Warm weather and reopening plans augur better days ahead. In
this issue, we find plenty of reasons for optimism.
Affirming the importance of green space, artist Irina Rozovsky
documents the pleasures of Prospect Park. In Bed Stuy, three
friends have formed Building Black Bed Stuy to support the
community with crowdsourced funds for local entrepreneurs.
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, a homeowner tackles the
restoration of crumbling plaster ornament and much-painted
woodwork with gusto and patience, then gives her witty design
sensibilities free rein. Inspired by her home’s rich plaster detail,
we delve into the history and care of plaster medallions.
One interview touches on some seriously disturbing topics that
have been much in the news lately. Award-winning author Alyssa
Cole, who lived in Brooklyn for almost a decade before moving
to Martinique, shares how she became a writer and the thought
process behind her latest book, a bestselling thriller about the
scourges of gentrification and racism. “When No One Is Watching”
is set in an unspecified Brooklyn location “vaguely around
the Crown Heights/Bed Stuy border near Weeksville,” Cole tells
Brownstoner. We think you won’t be able to put it down.
Also in this issue, Brownstoner columnist Suzanne Spellen
assesses the legacy of the Parfitt Brothers, a prolific 19th century
Brooklyn architectural firm admired for its mood-lifting attention
to form, rhythm, and detail. Enjoy.
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FROM THE EDITOR
Photos by Susan De Vries.