owned local businesses, local elected officials touted the rezoning as an economically beneficial way to address the decline of manufacturing along the North Brooklyn waterfront. The storefronts and vacant warehouses in Williamsburg were already being adapted into creative clubs like The Green Room, El Sensorium, Fake Shop, Mustard, The AlulA Dimension and Galapagos Art Space.{{citation needed|date=June 2024}}
{{stack|File:The Edge in Williamsburg with Seastreak ferry.jpg}}
The rezoning represented a dramatic shift of approach from an emphasis on a creative, locally based economy in the 1990s to one largely dominated by corporations. The waterfront neighborhoods, once characterized by active manufacturing and other light industry interspersed with smaller residential buildings, were re-zoned primarily for residential high rise construction. Alongside the construction of high rises, many warehouses which served as centers for creative community-building events like the Cats Head, Flytrap, El Sensorium and Organism, were converted into expensive residential loft buildings. Among the first was the Smith-Gray Building, a turn-of-the-century structure recognizable by its blue cast-iron façade. The conversion of the former Gretsch music instrument factory garnered significant attention and controversy in the New York press primarily because it heralded the arrival in Williamsburg of Tribeca-style lofts and attracted, as residents and investors, a number of celebrities.{{cite news |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/realestate/columns/n_10046/ |title=Lots of Cash: A prime Williamsburg block carries a Tribeca price tag. |last=Bonanos |first=Christopher |date=March 15, 2004 |magazine=New York |access-date=April 27, 2009}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/realestate/03livi.html |title=Still a Warehouse Wonderland |last=Mooney |first=Jake |date=February 3, 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=April 27, 2009}}{{cite news |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-02-15/nyc-life/close-up-on-south-williamsburg/ |title=Close-Up on South Williamsburg |last=Heffernan |first=Tim |date=February 15, 2005 |newspaper=The Village Voice |access-date=April 27, 2009 |archive-date=October 23, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023031448/http://www.villagevoice.com/2005-02-15/nyc-life/close-up-on-south-williamsburg/ |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/nyregion/plague-of-artists-a-battle-cry-for-brooklyn-hasidim.html |title=A 'Plague of Artists' Is a Battle Cry for Brooklyn Hasidim |last=Bahrampour |first=Tara |date=February 17, 2004 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=April 27, 2009}}
Officials championing the rezoning cited its economic benefits, the new waterfront promenades, and its inclusionary housing component – which offered developers large tax breaks in exchange for promises to rent about a third of the new housing units at "affordable" rates. Critics countered that similar set-asides for affordable housing have gone unfulfilled in previous large-scale developments, such as Battery Park City. The New York Times reported this proved to be the case in Williamsburg as well, as developers largely decided to forgo incentives to build affordable housing in inland areas.{{cite news |title=City Sees Growth; Residents Call It Out of Control |first=Damien |last=Cave |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/06/nyregion/06williamsburg.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 6, 2006 |access-date=July 11, 2010}}
Land use
Williamsburg contains a variety of zoning districts, including manufacturing, commercial, residential, and mixed-use. North Williamsburg contains primarily light industrial and medium-density residential buildings, as well as some residential structures with commercial space on the ground floors. There are also high-density residential developments with commercial space, as well as a few remaining heavy industries, along the waterfront. The area around Broadway is primarily commercial, and contains stores and offices. On the other hand, South Williamsburg is largely medium-to-high density residential, with some commercial space on the ground floors.{{cite web |url=https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/ |title=NYC's Zoning & Land Use Map |publisher=nyc.gov |access-date=November 17, 2018}}
=Landmarked buildings=
==City landmarks==
File:Pentacostal Misionera Scholes Union jeh.JPG
Several structures in Williamsburg have been landmarked by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. The Kings County Savings Institution, chartered in 1860, built the Kings County Savings Bank building at Bedford Avenue and Broadway. The structure, an example of French Second Empire architecture, has been on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since 1980, and was made a New York City landmark in 1966.History Preserved: New York City Landmarks & Historic Districts, Harmon H. Gladstone & Martha Dalyrmple, Simon & Schuster, 1974).
The Williamsburg Houses were designated a city landmark on June 24, 2003.{{cite news |title=A Nod From Landmarks Officials, A Dash of Public Housing Pride |first=Jim |last=O'Grady |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE7D61F3AF935A35754C0A9659C8B63 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 6, 2003 |access-date=July 11, 2010}} The {{convert|23.3|acre|ha|adj=on}} site, consisting of twenty 4-story buildings, was designed by William Lescaze, and was the first large-scale public housing in Brooklyn. It was completed in 1938, and is operated by the New York City Housing Authority.[http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/willhouse.pdf Williamsburg Houses] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100302200010/http://www.nyc.gov/html/lpc/downloads/pdf/reports/willhouse.pdf |date=March 2, 2010 }}, Landmarks Preservation Commission, June 24, 2003, Designation List 348.
In 2007, three buildings of the Domino Sugar Refinery were also designated New York City Landmarks. The original refinery was built in 1856, and by 1870 processed more than half of sugar used in the United States. A fire in 1882 caused the plant to be completely rebuilt in brick and stone; these buildings exist today, though the refinery stopped operating in 2004.{{cite web |date=September 25, 2007 |title=Havemeyers & Elder Filter, Pan & Finishing House |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2268.pdf |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |access-date=February 1, 2021}} In 2010, a developer proposed to convert the site to residential use;{{cite news |last=Bagli |first=Charles V |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/30/nyregion/30domino.html |title=$1.4 Billion Development at Sugar Refinery in Brooklyn Wins Key Council Support |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 29, 2010}} since them, a new plan was approved for the Domino Sugar Factory, led by Two Trees Management.[http://www.shoparc.com/project/Domino-Sugar-Refinery "Domino Sugar Refinery"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318061720/http://shoparc.com/project/Domino-Sugar-Refinery |date=March 18, 2015 }}, ShopArc. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
The New England Congregational Church and Rectory, built between 1852 and 1853, was listed on the NRHP in 1983.{{NRISref|2009a|dateform=mdy|access-date=August 2, 2019|refnum=83001695|name=New England Congregational Church and Rectory}} It is also a city landmark.{{cite web |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2009.pdf |title=New England Congregational Church |date=November 24, 1981 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |access-date=July 28, 2019}} The church was sold to its current occupant, La Iglesia Pentecostal La Luz del Mundo, in 1981.
One historic district also exists in Williamsburg, the Fillmore Place Historic District. Landmarked in 2009, it consists of several Italianate style buildings.{{cite web |title=Which way to the Fillmore Place Historic District? |website=Brooklyn Eagle |date=September 14, 2016 |url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2016/09/14/which-way-to-the-fillmore-place-historic-district/ |access-date=August 2, 2019}}{{cite web |url=http://s-media.nyc.gov/agencies/lpc/lp/2333.pdf |title=Fillmore Place Historic District |date=May 12, 2009 |publisher=New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission |access-date=July 28, 2019}}
== National Register of Historic Places listings ==
Numerous structures are also located on the NRHP, but are not city landmarks. The Austin, Nichols and Company Warehouse, built in 1915 to a design by architect Cass Gilbert, was placed on the NRHP in 2007.{{NRISref|2009a|refnum=07000629|name=Austin, Nichols and Company Warehouse|dateform=mdy|access-date=August 2, 2019}} Originally also a city landmark, the designation was later rescinded. The warehouse was converted to apartments in the 2010s.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/realestate/condos-in-a-williamsburg-warehouse.html |title=Condos in a Williamsburg Warehouse |last=Laterman |first=Kaya |date=April 15, 2016 |work=The New York Times |access-date=August 2, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}
The German Evangelical Lutheran St. John's Church was built in 1883 and made a NRHP landmark in 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/100003399 |title=NPGallery Asset Detail |website=npgallery.nps.gov |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
Public School 71K, built in 1888–1889 to designs by James W. Naughton, was made a NRHP landmark in 1982, though it no longer serves as a public school.{{NRISref|2009a|refnum=82001181|name=Public School 71K|dateform=mdy|access-date=August 2, 2019}}
The United States Post Office, built in 1936 by Louis A. Simon, was landmarked in 1988.{{NRISref|2009a|refnum=88002462|name=United States Post Office|dateform=mdy|access-date=August 2, 2019}}
Culture
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The subdivisions within Williamsburg vary widely. "South Williamsburg" refers to the area which today is occupied mainly by the Yiddish-speaking Hasidim (predominantly Satmar Hasidim) and a considerable Puerto Rican population. North of this area (with Division Street or Broadway serving as a dividing line) is an area known as "Los Sures", occupied by Puerto Ricans and Dominicans. To the north of that is the "North Side", traditionally Polish and Italian. East Williamsburg is home to many industrial spaces, and forms the largely Italian American, African American, and Hispanic area between Williamsburg and Bushwick. South Williamsburg, the South Side, the North Side, Greenpoint, and East Williamsburg all form Brooklyn Community Board 1. Its proximity to Manhattan has made it popular with recently arrived residents who are often referred to under the blanket term "hipster". Bedford Avenue and its subway station, as the first stop in the neighborhood on the BMT Canarsie Line (on the {{NYCS trains|Canarsie}}), have become synonymous with this new wave of residents.{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/features/am-cityliving0724,1,2175469,full.story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604101154/http://www.latimes.com/features/am-cityliving0724,1,2175469,full.story |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |title=Williamsburg: Not just for hipsters |last=Johnston |first=Lauren |date=July 23, 2008 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=May 4, 2009}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/06/nyregion/neighborhood-report-williamsburg-hip-young-things-see-no-need-for-new-guide-hip.html |title=NEIGHBORHOOD REPORT: WILLIAMSBURG; Hip Young Things See No Need For a New Guide to the Hip |last=Bahrampour |first=Tara |date=April 6, 2003 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=May 4, 2009}}{{cite news |title=Williamsburg's miracle retail mile; Hipster parents keep providing money for the influx driving growth toward high-end stores, rents. It's a secret investment by middle America. |last=Davis |first=Wendy |date=May 21, 2007 |newspaper=Crain's New York Business}}
=Ethnic communities=
==Hasidic Jewish community==
Williamsburg is inhabited by thousands of Hasidic Jews of various groups, and contains the headquarters of one faction of the Satmar Hasidic group.{{Cite book |last1=Deutsch |first1=Nathaniel |title=A Fortress in Brooklyn: Race, Real Estate, and the Making of Hasidic Williamsburg |last2=Casper |first2=Michael |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2021}} Williamsburg's Satmar population numbers about 57,000.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/17/nyregion/17williamsburg.html |title=A 'Plague of Artists' Is a Battle Cry for Brooklyn Hasidim |date=February 17, 2004 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |work=The New York Times}}
Hasidic Jews first moved to the neighborhood in the years prior to World War II, along with many other religious and non-religious Jews who sought to escape the difficult living conditions on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Beginning in the late 1940s and early 1950s, the area received a large concentration of Holocaust survivors, many of whom were Hasidic Jews from rural areas of Hungary and Romania.{{cite web |url=http://hasidicnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69:the-roots-of-satmar&catid=36:hasidic-history&Itemid=54 |title=The Roots of Satmar |date=November 5, 2001 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |publisher=HasidicNews.com |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415012310/http://hasidicnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=69:the-roots-of-satmar&catid=36:hasidic-history&Itemid=54 |url-status=dead}} These people were led by several Hasidic leaders, among them the rebbes of Satmar, Klausenberg, Vien, Pupa, Tzehlem, and Skver. In addition, Williamsburg contained sizable numbers of religious, but non-Hasidic, Jews. The Rebbe of Satmar, Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, ultimately exerted the most powerful influence over the community, causing many of the non-Satmars, especially the non-Hasidim, to leave. Teitelbaum was known for his fierce anti-Zionism and for his charismatic style of leadership.{{cite web |url=https://nymag.com/news/cityside/16864/index2.html |title=Hats On, Gloves Off |date=May 8, 2006 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |work=New York Magazine}}
In the late 1990s, Jewish developers renovated old warehouses and factories, turning them into housing. More than 500 apartments were approved in the three-year period following 1997; soon afterward, an area near Williamsburg's border with Bedford–Stuyvesant was re-zoned for affordable housing. By 1997, there were about 7,000 Hasidic families in Williamsburg, almost a third of whom took public assistance.Sexton, Joe. "[https://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/21/nyregion/religion-and-welfare-shape-economics-for-the-hasidim.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm Religion and Welfare Shape Economics for the Hasidim] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170825225129/http://www.nytimes.com/1997/04/21/nyregion/religion-and-welfare-shape-economics-for-the-hasidim.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm |date=August 25, 2017 }}." The New York Times. April 21, 1997. Retrieved on April 25, 2014. The Hasidic community of Williamsburg has one of the highest birthrates in the country, with an average of eight children per family. Each year, the community celebrates between 800 and 900 weddings for young couples, who typically marry between the ages of 18 and 21. Because Hasidic men receive little secular education, and women tend to be homemakers, college degrees are rare, and economic opportunities lag far behind the rest of the population. In response to the almost 60% poverty rate in Jewish Williamsburg, the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, a beneficiary agency of the UJA-Federation of New York, partnered with Masbia in the opening of a 50-seat kosher soup kitchen on Lee Avenue in November 2009.{{cite web |url=http://www.nynp.biz/breaking-news/1617-masbia-met-council-open-kosher-soup-kitchen-in-williamsburg |title=Masbia, Met Council Open Kosher Soup Kitchen in Williamsburg |date=November 5, 2009 |access-date=August 1, 2011 |publisher=New York Non Profit Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003142427/http://www.nynp.biz/breaking-news/1617-masbia-met-council-open-kosher-soup-kitchen-in-williamsburg |archive-date=October 3, 2011}}
There are many households with Section 8 housing vouchers; in 2000, there were 1,394 voucher recipients in Williamsburg's nine Yiddish-speaking census tracts, but by 2014, Williamsburg had 3,296 voucher recipients within 12 Yiddish-speaking census tracts. In 2014, it was reported that Williamsburg's Jewish community had among the highest rates of applications for Section 8 housing vouchers.{{cite web |title=Section 8 Housing: Poor, But Not Impoverished in Hasidic Williamsburg |website=WNYC |date=September 1, 2014 |url=http://www.wnyc.org/story/section-8-part-two/ |access-date=May 18, 2016}} However, the newspaper New York Daily News doubted the legality of the applications. In 2016, the Daily News said that New York City census tracts with 30% or more of the population applying for Section 8 were present only in Williamsburg and the Bronx, except that Williamsburg's real estate, after the City of New York provided billions of dollars in tax abatements to developers, was becoming the most expensive real estate in the city.{{cite web |last=Seville |first=Lisa Riordan |title=Hasidic neighborhood in B'klyn is a top beneficiary of Section 8 |website=NY Daily News |date=May 17, 2016 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hasidic-neighborhood-b-klyn-top-beneficiary-section-8-article-1.2639120 |access-date=May 18, 2016}}
A 2013 study by the UJA-Federation of New York identified Williamsburg as home to the second-fastest Jewish population growth in New York City, with a Jewish population of approximately 74,500 in 2011, a 41% increase from a decade earlier. Due to the neighborhood's rapid growth and high real estate prices, 77% of Jews in Williamsburg were renters, the highest rate in the city.{{cite news |title=Ultra-Orthodox Jews Spread Into Once-Black Brooklyn Neighborhoods |url=https://forward.com/news/171367/ultra-orthodox-jews-spread-into-once-black-brookly/ |access-date=8 November 2024 |work=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |date=2013-02-16}}
After the city subsidized developers in North Brooklyn, and longstanding local land owners from both North and South Williamsburg sold large blocks of land to the corporations, Hasidim have characterized the influx of new renters who had nothing to with land sales or city policy, as the artisten, or a "plague" and "a bitter decree from Heaven".{{cite web |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/n_9756/ |title=Hasidim vs. Hipsters |date=June 27, 2010 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |work=New York Magazine}} Tensions have risen over housing costs, loud and boisterous nightlife events, and the introduction of bike lanes along Bedford Avenue.{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/12/08/hipsters-hasidic-jews-fig_n_384579.html |title=Hipsters, Hasidic Jews Fight Over Bike Lanes In Williamsburg |date=March 18, 2010 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |work=Huffington Post}} Although the effects of New York's development policies favoring high rise construction and luxury chain stores is increasing, many developers, such as Isaac Hager, continue to build more housing for Haredi tenants.{{Cite web |title=Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY – Issac Hager's Project For Orthodox Jews. |date=December 23, 2007 |publisher=Vos Iz Neias |url=https://www.vosizneias.com/13351/2007/12/23/willimasburg-brooklyn-ny-issac-hagers/}}
According to a 2024 UJA-Federation of New York survey, 74% of Jewish households in Williamsburg identified as Orthodox. The total Jewish population was an estimated 36,000 adults and 32,000 children.{{cite news |last1=Hakimi |first1=Lauren |title=In Borough Park, Jewish children outnumber adults, and other takeaways from latest UJA study |url=https://www.shtetl.org/article/in-borough-park-jewish-children-outnumber-adults-other-takeaways-latest-uja-study |access-date=8 November 2024 |work=Shtetl |date=2024-05-15}}
==Italian-American community and Our Lady of Mount Carmel==
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A significant component of the Italian community on the North Side and East Side were immigrants from the city of Nola near Naples. Residents of Nola every summer celebrate the "Festa dei Gigli" (feast of lilies) in honor of St. Paulinus of Nola, who was bishop of Nola in the fifth century,[http://www.olmcfeast.com/giglio/index.php The Giglio, A Brief History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080813094702/http://www.olmcfeast.com/giglio/index.php |date=August 13, 2008 }}, official website and the immigrants brought this tradition over with them. For two weeks every summer, the streets surrounding Our Lady of Mount Carmel church, located on Havemeyer and North 8th Streets, are dedicated to a celebration of Italian culture.{{cite news |title=Tower of Power |first=Lisa J. |last=Curtis |url=http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/24/10/24_10giglio.html |newspaper=The Brooklyn Paper |date=March 12, 2001 |access-date=July 11, 2010}}
The highlights of the feast are the "Giglio Sundays" when a {{convert|100|ft|m|adj=on}} tall statue, complete with band and a singer, is carried around the streets in honor of St. Paulinus and Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Clips of this awe-inspiring sight are often featured on NYC news broadcasts. A significant number of Italian-Americans still reside in the area, although the numbers have decreased over the years. The northeastern section of Williamsburg associated with "Italian Williamsburg" retains a significant Italian-American presence and is home to numerous Italian-American families, community centers, social clubs, businesses, and restaurants, such as Bamonte's, the Fortunato Brothers Cafe, Anthony and Son Panini Shoppe, Carmine and Son's, Emily's Pork Store, Napoli Bakery, Metropolitan Fish Market, Jr and Son, and Salerno Autobody. Sections of Graham Avenue in the Italian section are named Via Vespucci in honor of Amerigo Vespucci and the Italian character of the neighborhood. Despite the fact that an increasing number of Italian-Americans have moved away, many return each summer for the feast. The Giglio was the subject of a documentary, Heaven Touches Brooklyn in July, narrated by actors John Turturro and Michael Badalucco.
==Puerto Rican and Dominican community==
On Williamburg's Southside, also known in Spanish as "Los Sures", which is the area south of Grand Street, there exists a sizable Puerto Rican and Dominican population. Puerto Ricans have been coming to the area since the 1940s and the 1950s, and Dominicans came in the 1970s and 1980s. Many Puerto Ricans flocked to the area after World War II, due to the proximity to jobs at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.{{Cite web |url=http://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/education/puerto-rican-studies/story-us-puerto-ricans-part-four |title=THE STORY OF U.S. PUERTO RICANS — PART FOUR {{!}} Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños |website=centropr.hunter.cuny.edu |access-date=April 11, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160518054401/http://centropr.hunter.cuny.edu/education/puerto-rican-studies/story-us-puerto-ricans-part-four |archive-date=May 18, 2016}} The neighborhood continues to have 27% Hispanic or Latino population, and Graham Avenue, between Grand Street and Broadway, is known as the "Avenue of Puerto Rico". Havemeyer Street is lined with Hispanic-owned bodegas and barber shops. However, even though the Southside has the highest concentration of Hispanics in the neighborhood, this population is dispersed throughout all of Williamsburg, as far north as the Williamsburg-Greenpoint border.
The Latino community has several cultural institutions in Williamsburg. The Caribbean Social Club, the last remaining Puerto Rican social club in Williamsburg, preserves the neighborhood's culture.{{Cite web |url=http://larespuestamedia.com/tonitas-film-interview/ |title=Toñita's: A Nuyorican Home in South Williamsburg |website=La Respuesta |language=en-US |access-date=April 11, 2016}} Another such institution is the "El Puente" Community Center,{{Cite web |url=http://elpuente.us/content/williamsburg-leadership-center |title=Williamsburg Leadership Center {{!}} El Puente |website=elpuente.us |access-date=April 11, 2016 |archive-date=April 16, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416002608/http://elpuente.us/content/williamsburg-leadership-center |url-status=dead}} as well as the "San German" record store on Graham Avenue. Graham Avenue was renamed Avenue of Puerto Rico as a symbol of pride, just as the avenue's other alternate name, Via Vespucci, is meant to commemorate the neighborhood's Italian-American community.{{Cite web |url=http://blogs.baruch.cuny.edu/writingnewyork2014/?p=1832 |title=Williamsburg: Graham Avenue – A Tale of Two Streets {{!}} Writing New York: Posts from the Boroughs and Beyond |website=blogs.baruch.cuny.edu |date=December 2, 2014 |access-date=April 11, 2016}} Banco Popular de Puerto Rico has a branch on Graham Avenue. In addition, Southside United HDFC is a charity organization that helps residents with housing needs and other services, including mobilizing housing activists and residents, as well as providing affordable housing.{{Cite web |url=http://www.southsideunitedhdfc.org/missionhistory.html |title=MissionHistory |website=www.southsideunitedhdfc.org |access-date=April 19, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422074918/http://www.southsideunitedhdfc.org/missionhistory.html |archive-date=April 22, 2016}} The Moore Street Market, often referred to as La Marqueta de Williamsburg, is located at 110 Moore Street.{{Cite web |last=Robert |date=August 1, 2008 |title='La Marqueta de Williamsburg' Almost Saved |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2008/8/1/10563624/la-marqueta-de-williamsburg-almost-saved |access-date=April 8, 2019 |website=Curbed NY}}
In addition, there have been several cultural events. In the past, Southside United HDFC has held Puerto Rican Heritage as well as Dominican Independence Day celebrations, and currently operates El Museo De Los Sures.{{Cite web |url=http://www.southsideunitedhdfc.org/culture.html |title=Culture |website=www.southsideunitedhdfc.org |access-date=April 19, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403022831/http://www.southsideunitedhdfc.org/culture.html |archive-date=April 3, 2016}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.southsideunitedhdfc.org/museo.html |title=Museo |website=www.southsideunitedhdfc.org |access-date=April 19, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402022506/http://www.southsideunitedhdfc.org/museo.html |archive-date=April 2, 2016}} The name "El Museo De Los Sures" roughly translates to "The Museum of the Southside". Williamsburg is also home to not one, but two campuses of Boricua College: the Northside campus on North 6th Street, between Bedford Avenue and Driggs Avenue; as well as the East Williamburg/Bushwick campus on Graham Avenue.{{Cite web |url=http://www.boricuacollege.edu/_Boricua411/Boricua411.html |title=Boricua College |website=www.boricuacollege.edu |access-date=May 16, 2016 |archive-date=June 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609231003/http://www.boricuacollege.edu/_Boricua411/Boricua411.html |url-status=dead}} A place popular among Dominican-American residents is the Fula Lounge, where Merengue and Raggaeton artists from the Dominican Republic often frequent.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} Once a year, the Williamsburg/Bushwick community hosts a Puerto Rican Day parade.{{cite web |last=Morales |first=Mark |title=Brooklyn's Puerto Rican Day Parade kicks off Sunday |website=NY Daily News |date=June 28, 2013 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-puerto-rican-day-parade-kicks-sunday-article-1.1385556 |access-date=April 12, 2016}}
The neighborhood has produced many prominent Latinos. Television chef Daisy Martinez, who specializes in Puerto Rican cuisine grew up in the neighborhood.{{Cite web |url=http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/chef-daisy-martinez%E2%80%99s-new-website-celebrates-emotional-bonds-meals-2013-08-01-183000 |title=Chef Daisy Martinez's new website celebrates emotional bonds to meals |date=August 2013}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.foodnetwork.com/chefs/daisy-martinez/bio.html |title=Daisy Martinez Bio : Food Network |website=www.foodnetwork.com |access-date=April 14, 2016}} The neighborhood also is home to the office of U.S. representative Nydia Velazquez.{{Cite web |url=http://velazquez.house.gov/ |title=Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez – New York's 7th Congressional District |website=velazquez.house.gov |access-date=April 11, 2016}} In addition to this, Williamsburg was the childhood home of City Councilwoman Rosie Méndez, of Puerto Rican descent.{{Cite web |url=http://council.nyc.gov/d2/html/members/biography.shtml |title=Biography |website=council.nyc.gov |access-date=April 12, 2016}} Williamsburg itself was represented in the City Council by Dominican American Antonio Reynoso.{{Cite web |url=http://council.nyc.gov/d34/html/members/biography.shtml |title=Biography |website=council.nyc.gov |access-date=April 12, 2016}}{{Cite web |url=https://commercialobserver.com/2014/02/a-williamsburg-resident-through-and-through-councilman-antonio-reynoso-vows-to-stamp-out-irresponsible-development/ |title=Councilman Antonio Reynoso vows to stamp out irresponsible development |website=Commercial Observer |date=February 25, 2014 |language=en-US |access-date=April 12, 2016}} The Hispanic sector as a whole was represented in a documentary called Living Los Sures, which documents the lives of Latino residents living in 1984 Southside before gentrification.{{Cite web |last=Inc. |first=POV {{!}} American Documentary |title=Old Film Made New: Living Los Sures |url=https://www.pbs.org/pov/blog/news/2014/11/old-film-made-new-living-los-sures/ |access-date=April 11, 2016 |website=POV's Documentary Blog |archive-date=April 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422023733/http://www.pbs.org/pov/blog/news/2014/11/old-film-made-new-living-los-sures/ |url-status=dead}} Another documentary in 2013, Toñita's, depicts the Caribbean Social Club, and is named after the club's owner.{{Cite web |title=LIVING LOS SURES — UnionDocs |url=http://www.uniondocs.org/living-los-sures/ |access-date=April 11, 2016 |website=UnionDocs |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |author=Beyza Boyacioglu New |title=Toñita's: The Brooklyn Club That Keeps Puerto Rico Kicking in Williamsburg |url=http://creativetime.org/reports/2013/09/16/tonitas-brooklyn-club-puerto-rico-in-williamsburg/ |access-date=April 11, 2016 |website=Creative Time Reports |date=September 16, 2013}}
==Ethnic and inter-cultural tensions==
About 2 o'clock on November 7, 1854, a riot occurred between sheriffs and "some Irishmen" at the poll of the First District, at the corner of 2nd and North 6th streets, in Williamsburg. It began after a deputy approached a citizen, and a fight started. Immediately, eight or ten deputies began freely using clubs on a group of "about one hundred Irishmen", resulting in a half-hour general fight and many injuries.{{cite news |author= |title=Riot and Bloodshed in Williams-Burg |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9905E5DA1238EE3BBC4053DFB767838F649FDE&legacy=true |work=The New York Times |location=New York City |date=November 8, 1854 |page=4 |access-date=April 17, 2017}}
Prior to the corporatization of Williamsburg in the new millennium, the district often saw tension between its Hasidic population and its black and Hispanic groups. In response to decades of rising crime in the area, the Hasidim created a volunteer patrol organization, called "Shomrim" ("guardians" in Hebrew), to perform citizens' arrests, and to keep an eye out for crime.{{cite web |url=http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-07-05/local/29756780_1_jewish-patrol-unmarked-cars-real-cops |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025185316/http://articles.nydailynews.com/2011-07-05/local/29756780_1_jewish-patrol-unmarked-cars-real-cops |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |title=Praise and scorn for Hasidic patrols: Some say they target minorities |date=July 5, 2011 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |work=New York Daily News}} Over the years, the Shomrim have been accused of racism and brutality against blacks and Hispanics. In 2009, Yakov Horowitz, a member of Shomrim, was charged with assault, for striking a Latino adolescent on the nose with his Walkie Talkie.{{cite web |url=http://www.thelmagazine.com/TheMeasure/archives/2011/07/06/are-williamsburgs-hasidic-police-racist |title=HAre Williamsburg's Hasidic 'Police' Racist? |date=July 6, 2011 |access-date=October 5, 2011 |work=The L Magazine}} In 2014, five members of the Hasidic community, at least two of whom were Shomrim members, were arrested in connection with the December 2013 "gang assault" of a black gay man.{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/men-arrested-israel-bias-attack-gay-black-man-article-1.1766106 |title=Five men arrested for gang assault against black gay Brooklyn man: sources |date=April 23, 2014 |access-date=April 29, 2014 |work=New York Daily News}}
The mid-century tension between the Hasidic and Modern Orthodox Jewish communities in Williamsburg was depicted in Chaim Potok's novels The Chosen (1967), The Promise, and My Name Is Asher Lev.Fox, Margalit. [https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/obituaries/24POTO.html?pagewanted=all "Chaim Potok, Who Illumined the World of Hasidic Judaism, Dies at 73"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160604200958/http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/24/obituaries/24POTO.html?pagewanted=all |date=June 4, 2016 }}, The New York Times, July 24, 2002. Accessed May 12, 2016. "Set in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn just after World War II, The Chosen tells the story of a brilliant young man struggling to reconcile his obligation to become a rabbi with his desire for a more secular life." One contemporary female perspective on life in the Satmar community in Williamsburg is offered by Deborah Feldman's autobiographical Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots.Wiener, Julie. [http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/unapologetically_unorthodox "Unapologetically 'Unorthodox' With a memoir about growing up in — and leaving — Satmar Williamsburg, 25-year-old Deborah Feldman is one tough Jewess."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515064001/http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new_york/unapologetically_unorthodox |date=May 15, 2016 }}, The Jewish Week, February 8, 2012. Accessed May 12, 2016. "That said, Unorthodox is actually a surprisingly moving, well-written, and vivid coming-of-age tale about a restless girl who is raised in Williamsburg by her grandparents, because her father is mentally disabled, and her mother left the community, effectively abandoning her, when she was a baby." The Netflix miniseries Unorthodox is loosely based on Feldman's autobiography.
=Arts community=
==Visual arts and interdisciplinary culture==
File:Street art in Brooklyn 22.JPG]]
The first artists moved to Williamsburg in the 1970s, drawn by the low rents, large floor area, and convenient transportation. This continued through the 1980s and increased significantly in the 1990s as earlier destinations such as SoHo and the East Village became occupied by wealthier populations. In the 1990s a generation of interdisciplinary artists known as the Brooklyn Immersionists began to focus their fusion of art and music in Williamsburg's streets, rooftops and industrial warehouses near the waterfront.The Williamsburg Avant-Garde: Experimental Music and Sound on the Brooklyn Waterfront by Cisco Bradley, Duke University Press, 2023. The social and environmental engagement of the Immersionists was discussed in major arts journals and media, including The Drama Review,{{Cite journal |last=Hahn Roche |first=Melanie |date=Fall 1993 |title=The Cat's Head: Constructing Utopia in Brooklyn and Dublin |journal=The Drama Review |volume=37 |issue=3 |pages=153–165 |doi=10.2307/1146314 |jstor=1146314}} Flash Art,Interview by Francesco Bonami with Annie Herron, Flash Art, January/February 1993. Wired,"Mr. Meme" by Matt Haber, Wired Magazine, December 1995, p. 44. The New York Times,{{Cite news |last=Strauss |first=Neil |date=March 8, 1996 |title=At the Clubs, Murmurs and Ambient Music |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/08/arts/at-the-clubs-murmurs-and-ambient-music.html |work=The New York Times |pages=sec C, p. 1}} The New Yorker,Michaele Vollbrach, "Nightlife: Rave New World," The New Yorker, April 1992. Domus, The Guggenheim Museum CyberAtlas,CyberAtlas, an interactive web project curated by Jon Ippolito and Laura Trippi, Guggenheim Museum, 1996–2006; and "Intelligent Life" by Laura Trippi, Guggenheim Magazine, Spring 1997, p. 53 Die Zeit, Newsweek, and Fuji Television.Tetsua Suda interviews Immersionists at Galapagos Art Space on "OK:NY" for Fuji Television, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 1997 At least four major art history books have included artists from the Immersionist movement.
By 1996 Williamsburg had accumulated an artist population of about 3,000.{{cite web |url=http://www.nyc-architecture.com/WBG/wbg-history.htm |title=Tom Fletcher's New York Architecture |publisher=Nyc-architecture.com |access-date=January 29, 2011}} Art galleries, interdisciplinary venues and immersive theater groups in the area included Sideshow Gallery,{{Cite web |last=Halasz |first=Piri |date=March 18, 2013 |title=The Salon Meister: Richard Timperio of Williamsburg's Sideshow Gallery |url=https://artcritical.com/2013/03/18/richard-timperio/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323083219/https://artcritical.com/2013/03/18/richard-timperio/ |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |access-date=February 17, 2024 |website=artcritical}} Minor Injury Gallery, The Lizard's Tail Cabaret, Nerve Circle, Epoché, The Green Room, Test-Site, Hit and Run Theater, El Sensorium, The AlulA Dimension, Mustard, Pierogi 2000 Gallery, Momenta Gallery, Galapagos Art Space and the Front Room Gallery. Williamsburg and Greenpoint are served by a monthly galleries listings magazine, wagmag. Local arts media that began a discourse on neighborhood involvement in the early 1990s included Breukelen, The Curse, The Nose, The Outpost, Waterfront Week, Worm Magazine and (718) Subwire.
In September 2000, 11211 Magazine{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/12/nyregion/neighborhood-report-williamsburg-writer-s-dream-magazine-no-editors-need-apply.html |title=Writer's Dream Magazine: No Editors Need Apply |last=Sullivan |first=Justin |date=August 12, 2001 |work=The New York Times}} launched a four color glossy circulating 10,000 copies in Brooklyn and Manhattan. The publication focused on the historical and notable properties, arts and culture, and real estate development of the 11211 ZIP Code. Other publications attributed to 11211 Magazine: Fortnight, The Box Map (2002), Appetite, and 10003 Magazine for the East Village in New York City. The magazine had published 36 issues (548,000 copies) of 11211 over a six-year period, and ceased circulation in 2006.
==Musical community==
File:Brooklyn Bowl bar 61 Wythe Av jeh.jpg
Williamsburg has become a notable home for live music and an incubator for new bands. Beginning in the late 1980s, and through the late 1990s, a number of unlicensed performance, theater, and music venues operated in abandoned industrial buildings and other spaces in the streets.{{cite web |first=Christy |last=Smith-Sloman |url=http://cooperator.com/articles/2419/1/Multi-Cultural-Williamsburg/Page1.html |title=Multi-Cultural Williamsburg |publisher=Cooperator.com |access-date=May 6, 2014}} A new culture has evolved in the area surrounding Bedford Avenue subway station.{{cite web |last=Fishbein |first=Rebecca |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/shopping/best-shops-near-the-bedford-ave-subway-station |title=Best shops near the Bedford Ave subway station |work=Timeout.com |date=April 9, 2012 |access-date=May 6, 2014 |archive-date=May 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506212641/http://www.timeout.com/newyork/shopping/best-shops-near-the-bedford-ave-subway-station |url-status=dead}} Venues attracted a mix of artists, musicians and the urban underground for late night music, dance, and performance events, which were occasionally interrupted and the venues temporarily closed by the fire department.{{cite web |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131011/east-williamsburg/fdny-shuts-down-hipster-party-boat-newtown-creek |title=FDNY Shuts Down Hipster Party Boat in Newtown Creek — East Williamsburg — DNAinfo.com New York |publisher=Dnainfo.com |date=October 11, 2013 |access-date=May 6, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140506202511/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20131011/east-williamsburg/fdny-shuts-down-hipster-party-boat-newtown-creek |archive-date=May 6, 2014}}
The first large gathering of artists and musicians, with nearly 100 presenters and hundreds of attendees, took place at a three-day festival with the humorous name, The Sex Salon. The event opened on Valentine's Day, 1990 at Epoché, a warehouse space located near the Williamsburg Bridge. Five months later another interdisciplinary event, the Cat's Head, opened in a section of the Old Dutch Mustard Factory on N. 1st Street. Soon after that a series of other warehouse and street events merged live music, dancing and other art forms: Cats Head II, Flytrap, Human Fest (I & II), El Sensorium and Organism.
Taking over most of the Old Dutch Mustard Factory on June 12, 1993, Organism drew in more than 2,000 people according to Newsweek,"Where Do We Go After the Rave?" by Melissa Rossi, Newsweek, July 26, 1993, p. 58 and was described by Suzan Wines in Domus Magazine as a "climax to the renegade activity"{{Cite journal |last=Wines |first=Suzan |date=February 1998 |title=Go With the Flow: Eight New York Artists and Architects in the Digital Era |journal=Domus Magazine}} that was emerging in Williamsburg in the 1990s. A fusion of urban environmentalism and interdisciplinary culture, the entire generation of experimental venues, events and zines in the 1990s has come to be known as the Brooklyn Immersionists and celebrated in art and music history books such as Cisco Bradley's The Williamsburg Avant-Garde: Experimental Music and Sound on the Brooklyn Waterfront. Films have covered the movement such as Marcin Ramocki's Brooklyn DIY, which premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in 2009.
These events eventually diminished in number as chain stores and high rises moved into the area, rents rose, and regulations were enforced.{{cite magazine |last=Morgan |first=Robert C. |url=http://www.brooklynrail.org/2006/12/local/construction-destruction |title=Construction/Destruction of Williamsburg Continues at Frantic Pace |magazine=The Brooklyn Rail |date=December 8, 2006 |access-date=May 6, 2014}}{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/magazine/mag-20KeyScofflaw-t.html |title=The Supersizer of Brooklyn |newspaper=New York Times |last=Rice |first=Andrew |date=March 18, 2011 |access-date=September 10, 2015}} A number of smaller, fleeting spaces,{{cite news |url=http://www.blockmagazine.com/block_stock_barrel.php?title=lstronggthe_evolution_of_north_brooklyn_&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 |magazine=Block Magazine |title=The Evolution of North Brooklyn's Art Spaces |date=April 11, 2006 |first=Andrew |last=Naymark |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070921063452/http://www.blockmagazine.com/block_stock_barrel.php?title=lstronggthe_evolution_of_north_brooklyn_&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1 |archive-date=September 21, 2007}} and several Manhattan-based venues also opened locations here. In the summers of 2006, 2007, and 2008, events including concerts, movies, and dance performances were staged at the previously abandoned pool at McCarren Park in Greenpoint. Starting in 2009, these pool parties are now held at the Williamsburg waterfront.{{cite web |url=http://www.thepoolparties.com/ |title=Pool Parties |access-date=October 17, 2014}}
The neighborhood has also attracted a respectable funk, soul and worldbeat music scene spearheaded by labels such as Daptone and Truth & Soul Records – and fronted by acts such as the Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Jazz and World Music has found a foothold, with classic jazz full-time at restaurant venues like Zebulon and Moto, and – on the more avant and noise side – at spots like the Lucky Cat, B.P.M., Monkeytown (closed in 2010),{{cite web |url=http://www.monkeytownhq.com/monkeytownhome.html |title=Welcome to MonkeyTown |publisher=Monkeytownhq.com |access-date=January 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202120853/http://monkeytownhq.com/monkeytownhome.html |archive-date=February 2, 2011}} and Eat Records. A Latin Jazz community continues among the Caribbean community in Southside and East Williamsburg, centered around the many social clubs in the neighborhood. In the early 2000s, the neighborhood also became a center of electroclash.{{cite web |url=http://www.freewilliamsburg.com/october_2001/electro.html |title=Electroclash 2001 Festival: Bringing Innovative Music to NYC |publisher=FREEwilliamsburg, Issue 19, 2001 |date=October 2001 |access-date=January 2, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=February 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Friday and Saturday parties at Club Luxx (now Trash) introduced electronic acts like W.I.T., A.R.E. Weapons, Fischerspooner, and Scissor Sisters.{{cite news |title=The Scene: Generation W |first=Derek |last=De Koff |url=https://nymag.com/nymetro/arts/music/features/music2002/n_7734/ |magazine=New York |date=September 30, 2002 |access-date=July 11, 2010}}
Williamsburg is also the place where innovative fusions of music, art and living systems emerged such as Nerve Circle's "media organism's" at Minor Injury Gallery in 1990 and 1991, and the "web jam," the aesthetic algorithm informing the large warehouse event Organism in 1993. In 1994, Lalalandia's "techno-organic" club, El Sensorium, gave birth to a new form of electronic music called illbient. Other new genres of electronic music emerged in Williamsburg at that time, including dark, hip hop-, ambient- and dub-influenced varieties.
==Theatre and cinema==
File:Linda Hamilton Jane Lynch and Carol Leifer WILLFILM.jpg, Jane Lynch, and Carol Leifer at the Williamsburg Independent Film Festival in 2016]]
In the 1990s a large number of experimental media groups and street theater troupes emerged in Williamsburg which deliberately situated their screens and interactive performances in social and physical environments. These Immersionist groups included the Floating Cinema, Fake Shop, Nerve Circle, The Outpost, Ocularis, The Pedestrian Project and Hit and Run Theater. Galapagos Art Space, which first opened in Williamsburg in 1996, hosted the Ocularis media collective's roof screenings and was a major host of New Burlesque theater. More recently Williamsburg contains indie theater spaces such as the Brick Theater. The Williamsburg Independent Film Festival was founded in 2010.{{Cite web |url=http://www.willfilm.org/ |title=The Williamsburg Independent Film Festival, Inc. |access-date=December 24, 2016 |archive-date=December 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161224171452/http://www.willfilm.org/ |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |url=http://www.fox5ny.com/good-day/218363329-video |title=Linda Hamilton |last=FOX |date=November 18, 2016 |website=WNYW |language=en-US |access-date=October 18, 2017 |archive-date=October 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018192212/http://www.fox5ny.com/good-day/218363329-video |url-status=dead}}{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/actress-leighton-meester-movie-headlines-brooklyn-film-fest-article-1.2016947 |title=Actress Leighton Meester movie headlines Brooklyn film fest |work=NY Daily News |access-date=October 18, 2017 |language=en}} Williamsburg also contains the first-run multiplex theater known as Williamsburg Cinemas, which opened on December 19, 2012.{{cite web |url=http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/40375 |title=Williamsburg Cinemas |publisher=Cinema Treasures |access-date=August 14, 2015}}
=Effects of corporate subsidization=
File:Williamsburg Northside.png
Low rents were a major reason artists first started settling in the area, but that situation has drastically changed since the late-1990s when the City of New York began rezoning the district in favor of large developers. The City furthered the process by providing them billions of dollars in tax abatements. Russ Buettner and Ray Rivera point out in the New York Times that beginning in 2001, it wasn't the creative community or working class entrepreneurs, but rather the billionaire, Mayor Michael Bloomberg who "loosened the reins on development across the boroughs". Buettner and Rivera continue: "His administration poured $16 billion into financing to foster commercial development." New York City's Comptroller is then cited on such corporate welfare:
"Comptroller William C. Thompson has said the mayor focuses too much on large developments that go to favored builders who receive wasteful subsidies. When the new Yankee Stadium came up in Tuesday night's debate, he said: 'This is just another example of a giveaway, of the mayor's giveaway to another one of his developer friends in the city.'"Free market dynamics like that exercised by individual home buying and selling, does describe what occurred when the City of New York its corporate welfare program in the late 1990s. Subsidization of corporations is not free market gentrification by definition, and in theory can be avoided by future communities attempting to keep creative local culture and businesses alive. Average monthly rents in Williamsburg can range from approximately $1,400 for a studio apartment to $1,600–2,400 for a one-bedroom and $2,600–4,000 for a two-bedroom. The price of land in Williamsburg has accelerated. The North Side, above Grand Street, which separates the North Side from the South Side, is somewhat more expensive, due to its proximity to the New York City Subway (specifically, the {{NYCS trains|Canarsie}} and {{NYCS trains|Crosstown}} on the BMT Canarsie Line and IND Crosstown Line, respectively).
More recent development and the route of the M train (whose route was modified to go from the downtown BMT Nassau Street Line to the mid-town IND Sixth Avenue Line in 2010), however, have prompted increases in rent prices south of Grand Street as well. Higher rents have driven many priced-out bohemians and artists to build new creative communities further afield in areas like Bushwick, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Cobble Hill, and Red Hook. On July 1, 2011, the United States Postal Service (USPS) split the 11211 zip code, due to a "large increase in population and in the number of companies doing business in our area".{{cite web |url=http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2011/06/02/population_increase_kills_wburgs_11211_zip_code_for_many.php |title=Population Increase Kills Wburg's 11211 Zip Code for Many |work=Curbed NY |date=June 2, 2011}}
Williamsburg's takeover by corporate development is the subject of Princeton University film professor Su Friedrich's 2013 documentary Gut Renovation.{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |author-link=Stephen Holden |title=A Work in Progress, From the Inside Out |newspaper=New York Times |date=March 5, 2013 |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/movies/gut-renovation-su-friedrichs-look-at-gentrification.html |access-date=May 28, 2013}}
==Effect on borough's court system==
In June 2014, the New York Post reported that northwestern Brooklyn's growth of a wealthier population, especially in Williamsburg, has led to an increasing number of convictions against defendants in the borough's criminal cases, as well as to reductions in plaintiff's awards in civil cases. Brooklyn defense lawyer Julie Clark said that these new jurors are "much more trusting of police". Another lawyer, Arthur Aidala, said:
{{Blockquote|"Now, the grand juries have more law-and-order types in there. ... People who can afford to live in Brooklyn now don't have the experience of police officers throwing them against cars and searching them. A person who just moves here from Wisconsin or Wyoming, they can't relate to [that]. It doesn't sound credible to them."{{cite web |url=https://nypost.com/2014/06/16/brooklyn-gentrification-is-changing-juries-who-decide-cases/ |title=When Brooklyn juries gentrify, defendants lose |date=June 16, 2014 |work=New York Post |access-date=October 17, 2014}}}}
Demographics
For census purposes, the New York City government classifies Williamsburg as part of two neighborhood tabulation areas: Williamsburg, and North Side/South Side.[https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/ntas.pdf New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181129141839/https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/ntas.pdf |date=November 29, 2018 }}, Population Division – New York City Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016. Based on data from the 2010 United States census, the combined population of the Williamsburg and North Side/South Side areas was 78,700, a change of 6,301 (8%) from the 72,399 counted in 2000. Covering an area of {{convert|923.54|acres}}, the neighborhood had a population density of {{convert|85.2|PD/acre|PD/sqmi PD/sqkm}}.[http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p5_nta.pdf Table PL-P5 NTA: Total Population and Persons Per Acre – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610175331/http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p5_nta.pdf |date=June 10, 2016 }}, Population Division – New York City Department of City Planning, February 2012. Accessed June 16, 2016.
The racial make-up of the neighborhood was 66.5% (52,334) White, 26.3% (20,727) Hispanic or Latino, 2.9% (2,275) Asian, 2.8% (2,186) African American, 0.4% (361) from other races, and 1% (811) from two or more races.[http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p3a_nta.pdf Table PL-P3A NTA: Total Population by Mutually Exclusive Race and Hispanic Origin – New York City Neighborhood Tabulation Areas*, 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610170733/http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/data-maps/nyc-population/census2010/t_pl_p3a_nta.pdf |date=June 10, 2016 }}, Population Division – New York City Department of City Planning, March 29, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2016.
The entirety of Community Board 1, which comprises Greenpoint and Williamsburg, had 199,190 inhabitants, as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 81.1 years.{{Cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2018chp-bk1.pdf |title=Greenpoint and Williamsburg (Including East Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Northside, Southside and Williamsburg) |date=2018 |website=nyc.gov |publisher=NYC Health |access-date=March 2, 2019}}{{Rp|2, 20}} This is about the same as the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods.{{Cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/tcny/community-health-assessment-plan.pdf |title=2016–2018 Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan: Take Care New York 2020 |date=2016 |website=nyc.gov |publisher=New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene |access-date=September 8, 2017}}{{Rp|53 (PDF p. 84)}}{{cite web |title=New Yorkers are living longer, happier and healthier lives |website=New York Post |date=June 4, 2017 |url=https://nypost.com/2017/06/04/new-yorkers-are-living-longer-happier-and-healthier-lives/ |access-date=March 1, 2019}} Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 23% are between the ages of 0–17, 41% between 25 and 44, and 17% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 10% and 9%, respectively.{{Rp|2}}
As of 2016, the median household income in Community Board 1 was $76,608.{{cite web |url=https://censusreporter.org/profiles/79500US3604001-nyc-brooklyn-community-district-1-greenpoint-williamsburg-puma-ny/ |title=NYC-Brooklyn Community District 1—Greenpoint & Williamsburg PUMA, NY |access-date=July 17, 2018}} In 2018, an estimated 17% of Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents lived in poverty, compared to 21% in all of Brooklyn and 20% in all of New York City. Less than one in fifteen residents (6%) were unemployed, compared to 9% in the rest of both Brooklyn and New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 48% in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, slightly lower than the citywide and boroughwide rates of 52% and 51%, respectively. Based on this calculation, {{as of|2018|lc=y}}, Greenpoint and Williamsburg are considered to be gentrifying.{{Rp|7}}
New York City Department of City Planning tabulated in the 2020 census splitting up Williamsburg between north and south sections of the racial demographic populations. The north section, which is just regularly called Williamsburg had between 30,000 and 39,999 White residents and 10,000 to 19,999 Hispanic residents, meanwhile each the Black and Asian residents were less than 5000 residents. South Williamsburg also had 30,000 to 39,999 White residents, but each the Hispanic, Black, and Asian residents were less than 5000 residents.{{Cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/planning/download/pdf/planning-level/nyc-population/census2020/dcp_2020-census-briefing-booklet-1.pdf |title=Key Population & Housing Characteristics; 2020 Census Results for New York City |publisher=New York City Department of City Planning |date=August 2021 |access-date=November 7, 2021 |pages=21, 25, 29, 33}}{{cite web |title=Map: Race and ethnicity across the US |website=CNN |date=August 14, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/us/census-race-ethnicity-map/ |access-date=November 7, 2021}}
Police and crime
The majority of Williamsburg is patrolled by the 90th Precinct of the NYPD, located at 211 Union Avenue,{{Cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/90th-precinct.page |title=NYPD – 90th Precinct |website=www.nyc.gov |publisher=New York City Police Department |access-date=October 3, 2016}} while the northernmost section of Williamsburg falls under the 94th Precinct, located at 100 Meserole Avenue.{{Cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/precincts/94th-precinct.page |title=NYPD – 94th Precinct |website=www.nyc.gov |publisher=New York City Police Department |access-date=October 3, 2016}} The 90th Precinct ranked 47th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010,{{Cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/crime-safety-report/brooklyn/williamsburg/ |title=Williamsburg – DNAinfo.com Crime and Safety Report |website=www.dnainfo.com |access-date=October 6, 2016 |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306111338/https://www.dnainfo.com/crime-safety-report/brooklyn/williamsburg/ |url-status=dead}} and the 94th Precinct ranked 50th safest for per-capita crime.{{Cite web |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/crime-safety-report/brooklyn/greenpoint/ |title=Greenpoint – DNAinfo.com Crime and Safety Report |website=www.dnainfo.com |access-date=October 6, 2016 |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043829/https://www.dnainfo.com/crime-safety-report/brooklyn/greenpoint/ |url-status=dead}} {{As of|2018}}, with a non-fatal assault rate of 34 per 100,000 people, Greenpoint and Williamsburg's rate of violent crimes per capita is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 305 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole.{{Rp|8}}
The 90th Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 72.3% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 4 murders, 16 rapes, 198 robberies, 237 felony assaults, 229 burglaries, 720 grand larcenies, and 90 grand larcenies auto in 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-090pct.pdf |title=90th Precinct CompStat Report |website=www.nyc.gov |publisher=New York City Police Department |access-date=July 22, 2018}} The 94th Precinct also has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 72.9% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 1 murder, 6 rapes, 63 robberies, 115 felony assaults, 141 burglaries, 535 grand larcenies, and 62 grand larcenies auto in 2018.{{cite web |url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/nypd/downloads/pdf/crime_statistics/cs-en-us-094pct.pdf |title=94th Precinct CompStat Report |website=www.nyc.gov |publisher=New York City Police Department |access-date=July 22, 2018}}
Fire safety
The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) operates five fire stations in Williamsburg:{{Cite FDNY locations}}
- Engine Company 211/Ladder Company 119 – 26 Hooper Street{{cite web |website=FDNYtrucks.com |title=Engine Company 211/Ladder Company 119 |url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/brooklyn/e211.htm |access-date=March 2, 2019}}
- Engine Company 216/Ladder Company 108/Battalion 35 – 187 Union Avenue{{cite web |website=FDNYtrucks.com |title=Engine Company 216/Ladder Company 108 |url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/brooklyn/e216.htm |access-date=March 2, 2019}}
- Engine Company 221/Ladder Company 104 – 161 South 2nd Street{{cite web |website=FDNYtrucks.com |title=Engine Company 221/Ladder Company 104 |url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/brooklyn/e221.htm |access-date=March 2, 2019}}
- Engine Company 229/Ladder Company 146 – 75 Richardson Street{{cite web |website=FDNYtrucks.com |title=Engine Company 229/Ladder Company 146 |url=http://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/brooklyn/e229.htm |access-date=March 2, 2019}}
- Engine Company 209/Ladder Company 102/Battalion 34 – 850 Bedford Avenue{{Cite web |last=same as 139 just i don't know how to fill out. i m learning with time |first=same as 139 just i don't know how to fill out. i m learning with time |date=1992–2023 |title=FDNYtrucks.com (Engine Company 209/Ladder Company 102) |url=https://www.fdnytrucks.com/files/html/brooklyn/e209.htm |access-date=July 6, 2023 |website=www.fdnytrucks.com}}
Health
Pre-term and births to teenage mothers are less common in Greenpoint and Williamsburg than in other places citywide. In Greenpoint and Williamsburg, there were 54 pre-term births per 1,000 live births (the lowest in the city, compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 16.0 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide).{{Rp|11}} Greenpoint and Williamsburg has a relatively low population of residents who are uninsured, or who receive health care through Medicaid.[http://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/dsrip/pps_applications/docs/maimonides_medical_center/3.8_maimonides_cna.pdf New York City Health Provider Partnership Brooklyn Community Needs Assessment: Final Report] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180723064434/https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/dsrip/pps_applications/docs/maimonides_medical_center/3.8_maimonides_cna.pdf |date=July 23, 2018 }}, New York Academy of Medicine (October 3, 2014). In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 7%, which is lower than the citywide rate of 12%.{{Rp|14}}
= Air pollution =
The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Greenpoint and Williamsburg is {{convert|0.0096|mg/m3|oz/ft3}}, higher than the citywide and boroughwide averages.{{Rp|9}} Seventeen percent of Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents are smokers, which is slightly higher than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers.{{Rp|13}} In Greenpoint and Williamsburg, 23% of residents are obese, 11% are diabetic, and 25% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28%, respectively.{{Rp|16}} In addition, 23% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%.{{Rp|12}}
Ninety-one percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is greater than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 79% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", more than the city's average of 78%.{{Rp|13}} For every supermarket in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, there are 25 bodegas.{{Rp|10}}
There are several medical clinics in Williamsburg. The nearest large hospital is Woodhull Medical Center, on Williamsburg's southern border with Bedford–Stuyvesant.
=Pre-hospital care=
Hatzalah, a volunteer ambulance service, was founded in Williamsburg in 1965 after a Hasidic Jewish man died while waiting for an ambulance.{{cite web |last=Farzan |first=Antonia |title=Inside Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish ambulance corps |website=EMS1 |date=November 21, 2015 |url=https://www.ems1.com/volunteer-rural-ems/articles/inside-brooklyns-orthodox-jewish-ambulance-corps-ZMbJE7BJCheh5qHS/ |access-date=October 24, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Goldberg |first1=Emma |last2=Paskova |first2=Yana |title=They Told Her Women Couldn't Join the Ambulance Corps. So She Started Her Own. |website=The New York Times |date=April 19, 2021 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/us/ezras-nashim-womens-EMT.html |access-date=October 24, 2023}} Hatzolah of Williamsburg, a nonprofit organization, continues to operate within the neighborhood.{{cite web |title=Hatzolah of Williamsburg Inc |website=GuideStar Profile |url=https://www.guidestar.org/profile/27-2700971 |access-date=October 24, 2023}}
=Incidents=
In April 2019, after a measles outbreak in Williamsburg infected over 250 people, mandatory measles shots were ordered in the area. Mayor Bill de Blasio said that people in the neighborhood ignoring the order could be fined $1,000, and that religious schools and day care programs might be closed down if they did not exclude unvaccinated students.{{cite web |title=Measles Outbreak: New York Declares Health Emergency, Requires Vaccinations in Parts of Brooklyn |website=The New York Times |date=April 9, 2019 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/09/nyregion/measles-vaccination-williamsburg.html |access-date=April 10, 2019}}{{cite web |title=New York Declares Health Emergency As Measles Spreads In Parts Of Brooklyn |website=NPR.org |date=April 9, 2019 |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/04/09/711432792/new-york-declares-health-emergency-as-measles-spreads-in-parts-of-brooklyn |access-date=April 10, 2019}} The outbreak in Brooklyn had been tied to an unvaccinated child who contracted the disease on a trip to Israel.{{cite web |last1=Oster |first1=Marcy |last2=Newman |first2=Marissa |last3=Horovitz |first3=David |title=NYC authorities threaten to close Brooklyn yeshivas over unvaccinated students |website=The Times of Israel |date=April 9, 2019 |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/nyc-authorities-threaten-to-close-brooklyn-yeshivas-over-unvaccinated-students/ |access-date=April 10, 2019}}
Post offices and ZIP Codes
File:Brooklyn-9-27-2013 035 - US Post Office - Metropolitan Station, 47 Debevoise Street.JPG
Williamsburg is covered by three ZIP Codes. Most of the neighborhood is in 11211, though the southeastern portion is in 11206, and the far western portion along the East River is in 11249.{{cite web |title=Williamsburg, New York City-Brooklyn, New York Zip Code Boundary Map (NY) |website=United States Zip Code Boundary Map (USA) |url=https://www.zipmap.net/New_York/Kings_County/Z_Williamsburg.htm |access-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-date=March 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327033149/https://www.zipmap.net/New_York/Kings_County/Z_Williamsburg.htm |url-status=dead}} The United States Postal Service operates two post offices in Williamsburg: the Williamsburg Station at 263 South 4th Street,{{cite web |title=Location Details: Williamsburg |website=USPS.com |url=https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11221&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1387747&locationName=WILLIAMSBURG&address2=&address1=263+S+4TH+ST |access-date=March 7, 2019}} and the Metropolitan Station at 47 Debevoise Street.{{cite web |title=Location Details: Metropolitan |website=USPS.com |url=https://tools.usps.com/go/POLocatorDetailsAction!input.action?locationTypeQ=po&address=11221&radius=20&locationType=po&locationID=1372861&locationName=METROPOLITAN&address2=&address1=47+DEBEVOISE+ST |access-date=March 7, 2019}}
Education
Greenpoint and Williamsburg generally have a higher ratio of college-educated residents than the rest of the city {{as of|2018|lc=y}}. Half of the population (50%) has a college education or higher, 17% have less than a high school education, and 33% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 40% of Brooklynites and 38% of city residents have a college education or higher.{{Rp|6}} The percentage of Greenpoint and Williamsburg students excelling in reading and math has been increasing, with reading achievement rising from 35 percent in 2000 to 40 percent in 2011, and math achievement rising from 29 percent to 50 percent within the same time period.{{Cite web |url=http://furmancenter.org/files/sotc/BK_01_11.pdf |title=Greenpoint / Williamsburg – BK 01 |date=2011 |publisher=Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy |access-date=October 5, 2016}}
Greenpoint and Williamsburg's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is slightly higher than the rest of New York City. In Greenpoint and Williamsburg, 21% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, compared to the citywide average of 20% of students.{{Rp|6}}{{Rp|24 (PDF p. 55)}} Additionally, 77% of high school students in Greenpoint and Williamsburg graduate on time, higher than the citywide average of 75% of students.{{Rp|6}}
= Schools =
The New York City Department of Education operates public schools as part of District 14. The following public elementary schools in Williamsburg serve grades PK-5 unless otherwise noted:{{cite web |title=Williamsburg New York School Ratings and Reviews |website=Zillow |url=https://www.zillow.com:443/williamsburg-new-york-ny/schools/ |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
- PS 16 Leonard Dunkly{{cite web |title=P.S. 016 Leonard Dunkly |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K016 |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
- PS 17 Henry D. Woodworth{{cite web |title=P.S. 017 Henry D. Woodworth |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K017 |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
- PS 18 Edward Bush{{cite web |title=P.S. 018 Edward Bush |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K018 |access-date=August 2, 2019 |archive-date=August 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802132755/https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K018 |url-status=dead}}
- PS 84 Jose de Diego (grades PK-8){{cite web |title=P.S. 084 Jose De Diego |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K084 |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
- PS 132 Conselyea{{cite web |title=P.S. 132 The Conselyea School |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K132 |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
- PS 147 Isaac Remsen, an empowerment school{{cite web |title=P.S. 147 Isaac Remsen |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K147 |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
- PS 196 Ten Eyck{{cite web |title=P.S. 196 Ten Eyck |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K196 |access-date=August 2, 2019 |archive-date=August 2, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802132800/https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K196 |url-status=dead}}
- PS 250 George H. Lindsay{{cite web |title=P.S. 250 George H. Lindsay |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K250 |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
- PS 257 John F. Hylan{{cite web |title=P.S. 257 John F. Hylan |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K257 |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
- PS 319 Walter Nowinski{{cite web |title=P.S. 319 |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K319 |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
- PS 380 John Wayne Elementary{{cite web |title=P.S. 380 John Wayne Elementary |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K380 |access-date=August 2, 2019}}
Public middle and high schools include Brooklyn Latin School (a specialized high school serving grades 9–12){{cite web |title=Brooklyn Latin School, The |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K449 |access-date=August 2, 2019}} and IS 318 Eugenio Maria De Hostos (serving grades 6–8).{{cite web |title=I.S. 318 Eugenio Maria De Hostos |website=New York City Department of Education |date=December 19, 2018 |url=https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K318 |access-date=August 2, 2019 |archive-date=March 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302180318/https://www.schools.nyc.gov/schools/K318 |url-status=dead}} The Grand Street Campus (formerly Eastern District High School) contains the High School of Enterprise, Business, & Technology (EBT), Progress High School for Professional Careers, High School for Legal Studies. The Harry Van Arsdale Educational Complex houses three small high schools that offer academics, and a curriculum and faculty for their special needs populations: Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design, Williamsburg Preparatory School, Brooklyn Preparatory High School. The Young Women's Leadership School of Brooklyn aims to instill qualities of leadership in girls. There are several bilingual public schools in Williamsburg, including PS 84 Jose De Diego (offering Spanish-English), PS 110 The Monitor School (offering French-English), and Juan Morel Campos Secondary School (offering Yiddish-English).{{Cite web |url=https://data.cityofnewyork.us/Education/2017-2018-Anticipated-Bilingual-Education-Programs/ydbx-4ufw |title=2017 – 2018 Anticipated Bilingual Education Programs | NYC Open Data}}
Other schools in Williamsburg include El Puente Academy for Peace and JusticeMac Donald, Heather. "[http://www.city-journal.org/html/8_3_a2.html An F for Hip-Hop 101] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513140854/http://www.city-journal.org/html/8_3_a2.html |date=May 13, 2012 }}." City Journal. (Northern Hemisphere) Summer 1998. Retrieved March 17, 2012. and the Ethical Community Charter School. Success Academy Williamsburg opened in August 2012.[http://gothamschools.org/2012/05/02/parents-contest-charter-schools-proposed-for-crowded-district-2/ D'souza, Rose, Parents Contest Charter Schools Proposed For Crowded District 2] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502191850/http://gothamschools.org/2012/05/02/parents-contest-charter-schools-proposed-for-crowded-district-2/ |date=May 2, 2012 }}, in GothamSchools (section Space Wars), May 2, 2012, 11:28a, as accessed May 5, 2012.[http://www.successacademies.org/page.cfm?p=24 Find a School (Success Academy Charter Schools) (schools group's own website)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120504164616/http://www.successacademies.org/page.cfm?p=24 |date=May 4, 2012 }}, as accessed May 5, 2012. It is a public charter school.
Williamsburg Collegiate Charter School, a consistently top-performing charter school{{cite web |url=http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/14/K355/AboutUs/Statistics/default.htm |title=Statistics |date=April 2, 2007 |work=nyc.gov}} in New York City, is located on the South side.
Williamsburg Northside Schools are three Reggio Emilia-inspired schools that have three distinct programs within three locations: Infant and Toddler Center, Williamsburg Northside Preschool, and Williamsburg Northside Lower School.
File:PS 16 Maujer Leonard Sts WB jeh.jpg|PS 18
File:Bushwick Av & Meserole St PS 196 jeh.jpg|PS 196 Ten Eyck School
File:John D Wells JHS 50 a jeh.jpg|JHS 50 John D. Wells
File:Eastern District High School td (2019-08-15) 02.jpg|Former Eastern District High School
= Libraries =
File:BPL Williamsburg 240 Division Av jeh.jpg Williamsburgh branch|alt=A two-story red brick building partially obscured by a tree on a cloudy day]]
The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) has two branches in Williamsburg. The Williamsburgh branch is located at 240 Division Avenue, near Marcy Avenue. It is housed in a {{Convert|26000|ft2|m2|abbr=|adj=on}} Carnegie library structure that is one of Brooklyn's largest circulating-library buildings, and is a New York City designated landmark.{{cite web |url=https://www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/williamsburgh |title=Williamsburgh Library |date=August 22, 2011 |website=Brooklyn Public Library |access-date=February 21, 2019}} The Leonard branch is located at 81 Devoe Street, near Leonard Street. It is located in a {{Convert|26000|ft2|m2|abbr=|adj=on}} building that opened in 1908. The Leonard branch contains a tribute to Betty Smith, the author of the novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, whose main character, France, frequently visited the library.{{cite web |url=https://www.bklynlibrary.org/locations/leonard |title=Leonard Library |date=August 22, 2011 |website=Brooklyn Public Library |access-date=February 21, 2019}}
Transportation
{{multiple image
|total_width=450
|image1=NYCSub JMZ Marcy Av.jpg
|caption1=Trains entering and leaving Marcy Avenue station
|image2=Williamsburg Bridge Bus Terminal td (2019-08-18) 001 - Station Building.jpg
|caption2=The Williamsburg Bridge Plaza Bus Terminal
}}
Williamsburg is served by several New York City Subway routes. There are three physical lines through the neighborhood: the BMT Canarsie Line ({{NYCS trains|Canarsie}}) on the north, the BMT Jamaica Line ({{NYCS trains|Jamaica west}}) on the south, and the IND Crosstown Line ({{NYCS trains|Crosstown}}) on the east.{{NYCS const|map}} The Williamsburg Bridge crosses the East River to the Lower East Side. Williamsburg is also served by the Brooklyn–Queens Expressway. Several bus routes, including the {{NYC bus link|B24|B32|B39|B44|B44 SBS|B46|B60|Q54|Q59|prose=y}}, terminate at the Williamsburg Bridge / Washington Plaza. Other bus lines that run through the neighborhood include the {{NYC bus link|B43|B48|B57|B62|B67|B110|prose=y}}.{{Cite NYC bus map|B}}
In June 2011, NY Waterway started service to points along the East River.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/14/nyregion/east-river-ferry-service-begins-with-7-stops.html |title=East River Ferry Service Begins |last1=Grynbaum |first1=Michael M. |date=June 13, 2011 |last2=Quinlan |first2=Adriane |newspaper=The New York Times |issn=0362-4331 |access-date=September 23, 2016}} On May 1, 2017, that route became part of the NYC Ferry's East River route, which runs between Pier 11 / Wall Street in Manhattan's Financial District and the East 34th Street Ferry Landing in Murray Hill, Manhattan, with five intermediate stops in Brooklyn and Queens.{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/new-york/nyc-launches-ferry-service-queens-east-river-routes-article-1.3122046 |title=NYC launches ferry service with Queens, East River routes |date=May 1, 2017 |website=NY Daily News |publisher=Associated Press |access-date=May 1, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170501154444/http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/new-york/nyc-launches-ferry-service-queens-east-river-routes-article-1.3122046 |archive-date=May 1, 2017}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/nyregion/new-york-today-citywide-ferry-service-begins.html |title=New York Today: Our City's New Ferry |last1=Levine |first1=Alexandra S. |date=May 1, 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=May 1, 2017 |last2=Wolfe |first2=Jonathan |issn=0362-4331}} Two of the East River Ferry's stops are in Williamsburg.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/route/east-river/ |title=Routes and Schedules: East River |publisher=NYC Ferry}}
There are plans to build the Brooklyn–Queens Connector (BQX), a light rail system that would run along the waterfront from Red Hook through Williamsburg to Astoria in Queens. However, the system is projected to cost $2.7 billion, and the projected opening has been delayed until at least 2029.{{cite web |title=New Plan for City Streetcar: Shorter, Pricier and Not Coming Soon |website=The New York Times |date=August 30, 2018 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/nyregion/nyc-streetcar-brooklyn-queens.html |access-date=August 1, 2018}}{{cite web |last=George |first=Michael |title=Brooklyn-Queens Connector Streetcar Would Cost $2.7 Billion |website=NBC New York |date=August 30, 2018 |url=http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Brooklyn-Queens-Streetcar-Proposal-Mayor-de-Blasio-BQX-492119811.html |access-date=August 1, 2018}}
Parks and open spaces
Open spaces and parks in Williamsburg include:{{cite web |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/maps/ |title=Maps : NYC Parks |date=June 26, 1939 |website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation |access-date=June 12, 2019}}
- Bushwick Inlet Park
- Cooper Park
- Domino Park
- East River Park (Marsha P. Johnson State Park)
- Grand Ferry Park
- McCarren Park
- Northside Piers
- Williamsburg Waterfront
- Cooper Park
Playgrounds
Playgrounds in Williamsburg include:{{Cite web |title=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation |url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/ |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=www.nycgovparks.org}}
- Vincent V. Abate Playground
- William Sheridan Playground
- Jaime Campiz Playground
- Bedford Playground
- Msgr. McGolrick Playground
- Sternberg Playground
- Roebling Playground
- Ericsson Playground
- Newton Barge Playground
- Jacob's Ladder Playground
Environmental concerns
El Puente, a local community development group, called Williamsburg "the most toxic place to live in America", in the documentary Toxic Brooklyn, produced by Vice Magazine in 2009.Toxic – Brooklyn, Vice Broadcasting, VBS.tv Other rare cancer clusters in Willamsburg have been reported by the New York Post.{{cite news |title=Cancer Outrage Near Oil Spill |first1=Angela |last1=MonteFinise |first2=Susan |last2=Edelman |url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152006/news/regionalnews/cancer_outrage_near_oil_spill_regionalnews_angela_montefinise_____and_susan_edelman.htm |newspaper=New York Post |date=October 15, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111065125/http://www.nypost.com/seven/10152006/news/regionalnews/cancer_outrage_near_oil_spill_regionalnews_angela_montefinise_____and_susan_edelman.htm |archive-date=January 11, 2009}}
= Brooklyn Navy Yard incinerator plan =
In 1976, Mayor Abraham Beame proposed building a combined incinerator and power plant at the nearby Brooklyn Navy Yard.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/12/20/archives/90-million-garbagefueled-plant-proposed-for-brooklyn-navy-yard.html |title=$90 Million Garbage-Fueled Plant Proposed for Brooklyn Navy Yard |last=Kaiser |first=Charles |date=December 20, 1977 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 13, 2018}} The project garnered large community opposition from the Latino and Hasidic Jewish residents of southern Williamsburg, located next to the site of the proposed incinerator.{{cite book |last1=Baver |first1=S.L. |last2=Lynch |first2=B.D. |last3=Miller |first3=M. |last4=Pizzini |first4=M.V. |last5=Burac |first5=M. |last6=Garcia-Martinez |first6=N. |last7=Garcia-Ramos |first7=T. |last8=Rivera-Rivera |first8=A. |last9=Soto-Lopez |first9=R. | last10=Minnite | first10=L. |title=Beyond Sun and Sand: Caribbean Environmentalisms |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-8135-3752-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQfkFqhW0qwC&pg=PA136 |access-date=September 17, 2018 |page=136}} Though the New York City Board of Estimate narrowly gave its approval to the incinerator in 1984,{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/12/23/weekinreview/the-region-plan-to-build-incinerators-wins-by-a-vote.html |title=The Region – Plan to Build Incinerators Wins By a Vote |last=Finder |first=Alan |date=December 23, 1984 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 13, 2018}} the state refused to grant a permit for constructing the plant for several years, citing that the city had no recycling plan.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/11/23/nyregion/permit-delayed-for-incinerator-in-the-navy-yard.html |title=Permit Delayed For Incinerator In the Navy Yard |last=Kolbert |first=Elizabeth |date=November 23, 1988 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 13, 2018}} The proposed incinerator was a key issue in the 1989 mayoral election because the Hasidic Jewish residents of Williamsburg who opposed the incinerator were also politically powerful.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/18/nyregion/anti-incinerator-stand-brings-a-blessing.html |title=Anti-Incinerator Stand Brings a Blessing |last=Bohlen |first=Celestine |date=October 18, 1989 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 13, 2018}} David Dinkins, who ultimately won the 1989 mayoral election, campaigned on the stance that the Brooklyn Navy Yard incinerator plan should be put on hold.{{cite news |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |title=Incinerator Delay: Impact Is Debated |work=The New York Times |date=October 18, 1989 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/18/nyregion/incinerator-delay-impact-is-debated.html |access-date=September 17, 2018}} The state denied a permit for the incinerator in 1989, stating that the city had no plan for reducing ash emissions from the plant.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/16/nyregion/albany-denies-permission-for-navy-yard-incinerator.html |title=Albany Denies Permission For Navy Yard Incinerator |last=Dunlap |first=David W. |date=November 16, 1989 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 13, 2018}}
The plan was placed on hold for several years, and in 1995, community members filed a lawsuit to block the incinerator's construction.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/12/nyregion/neighborhood-report-brooklyn-waterfront-lawsuit-seeks-block-garbage-incinerator.html |title=Neighborhood Report: Brooklyn Waterfront – Lawsuit Seeks to Block a Garbage Incinerator in the Navy Yard |last=Hevesi |first=Dennis |date=November 12, 1995 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 13, 2018}}{{cite news |title=Incinerator Foes Unite in Suit |last=Williams |first=Laura |work=NY Daily News |date=November 26, 1995 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/incinerator-foes-unite-suit-article-1.698859 |access-date=September 17, 2018}} Further investigation of the incinerator's proposed site found toxic chemicals were present in such high levels that the site qualified for Superfund environmental clean-up.{{cite book |last1=Sze |first1=J. |last2=Gottlieb |first2=R. |title=Noxious New York: The Racial Politics of Urban Health and Environmental Justice |publisher=MIT Press |series=Urban and Industrial Environments |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-262-26479-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bkny9bDObN8C&pg=PA77 |access-date=September 17, 2018 |pages=77, 80}} The next year, the city dropped plans for the construction of the incinerator altogether.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/30/nyregion/despite-years-of-broken-promises-accord-vows-to-close-si-landfill.html |title=Despite Years of Broken Promises, Accord Vows to Close S.I. Landfill |last=Toy |first=Vivian S. |date=May 30, 1996 |work=The New York Times |access-date=September 13, 2018}}
=Bushwick Inlet Park site=
National Grid (formerly KeySpan) is remediating contamination at a former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site, located at Kent
Avenue, between North 11th and North 12th Streets, in Williamsburg. The Remediation is being performed in conversion for the site's conversion into Bushwick Inlet Park. It is being implemented under an order of consent with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation entered into between the NYSDEC and KeySpan in February 2007.
There are also ten oil storage tanks on the site of Bushwick Inlet Park that were formerly operated by Bayside Oil.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/31/nyregion/disparate-visions-for-a-brooklyn-park-dismantle-industrial-ruins-or-preserve-them.html |title=Disparate Visions for a Park: Dismantle Industrial Ruins, or Preserve Them |date=May 31, 2016 |website=The New York Times |access-date=July 28, 2018}} A plan unveiled in 2016, called "Maker Park", would convert the oil tankers into attractions such as a theater and hanging gardens.{{cite web |url=https://www.6sqft.com/renderings-revealed-for-adaptive-reuse-maker-park-along-the-williamsburg-waterfront/ |title=Renderings revealed for adaptive reuse Maker Park along the Williamsburg waterfront |last=Schulz |first=Dana |date=November 30, 2016 |website=6sqft |access-date=July 28, 2018}} It directly conflicted with the original plan for Bushwick Inlet Park, which would see the tankers demolished.{{cite web |last=Kaufman |first=Sarah |title=Bushwick Inlet Park Activists Feel Sideswiped by 'Maker Park' Plan |website=Williamsburg-Greenpoint, NY Patch |date=December 5, 2016 |url=https://patch.com/new-york/williamsburg/bushwick-inlet-park-activists-feel-sideswiped-maker-park-plan |access-date=July 28, 2018}}{{cite web |last=Plitt |first=Amy |title=As Bushwick Inlet Park advances, 'Maker Park' is envisioned as part of the puzzle |website=Curbed NY |date=November 29, 2016 |url=https://ny.curbed.com/2016/11/29/13766786/williamsburg-waterfront-maker-park-concept-renderings |access-date=July 28, 2018}} The city stated that the oil tankers were heavily polluted, and that the site needed to be cleaned before it could be repurposed into a park.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/11/nyregion/activists-camp-out-to-call-for-completion-of-a-brooklyn-park.html |title=Activists Camp Out to Call for Completion of a Brooklyn Park |date=July 11, 2016 |website=The New York Times |access-date=July 28, 2018}}
Notable residents
{{For|more people|:Category:People from Williamsburg, Brooklyn}}
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- Persis Foster Eames Albee (1836–1914) – first "Avon Lady"; moved out in 1866Flanders, Vicky. [http://docplayer.net/40344038-Persis-albee-the-1-st-avon-lady-research-guide-biography-photographs-secondary-sources.html "PERSIS ALBEE. The 1st Avon Lady"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518101208/http://docplayer.net/40344038-Persis-albee-the-1-st-avon-lady-research-guide-biography-photographs-secondary-sources.html |date=May 18, 2017 }}, Historical Society of Cheshire County. Accessed November 29, 2017. "At age 30, Persis was living in Williamsburg, New York. There, she married Ellery Albee, and moved to his native home in Winchester, New Hampshire."
- Red Auerbach (1917–2006) – former guard, NBA coach, and General manager who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.{{cite news |title=Auerback, Pride of the Celtics, Dies |last=may |first=Peter |url=https://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2006/10/29/auerbach_pride_of_celtics_dies/?page=4 |date=October 29, 2006 |page=4}}
- Joy Behar (born 1942) – comedian and co-host of The View (born in Williamsburg){{cite news |last=Delatiner |first=Barbara |title=A Comic Who Now Feels at Home on Island |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/03/nyregion/a-comic-who-now-feels-at-home-on-island.html |access-date=August 1, 2012 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 3, 2000}}
- Mel Brooks (born 1926) – comedian (born in Williamsburg)[https://nymag.com/news/features/childhood/mel-brooks-2013-4/ "Mel Brooks, Comedian and Director, b. 1926"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420011407/https://nymag.com/news/features/childhood/mel-brooks-2013-4/ |date=April 20, 2020 }}, New York, March 31, 2013. Accessed May 11, 2016. "I grew up at 365 South 3rd Street in Williamsburg."
- Cathy Bissoon (born 1968) – United States District Court judge for the Western District of PennsylvaniaDavis, Wendy. [https://m.reedsmith.com/files/News/1867b4a3-5d1a-4f51-8471-bf9fbe004ef3/Presentation/NewsAttachment/db86f12f-7ff7-4c8e-9327-38400578d337/CBissoonLDArticle.pdf "Cathy Bisson: Making Diversity A Core Initiative at Reed Smith"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513071157/https://m.reedsmith.com/files/News/1867b4a3-5d1a-4f51-8471-bf9fbe004ef3/Presentation/NewsAttachment/db86f12f-7ff7-4c8e-9327-38400578d337/CBissoonLDArticle.pdf |date=May 13, 2016 }}, Law & Diversity, 2004 Edition. Accessed May 11, 2016. "Born to parents living in the then-mean streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, she was just four years old when her father was stabbed to death in a park blocks from home."
- Steve Burns (born 1973) – former Blue's Clues host, actor, and musicianYuan, Jada. [https://nymag.com/homedesign/fall2010/68819/ "The 'Blue's Clues' Bachelor; Steve Burns's life has been filled with children, even though he lives all alone."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420010750/https://nymag.com/homedesign/fall2010/68819/ |date=April 20, 2020 }}, New York, October 10, 2010. Accessed May 11, 2016. "n clear, warm nights, Steve Burns likes to sleep on the patch of sod in the courtyard in the middle of his new house in Williamsburg."
- Alexa Chung (born 1983) – English model and television presenter[http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article6737244.ece] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615172027/http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article6737244.ece |date=June 15, 2011 }}
- Peter Criss (born 1945) – of Kiss (childhood friend of Jerry Nolan, also a resident of Williamsburg) (born in Williamsburg).Marchese, David. [http://www.spin.com/2012/11/peter-criss-kiss-memoir-dirty-stories/ "Peter Criss Stabbed a Guy, Gene Simmons Stinks: Filthy Riffs From KISS Drummer's Tell-All"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513085059/http://www.spin.com/2012/11/peter-criss-kiss-memoir-dirty-stories/ |date=May 13, 2016 }}, Spin, November 7, 2012. Accessed May 11, 2016. "Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was a rough place in '60s, when Criss was growing up there."
- Raven Dennis (born 1967) – baker
- Dane DeHaan (born 1986) – actor, In Treatment, The Amazing Spider-Man 2.Sacks, Ethan. [http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/amazing-spider-man-2-dehaan-based-character-hipsters-article-1.1774044#ixzz30UCpH6sK "'Amazing Spider-Man 2' star Dane DeHaan based his character on Brooklyn hipsters"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603160728/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/amazing-spider-man-2-dehaan-based-character-hipsters-article-1.1774044#ixzz30UCpH6sK |date=June 3, 2016 }}, New York Daily News, May 1, 2014. Accessed May 12, 2016. "Amazing Spider-Man 2 star Dane DeHaan, says he based his performance as Harry Osborn — a childhood friend of Spider-Man's alter ego who becomes the bad guy Green Goblin in the movie opening Friday — on the hipsters and "trust fund babies" he meets in Williamsburg, where the 27-year-old lives."
- Alan Dershowitz (born 1938) – lawyer, jurist, and political commentator.Velsey, Kim. [http://observer.com/2012/09/265550/ "Alan Dershowitz Exercises Constitutional Property Rights, Buys Sutton Place Pad"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805181743/http://observer.com/2012/09/265550/ |date=August 5, 2016 }}, New York Observer, September 25, 2012. Accessed May 11, 2016. "Alan Dershowitz may be from Williamsburg, but the famed legal mind steered clear of the hippest of hoods when it came time to buy a pied-a-terre in the city of his birth."
- Peter Dinklage (born 1969) – actor{{cite web |last=Kois |first=Dan |title=Peter Dinklage Was Smart to Say No |website=The New York Times |date=March 29, 2012 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/magazine/peter-dinklage-was-smart-to-say-no.html |access-date=September 10, 2015}}
- Ed Droste (born 1978) – lead singer for the indie rock band, Grizzly Bear.Levinson, Lauren. [https://www.timeout.com/newyork/style-design/apartment-tour-1br-in-williamsburg-2 " Apartment tour: 1BR in Williamsburg; Interior designer Chad McPhail and boyfriend Ed Droste (of the band Grizzly Bear) merge retro with tropical in their masculine-chic Brooklyn abode."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218001404/https://www.timeout.com/newyork/style-design/apartment-tour-1br-in-williamsburg-2 |date=February 18, 2019 }}, Time Out New York, April 26, 2010. Accessed May 12, 2016.
- Sean Durkin (born 1981) – film director.[http://www.filmjournal.com/content/who-martha-marcy-may-marlene-sean-durkin-debuts-acclaimed-drama-young-cult-refugee "Who is Martha Marcy May Marlene? Sean Durkin debuts with acclaimed drama of young cult refugee"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703111312/http://www.filmjournal.com/content/who-martha-marcy-may-marlene-sean-durkin-debuts-acclaimed-drama-young-cult-refugee |date=July 3, 2015 }}, Film Journal International, September 21, 2011. Accessed May 12, 2016. "Durkin boarded at the Kent School, in Kent, Conn., before eventually entering NYU's undergrad film program in 2003. He completed his thesis film in 2006, and three-and-a-half years ago moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn."
- Simon Dushinsky, co-owner of the New York City-based Rabsky Group with his partner, Isaac Rabinowitz
- Will Eisner – comic artist for whom the Eisner Award is named, born and raised in Williamsburg.George, Robert. [https://nypost.com/2015/12/03/how-a-jewish-kid-from-new-york-became-a-founding-father-of-graphic-novels/ "How a Jewish kid from NY became a founding father of graphic novels"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908090327/http://nypost.com/2015/12/03/how-a-jewish-kid-from-new-york-became-a-founding-father-of-graphic-novels/ |date=September 8, 2017 }}, New York Post, December 3, 2015. Accessed May 12, 2016. "Eisner was born in Williamsburg in 1917 to two European Jews."
- Su Friedrich (born 1954) – filmmaker and Princeton University film professor
- Peaches Geldof (1989–2014) – British model and socialite{{cite news |url=http://www.observer.com/2008/o2/peaches-geldolf-channels-her-inner-kerouac |title=Peaches Geldof Channels Her Inner Kerouac | The New York Observer |newspaper=Observer.com |date=October 22, 2008 |access-date=January 29, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616125559/http://www.observer.com/2008/o2/peaches-geldolf-channels-her-inner-kerouac |archive-date=June 16, 2011}}
- Yoel Goldman, founder of the Brooklyn, New York-based development company, All Year Management
- The Gregory Brothers – music group notable for Internet series, "Auto Tune the News"{{cite web |url=http://www.observer.com/2009/media/williamsburg-musician-churns-out-youtube-hits-transforming-tv-talking-heads-soulful-songb |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426074348/http://www.observer.com/2009/media/williamsburg-musician-churns-out-youtube-hits-transforming-tv-talking-heads-soulful-songb |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 26, 2009 |title=Williamsburg Musician Churns out YouTube Hits Transforming TV Talking Heads Into Soulful Songbirds |author=Gillette, Felix |date=April 23, 2009 |work=The New York Observer |access-date=June 24, 2011}}
- Isaac Hager, founder of the New York City-based Cornell Realty Management
- Randy Harrison (born 1977) – TV (Queer as Folk) and theatre actorGates, Anita. [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/nyregion/13actorct.html "A Musical's Star Plays, and Admires, Warhol"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005100840/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/nyregion/13actorct.html |date=October 5, 2017 }}, The New York Times, December 11, 2009. Accessed November 29, 2017. "Mr. Harrison made his Broadway debut in 2004, filling in as the Munchkin character Boq in Wicked. After Pop! ends its Yale Rep run, he hopes to work again in New York. He lives in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with his cats, Ella and Aggie."
- Eve Hewson (born 1991), actress who appeared in the film This Must Be the Place and played Nurse Lucy Elkins in Steven Soderbergh's TV series The Knick.Mulkerrins, Jane. [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/bridge-of-spies/eve-hewson-interview/ "Bono's daughter Eve Hewson: 'My parents are way more fun than me'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412001047/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/bridge-of-spies/eve-hewson-interview/ |date=April 12, 2018 }}, The Daily Telegraph, November 15, 2015. Accessed November 29, 2017. " Eve lives in the hipster hotbed of Williamsburg, around the corner from sister Jordan, who is involved with a tech start-up firm."
- Oscar Isaac (born 1979), film and stage actor.Baron, Zach. [https://www.gq.com/story/oscar-isaac-gq-style-spring-cover-story "Oscar Isaac Talks Annihilation, Star Wars, and the Most Turbulent Year of His Life"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217142413/https://www.gq.com/story/oscar-isaac-gq-style-spring-cover-story |date=February 17, 2019 }}, GQ, February 20, 2018. Accessed October 27, 2020. "Oscar Isaac slips unnoticed through his neighborhood of the past several years, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on a gray January afternoon."
- David Karp (born 1986) – creator of Tumblr{{cite web |last=Knutsen |first=Elise |title=David Karp Tumbls Into $1.6 M. Williamsburg Loft |url=http://observer.com/2012/01/david-karp-tumblr-founder-buys-in-brooklyn/ |work=New York Observer |date=January 13, 2012 |access-date=February 14, 2013}}
- Louis Kestenbaum, real estate developer, founder and chairman of New York City-based Fortis Property Group
- Zoë Kravitz (born 1988) – actress and daughter of Lenny Kravitz{{cite web |last=Murphy |first=Tim |url=https://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/encounter/59892/ |title=64 Minutes With Lenny Kravitz – New York Magazine |publisher=Nymag.com |date=October 9, 2009 |access-date=January 29, 2011}}
- Solly Krieger (1909–1964) – boxerBlady, Ken. [https://books.google.com/books?id=sO2pBT9g9lwC&pg=PA237 The Jewish Boxers Hall of Fame], p. 237. SP Books, 1988. {{ISBN|9780933503878}}. Accessed July 2, 2016. "A native of the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, Solly Krieger was born on March 28, 1909."
- James Lafferty (born 1985) – actor, director and producer known for role as Nathan Scott on One Tree Hill
- Leonard Lopate (born 1940) – public radio talk show host.Freudenheim, Ellen. [https://books.google.com/books?id=AEkDDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT34 The Brooklyn Experience: The Ultimate Guide to Neighborhoods & Noshes, Culture & the Cutting Edge], p. 34. Rutgers University Press, 2016. {{ISBN|9780813577449}}. Accessed July 2, 2016. "Leonard Lopate Host of The Leonard Lopate Show, WNYC – My family lived in Williamsburg on Broadway between the Marcy and Hewes Street stations for seven years."
- Sid Luckman (1916–1998), NFL Hall of Fame football player{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FkI_AAAAMAAJ&q=sid+luckman+%22williamsburg%22 |title=Pro Football's All-time Greats: The Immortals in Pro Football's Hall of Fame – George Edward Sullivan – Google Books |access-date=April 20, 2018 |archive-date=December 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209151945/https://books.google.com/books?id=FkI_AAAAMAAJ&q=sid+luckman+%22williamsburg%22&dq=sid+luckman+%22williamsburg%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiS2rzMiMnaAhWNtVkKHaNoCKkQ6AEIKTAA |url-status=live |last1=Sullivan |first1=George |year=1968}}
- Barry Manilow (born 1943) – songwriter and performer[http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0205/17/lkl.00.html Interview With Barry Manilow] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818063228/http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0205/17/lkl.00.html |date=August 18, 2016 }}, Larry King Live, May 17, 2012. Accessed July 2, 2016. "MANILOW: Well, the Mayflower is an apartment building on the CD, but it was actually an apartment building in Williamsburg, Brooklyn called the Mayflower. KING: Did you live in it? MANILOW: Yes, my family lived in it."
- Bettina May (born 1979) – pin-up model and photographerPearson, Erica. [http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/genius-burlesque-article-1.1186609 "Bettina May earns 'genius' green card – for her unique burlesque, pin-up abilities"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190416044149/https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/genius-burlesque-article-1.1186609 |date=April 16, 2019 }}, New York Daily News, October 21, 2012. Accessed November 29, 2017. "'I had to prove that there was no one like me in the world,' the 33-year-old Williamsburg entertainer said."
- Henry Miller (1891–1980) – novelistYakas, Ben. [http://gothamist.com/2016/03/23/henry_miller_williamsburg_apartment.php "You Can Spend The Summer Living In Henry Miller's Old Apartment In Williamsburg"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171106023022/http://gothamist.com/2016/03/23/henry_miller_williamsburg_apartment.php |date=November 6, 2017 }}, Gothamist, March 23, 2016. Accessed November 29, 2017. "Author Henry Miller spent the first nine years of his life in an apartment at 662 Driggs Avenue in Williamsburg, before moving along to places in Bushwick, Park Slope, and Brooklyn Heights (and later on, Manhattan)."
- Keith Murray – singer from the band We Are ScientistsBelin, Jay. [https://www.nbcnewyork.com/blogs/nonstop-sound/A-Quickie-With-We-Are-Scientists-Keith-Murray-112335384.html "A Quickie With We Are Scientists' Keith Murray"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201081039/https://www.nbcnewyork.com/blogs/nonstop-sound/A-Quickie-With-We-Are-Scientists-Keith-Murray-112335384.html |date=December 1, 2017 }}, WNBC. Accessed November 29, 2017. "[Q] As a New York based band, whats the benefit of playing hometown shows? [A] I'd say the largest benefit is that any post-show celebrations can end with a relatively easy stagger back to one's own apartment. I once tried to stagger home to my place in Williamsburg after a particularly rowdy after-party in Providence, RI, and it was a positively MISERABLE walk."
- Richie Narvaez (born 1965) – author of Hipster Death Rattle (born in Williamsburg){{cite web |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Ivelisse |title=The Rat-Tat-Tat of the J and M Train: An Interview with Richie Narvaez |url=https://centropr-archive.hunter.cuny.edu/centrovoices/letras/rat-tat-tat-j-and-m-train-interview-richie-narvaez |website=Centro Voices |publisher=Centro |access-date=August 17, 2022}}
- Man Ray – artist{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/man-ray/prophet-of-the-avant-garde/510/ |title=Man Ray — Prophet of the Avant-Garde — American Masters — PBS |work=pbs.org |date=September 17, 2005}}
- Buddy Rich (1917–1987) – drummerGluck, Robert. [https://www.algemeiner.com/2012/08/03/the-'cinematic-zionism'-of-mel-brooks/ "The 'Cinematic Zionism' of Mel Brooks"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201183021/https://www.algemeiner.com/2012/08/03/the-%e2%80%98cinematic-zionism%e2%80%99-of-mel-brooks/ |date=December 1, 2017 }}, The Algemeiner, August 3, 2012. Accessed November 29, 2017. "According to Wakeman, after World War II, Brooks started working in various Borscht Belt resorts and nightclubs as a drummer and pianist. Another Williamsburg resident, Buddy Rich, taught Brooks how to play drums, and he started earning money that way at age 14."
- Frankie Rose (born 1979) – musician
- Winona Ryder – actress{{cite magazine |url=http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/winona-ryder-1/#_ |title=Winona Ryder — Page |magazine=Interview Magazine |access-date=May 6, 2014}}
- Mikheil Saakashvili – former president of Georgia, exiled in the U.S.{{cite news |title=Exile in Brooklyn, With an Eye on Georgia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/20/world/europe/mikheil-saakashvili-georgias-ex-president-plots-return-from-williamsburg-brooklyn.html |work=The New York Times |date=September 19, 2014 |access-date=September 20, 2014}}
- Semi Precious Weapons, including Justin Tranter – glam rock band and their frontman
- Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel – notable gangster who shaped up the Las Vegas strip (born in Williamsburg)
- Richard Sheirer – director of the New York City Office of Emergency Management (O.E.M.) during the September 11th attacks.{{cite news |first=Bruce |last=Weber |title=Richard J. Sheirer, Official in Charge of Sept. 11 Rescues, Dies at 65 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/20/nyregion/richard-j-sheirer-official-in-charge-of-sept-11-rescues-dies-at-65.html |work=The New York Times |date=January 19, 2012 |access-date=February 4, 2012}}
- Gene Simmons – member of band Kiss
- Betty Smith (1896–1972), author best known for her 1943 novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.Gardner, Paul. [https://www.nytimes.com/1963/08/17/archives/betty-smith-recalls-how-tree-grew-to-success-20-years-ago.html "Betty Smith Recalls How Tree Grew to Success 20 Years Ago"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612205912/https://www.nytimes.com/1963/08/17/archives/betty-smith-recalls-how-tree-grew-to-success-20-years-ago.html |date=June 12, 2018 }}, The New York Times, August 17, 1963. Accessed January 19, 2018. "Miss Smith, who is here for a short visit, was born in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, but she does not miss it or the rest of New York."
- Abby Stein (born 1991), transgender activist, writer, and theorist who was born and raised in WilliamsburgCompton, Julie. [https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/outfront-trans-woman-spreads-lgbtq-awareness-hasidic-community-n706611 "OutFront: Trans Woman Spreads LGBTQ Awareness in Hasidic Community"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718053138/https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/outfront-trans-woman-spreads-lgbtq-awareness-hasidic-community-n706611 |date=July 18, 2020 }}, NBC News, January 13, 2017. Accessed November 29, 2017. "In 2012, Abby Stein sat alone in a busy mall — the only place she knew that had Wi-Fi. Bearded with long sidelocks and wearing a dark three-piece suit and black hat that are the traditional garbs of Hasidic men in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, Stein searched the internet on a tablet... The 25-year-old grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a neighborhood with a large enclave of Hasidic people."
- Jerry Stiller (1927–2020), comedian and actorFarrell, Bill. [http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/homecoming-b-klyn-red-carpet-native-comic-duo-article-1.866491 "Homecoming In B'klyn Red Carpet For Native Comic Duo"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235609/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/homecoming-b-klyn-red-carpet-native-comic-duo-article-1.866491 |date=January 19, 2018 }}, New York Daily News, June 5, 2000. Accessed January 19, 2018. "As a couple and as individuals, Stiller and Meara have plenty of reasons to be proud. Born in East New York, Stiller was constantly on the move with his family – from East New York to Williamsburg."
- Stuart Subotnick (born 1942), businessman and media magnate, among America's 500 wealthiest people and on The World's Billionaires listMitchell, Eric. [https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/190674/an-owners-profile-stuart-subotnick "An Owner's Profile: Stuart Subotnick"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235223/https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/190674/an-owners-profile-stuart-subotnick |date=January 19, 2018 }}, The Blood-Horse, November 12, 2001. Accessed January 19, 2018. "Stuart Subotnick readily admits he knew nothing about Thoroughbreds or racing in the beginning. Horses were as foreign as hayrides to the Brooklyn, N.Y., native who grew up in a federally subsidized housing project in Williamsburg."
- Alex Turner (born 1986) English musician and member of Arctic Monkeys
- Michael K. Williams (1966–2021), film and television actor, notable for his roles in The Wire and Boardwalk EmpireRemnick, Noah. [https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/nyregion/michael-k-williams-is-more-than-omar-from-the-wire.html "Michael K. Williams Is More Than Omar From The Wire; Mr. Williams has made a career of bringing nuance and contrast to his roles, inspired by the swaggering characters he grew up with in East Flatbush."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235004/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/nyregion/michael-k-williams-is-more-than-omar-from-the-wire.html |date=January 19, 2018 }}, The New York Times, June 30, 2017. Accessed January 19, 2018. "It was a warm Friday afternoon in June, the 15th anniversary of the premiere of The Wire, and Mr. Williams was back in East Flatbush to celebrate with some friends. Though he lives in Williamsburg now, he goes back every few months to visit Vanderveer, a collection of red-brick buildings that stretches across 30 acres along Foster Avenue in the middle of Brooklyn."
- Anthony E. Wills (1879–1912), playwright, novelist, author of short stories, and theatrical producer{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_billboard_1912-08-03_24_31/page/6/mode/1up?q=%22Anthony+E.+Willis%22|title=Anthony E. Willis Dies|date=August 3, 1912|page=6|volume=24|number=31|magazine=Billboard}}
- Anna Wood (born 1985), actressLevine, Daniel S. [https://heavy.com/entertainment/2017/07/dane-dehaan-wife-anna-wood-age-bio-kids-photos-instagram/ "Anna Wood, Dane DeHaan's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235618/https://heavy.com/entertainment/2017/07/dane-dehaan-wife-anna-wood-age-bio-kids-photos-instagram/ |date=January 19, 2018 }}, Heavy.com, July 20, 2017. Accessed January 19, 2018. "After two and a half years of living in Los Angeles, DeHaan and Wood decided to move to Williamsburg, Brooklyn for a change of scenery."
{{div col end}}
= Haredi rabbis =
{{div col|small=yes|colwidth=22em}}
- Zecharia Dershowitz (1859–1921), founder of one of the first Yiddish communities in America, and the first Hasidic synagogue in Williamsburg
- Yom-Tov Ehrlich (1914–1990), renowned Hasidic musician, composer, lyricist, recording artist, and popular entertainer known for his popular Yiddish music albums. One of his most popular songs is "Williamsburg", a song about Hasidic Williamsburg during the 1950s.
- Chaim Avraham Dov Ber Levine HaCohen (1859/1860 – 1938), known as "the Malach" (lit., "the angel"), founder of the Malachim (Hasidic group)
- Yosef Greenwald (1903–1984), second Grand Rebbe of the Pupa Hasidic dynasty;[https://kevarim.com/rebbe-yosef-greenwald/ "Rebbe Yosef Greenwald"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190117013326/https://kevarim.com/rebbe-yosef-greenwald/ |date=January 17, 2019 }}. "In 1950, the Rebbe settled in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn and began his congregation and yeshiva anew." supported the making of Eruvin in his hometownAdam Mintz, "[http://www.hakirah.org/Vol14Mintz.pdf A Chapter in American Orthodoxy: The Eruvin in Brooklyn] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180204111309/http://www.hakirah.org/Vol14Mintz.pdf |date=February 4, 2018 }}" – Hakirah p. 24
- Yaakov Yechezkia Greenwald II (born 1948), present Grand Rebbe of the Pupa Hasidic sect, son of Rabbi Yosef
- Mordechai Hager (1922–2018), founder and Admor of the Vizhnitz Hasidic sect of Monsey for 46 years
- Yekusiel Yehudah Halberstam (1905–1994), founding Rebbe of the Sanz-Klausenburg Hasidic dynastyLeibowitz Schmidt, Shira. "The Rebbe's Daughters". Ami Living, September 15, 2013, pp. 59–65.
- Fishel Hershkowitz (1922–2017), the Haleiner Rav, the senior Klausenburger dayan in Williamsburg, and respected elder in the American ultra-Orthodox community{{cite web |url=http://www.chareidi.org/archives5765/PKD65features.htm |title=Jews Around the Globe Celebrate Completion of Shas |date=March 9, 2005 |access-date=May 21, 2013 |publisher=Dei'ah VeDibur}}{{cite web |url=http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/featured/1286427/petira-hagaon-harav-ephraim-fishel-hershkowitz-zatzal.html |title=Petira of Hagaon HaRav Ephraim Fishel Hershkowitz ZATZAL – Yeshiva World News |date=May 27, 2017}}
- Dovid Leibowitz (1889–1941), founder and first rosh yeshiva of the Rabbinical Seminary of America, known today as "Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim", in Williamsburg
- Shraga Feivel Mendlowitz (1886–1948), founder of Torah Vodaath and Torah U'Mesorah[https://hamodia.com/columns/day-history-3-elulaugust-14/ "This Day in History – 3 Elul/August 14"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030232226/https://hamodia.com/columns/day-history-3-elulaugust-14/ |date=October 30, 2020 }}, Hamodia, August 13, 2018. Accessed October 27, 2020. "In 5681/1921 Rav Shraga Feivel moved to the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn."
- Eliezer Zusia Portugal (1898–1982), the first Skulener Rebbe
- Yisrael Spira (1889–1989), Bluzhover Rebbe, senior member of Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah
- Yonasan Steif (1877–1958), rabbi of Kehal Adas Yereim in Williamsburg, founded by New York Orthodox Jews who came from Vienna; known as the "Wiener Rov"
- Joel Teitelbaum (1887–1979), founder and first Grand Rebbe of the Satmar Hasidic dynastyBarron, James. [https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/03/nyregion/sale-of-a-grand-rabbi-s-home-is-upheld.html "Sale of a Grand Rabbi's Home Is Upheld"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235441/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/03/nyregion/sale-of-a-grand-rabbi-s-home-is-upheld.html |date=January 19, 2018 }}, The New York Times, July 3, 1996. Accessed January 19, 2018. "Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, who had led a congregation in Satu-Mare, Romania, before the Holocaust, settled in Williamsburg with a few dozen families after World War II."
- Moshe Teitelbaum (1914–2006), Hasidic rebbe and the world leader of the Satmar Hasidim after succeeding his uncle in 1980Newman, Andy. [https://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/25/nyregion/rabbi-moses-teitelbaum-is-dead-at-91.html "Rabbi Moses Teitelbaum Is Dead at 91"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120065803/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/25/nyregion/rabbi-moses-teitelbaum-is-dead-at-91.html |date=January 20, 2018 }}, The New York Times, April 25, 2006. Accessed January 19, 2018. "Moses Teitelbaum, the grand rabbi of the Satmar Hasidim, one of the world's largest and fastest-growing sects of Orthodox Jews, died yesterday in Manhattan. He was 91 and lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn."
- Aaron Teitelbaum (born 1947), one of two Grand Rebbes of Satmar, and the oldest son of Moshe Teitelbaum, Grand Rabbi of kiryas Joel, New York and Palm Tree, New York
- Zalman Leib Teitelbaum (born 1951), one of two Grand Rebbes of Satmar, and the third son of Moshe Teitelbaum, Grand Rabbi of Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar (Rodney Street, Brooklyn)
- Yakov Yosef Twersky (1899–1968), Grand Rebbe of the Skver Hasidic dynasty
{{div col end}}
In popular culture
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Literature
- The first three novels by Daniel Fuchs — Summer in Williamsburg (1934), Homage to Blenholt (1936), and Low Company (1937), collectively known as "The Williamsburg Trilogy" or "The Brooklyn Novels" — are set primarily in Williamsburg or its immediate vicinity.Staff. [https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/11/obituaries/daniel-fuchs-novelist-and-screenwriter-84.html "Daniel Fuchs, Novelist And Screenwriter, 84"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190407084038/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/11/obituaries/daniel-fuchs-novelist-and-screenwriter-84.html |date=April 7, 2019 }}, The New York Times, August 11, 1993. Accessed May 29, 2017. "Mr. Fuchs turned to screenwriting after the commercial failure of 'The Williamsburg Trilogy', his novels in the 1930s about growing up in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn. The books — Summer in Williamsburg, Homage to Blenholt, and Low Company — were critically praised, but sold poorly."
- The 1943 novel A Tree Grows in Brooklyn takes place in Williamsburg in the 1910s.Maeder, Jay. [http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/betty-smith-tree-grows-brooklyn-sensation-article-1.800961 "How Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn became a literary sensation"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119175446/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/betty-smith-tree-grows-brooklyn-sensation-article-1.800961 |date=January 19, 2018 }}, New York Daily News, August 14, 2017. Accessed January 18, 2018. "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was the tender, courage-awash story of the Nolan family — impossible Johnny, the singing waiter who drank up his tips; patient, suffering Katie, the hard-working janitress who kept home and hearth together; and ceaselessly pensive daughter Francie, ever buried in library books and dreaming of clean skies somewhere beyond the grime of Williamsburg."
- The 1967 book The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, is set in 1940s Williamsburg. The book was made into a film in 1981.Shepard, Richard F. [https://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/16/movies/bringing-brooklyn-of-the-1940-s-back-to-life-for-the-chosen.html?pagewanted=all "Bringing Brooklyn Of The 1940s Back To Life For The Chosen"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120065642/http://www.nytimes.com/1982/05/16/movies/bringing-brooklyn-of-the-1940-s-back-to-life-for-the-chosen.html?pagewanted=all |date=January 20, 2018 }}, The New York Times, May 16, 1982. Accessed May 29, 2017. "Putting the period to a period film is a demanding business, an expensive one, too, that becomes even more challenging if the period is one that lies within the memory of living man. The Chosen, at the Beekman and Cinema 3, is a case in point, a movie that recalls a Brooklyn of the late 1940s, and does so with such fidelity that the tree-lined quiet streets of Williamsburg and the particular Jewish life on them seem to have emerged intact from a just-opened time capsule."
- The 2019 novel Hipster Death Rattle, by Richie Narvaez, takes place in a heavily gentrified Williamsburg.{{cite journal |last1=Turner |first1=Elliott |title=Hipster Death Rattle |journal=Latino Book Review |date=July 31, 2019 |url=https://www.latinobookreview.com/hipster-death-rattle---richie-narvaez--latino-book-review.html |access-date=March 16, 2022}}
Film, television, and theater
- Once Upon a Time in America (1984) begins in Williamsburg, and includes scenes shot in Williamsburg, though the focus of the story was Manhattan's Lower East Side in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1960s.Canby, Vincent. [https://www.nytimes.com/1984/06/01/movies/film-once-upon-a-time-inamerica.html "Film: Once Upon A Time In America"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525103009/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9801E1D6143BF932A35755C0A962948260 |date=May 25, 2011 }}, The New York Times, June 1, 1984. Accessed January 18, 2018. "The screenplay, by Mr. Leone and five others, cannot be easily synopsized. It begins in the 1920s in a long prologue set in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, the jungle where the five young friends, including Max and Noodles, learn their trade as petty thieves and arsonists."
- The 1988 movie Coming to America was primarily filmed on South 5th Street in Williamsburg, despite being set in Queens.Murray, J. J. [https://archive.org/details/untilisawyoursmi0000murr/page/16 "Until I Saw Your Smile"], p. 16. Kensington Books, 2014. {{ISBN|9780758277282}}. Accessed January 18, 2018. "He looked toward the bridge, shaking his head, wondering why Coming to America, supposedly set in Queens, was primarily filmed on South 5th Street in Williamsburg. It made me laugh to see Billyburg in that movie. Eddie Murphy is really trying to find his queen in Williamsburg, not Queens."
- In the 1994 comedy-drama The Paper, directed by Ron Howard, Williamsburg became the setting for the scene of a fictional double murder that turns out to be a mafia retaliation killing.Turan, Kenneth. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-18-ca-35499-story.html "Movie Reviews : The Paper: It's All in the Delivery"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101030528/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-18-ca-35499-story.html |date=November 1, 2020 }}, Los Angeles Times, March 18, 1994. Accessed October 27, 2020. "The Papers" breathless doings begin with a brief prologue showing a pair of black teen-agers in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn discovering a car containing two slain white businessmen and, via a bit of bad luck, becoming prime suspects for the crime... The problem of the day for this group is deciding whether that unlucky pair's arrest for the Williamsburg murder can command the front page."
- The episode "Walk Like a Man" of The Sopranos, aired 2007, features a scene shot in Williamsburg.{{cite web |url=https://www.sopranos-locations.com/locations/apartment-building/ |title=Sopranos location guide |author=Ugoku |access-date=November 3, 2021}}
- The sitcom 2 Broke Girls (2011–2017) is set in Williamsburg.[http://www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls/about/ About 2 Broke Girls] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608012717/http://www.cbs.com/shows/2_broke_girls/about/ |date=June 8, 2016 }}, CBS. Accessed June 3, 2016. "2 Broke Girls is a comedy about the unlikely friendship that develops between two very different young women who meet waitressing at a diner in trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and form a bond over one day owning their own successful cupcake business."
- A large part of the TV series Younger was filmed in Williamsburg.Mendelson, Will. [http://www.amny.com/entertainment/celebrities/hilary-duff-talks-her-new-brooklyn-based-new-show-younger-1.10151767 "Hilary Duff talks her new Brooklyn-based show, Younger"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818214030/http://www.amny.com/entertainment/celebrities/hilary-duff-talks-her-new-brooklyn-based-new-show-younger-1.10151767 |date=August 18, 2016 }}, AM New York, March 29, 2015. Accessed July 2, 2016. "[Q] That's awesome! How long did you live in Brooklyn for? [A] Almost four months. I lived in Park Slope, and we filmed in Williamsburg."
- Parts of Daredevil were filmed in Williamsburg, Greenpoint, and Bushwick, all passing for Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.{{cite web |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141031/williamsburg/netflixs-daredevil-series-covertly-filming-williamsburg |title=Netflix's 'Daredevil' Series Covertly Filming in Williamsburg |last=Dai |first=Serena |work=DNAInfo |date=October 31, 2014 |access-date=November 1, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141103033827/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20141031/williamsburg/netflixs-daredevil-series-covertly-filming-williamsburg |archive-date=November 3, 2014 |url-status=dead}}
- Parts of "How to Be Single, was filmed in Williamsburg next to the Williamsburg Bridge [https://onthesetofnewyork.com/howtobesingle.html]
- The last parts of "John Wick, was filmed in Williamsburg near and inside the Williamsburg Savings Bank [https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/12/20/keanu-reeves-wields-big-gun-while-filming-john-wick-in-brooklyn/]
{{col-break|width=48%}}
Music
- New Jersey emo band Armor for Sleep's third album, Smile for Them, featured the single "Williamsburg", which mocks the hipsters that call the neighborhood home.LaGorce, Tammy. [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/09peoplenj.html "Who Says You Can't Leave Home? Armor for Sleep"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702014910/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/09peoplenj.html |date=July 2, 2022 }}, The New York Times, December 9, 2007. Accessed June 3, 2016. "As listeners will discover if they cue up 'Williamsburg,' a song on the new album that skewers the hipster scene in that Brooklyn neighborhood, the Secaucus stops may reflect more than a desire to be near the ones they love. "
- Kany García filmed her music video for her song "Feliz" in Williamsburg.[https://eldiariony.com/2016/01/17/los-sures-no-miran-para-atras/ "Los Sures no miran para atrás; Los hispanos permanecen en el transformado sector de Williamsburg y recuerdan su pasado sin nostalgia"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119120508/https://eldiariony.com/2016/01/17/los-sures-no-miran-para-atras/ |date=January 19, 2018 }}, El Diario La Prensa, January 17, 2016. Accessed January 18, 2018. "La cantante Kany García, ganadora del Latin Grammy filmó su video 'Feliz' en Los Sures."
Photography
- Thomas Hoepker's photograph View from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Manhattan, 9/11 showing five people sitting on the banks of the East River while in the background a large cloud of smoke emanates from the collapsed towers of the World Trade Center was taken near the Williamsburg Bridge.* {{cite book |first=Michael |last=Diers |author-link=Michael Diers |title=Vor aller Augen. Studien zu Kunst, Bild und Politik |publisher=Wilhelm Fink |publication-place=Paderborn |year=2016 |isbn=978-3-77-05-6059-2 |pages=130 |language=de}}
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See also
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Commons category|Williamsburg, Brooklyn}}
{{Wikivoyage|Brooklyn/Williamsburg}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20051130041408/http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/data/2003nhp-brooklynk.pdf Williamsburg Health Study – NYC Dept. of Health Neighborhood Profile]
- {{Subreddit|Williamsburg|Williamsburg}}
{{Geographic location
| Centre = Williamsburg
| North = Greenpoint
| Northeast = Greenpoint/East Williamsburg
| East = East Williamsburg/Maspeth (Queens)
| Southeast = Bushwick
| South = Bedford-Stuyvesant
| Southwest = Clinton Hill
| West = Fort Greene
| Northwest = East River
}}
{{Williamsburg, Brooklyn}}
{{Brooklyn}}
{{Former towns of New York City}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:Populated places established in 1827