By Jessica Parks
With the onslaught of event
cancellations brought on by fears
of the novel coronavirus, we’ve
compiled a list Brooklyn Historical
Society talks that you can listen
to online for free — letting you
keep your mind buzzing with borough
centric information during
the lonely future days of social
distancing.
Resurrection of Gage
& Tollner
The historic Downtown
Brooklyn restaurant, which had
served up world-class grub and
fond memories on Fulton Street
from 1879 to 2004, had been set
to return on March 15 — but that
triumphant return was postponed
by the infection.
So while you’ll have to wait
a little longer to visit their newly
remade digs, you can still learn a
lot about the century-old staple in
the historical society’s “Restaurant
Resurrection: Putting Gage &
Tollner Back on the Map.”
New York Times cocktail columnist
Robert Simonson pours
into the archival material in the
society’s G&T Collection — leading
a fascinating conversation
with the restaurant’s co-owner
St. John Frizell, head chef Sosui
Kim, and 40-year part-owner Janet
Pawlukiewicz as they discuss their
experience reimagining the eatery.
Whose waterfront?
Being cooped up indoors might
have sparked a deeper appreciation
for the borough’s beautiful
outdoor spaces and the stakeholders,
as well as community
groups, that helped cultivate
them. “Whose Waterfront? North
Brooklyn’s Environmental Justice
Saga” is a discussion about the
fight to preserve the waterfront
in Williamsburg and Greenpoint
from a proposal to build the largest
trash-transfer site on the East
Coast — and the continued work
of community groups to foster
public health and public space in
the area.
Built and Never-Built
Brooklyn
While Brooklynites are grappling
COURIER L 42 IFE, MARCH 20-26, 2020
with new lifestyle changes
by the day, it might bring some
peace to mind to see just how much
intense change the borough’s landscape
has withstood throughout
history.
Cornell University professor
and urbanist Thomas Campanella
brings listeners on an audio journey
from colonial Brooklyn to
the future of the borough with a
focus on the infrastructure needed
to support a rapidly developing
society in “Built and Never-Built
Brooklyn: An Exploration.”
Mural Movement
If you need some color in your
life, get a glimpse into the meaning
behind many of Brooklyn’s
celebrated murals.
“Brooklyn’s Mural Movement”
features a captivating discussion
about how activist-artists collaborated
with their neighbors to capture
their sense of place at a time
when the borough was experiencing
accelerated gentrification.
By Ben Verde
A new documentary depicts
the extraordinary rise of
Brooklyn-born basketball legend
Stephon Marbury, tracing
his career back to his roots
as an up-and-coming athletic
phenom at southern Brooklyn’s
Abraham Lincoln High
School.
“A Kid from Coney Island”
premiered at BAM on March
6 with a star-studded lineup of
NBA players and movie stars
— from Kevin Durant to Forest
Whittaker — coming to pay
tribute to Marbury, who spent
large portions of his illustrious
career with both the Knicks
and Nets.
The documentary features
interviews with family, friends,
fellow players, and journalists
who paint a behind-the-scenes
look at Marbury’s upbringing
in the neighborhood during a
time of high street crime in the
borough.
“This brother never had an
emotional break in his life,”
says veteran sports reporter
Stephen A. Smith.
But directors Coodie
Simmons and Chike Ozah manage
to tell the story of Marbury’s
ascent out of Coney Island to
the top of NBA stardom —
with all the gritty obstacles the
young Brooklynite overcame
during his rise.
In 1998, Spike Lee directed
“He Got Game,” movie about a
fictionalized young man who
came out of Coney Island’s
Abraham Lincoln High School
to make it to the NBA— with
Lee attributing Marbury as a
large inspiration for the film.
But Marbury would later
go on to become something of
an anti-hero during his Knicks
years, often feuding publicly
with his teammates and coaches,
which lead to his dwindling
popularity and earning him the
title of “most reviled athlete
in New York” from the Daily
News sports desk.
By 2010, Marbury had fallen
out of the league entirely
— signing with the Shanxi
Zhongyu Brave Dragons
of the Chinese Basketball
Association.
Learn about the history of Gage & Tollner in Downtown Brooklyn with “Restaurant
Resurrection: Putting Gage & Tollner Back on the Map.”
Photo by Brooklyn Historical Society
Stephon Marbury and family pose for a photo at the red carpet premier of A
Kid From Coney Island at BAM. Photo by Derrick Watterson
Learn about the history of Kings County’s street art with “Brooklyn’s Mural Movement.” Photo by Zoe Freilich
Movie Star-bury
HISTORY OF KINGS
Dive deep into Brooklyn lore with
the Historical Society’s audio series
Documentary tracks NBA
legend Stephon Marbury’s
Coney Island roots
Kids from Lincoln High School attend the red carpet premiere.
Photo by Derrick Watterson