Prospect Laboratory?

According to a brief search on the subject, the Mt. Prospect Laboratory was founded some time around 1897 as a municipal water supply analysis chemistry lab, as a unit of the "Department of Water Supply, Gas and Electricity."

Original address seems to have been Flatbush Avenue at Eastern Parkway, so perhaps the Park Place at Underhill address was an annex of some sort.

Makes sense, as there used to be a decent size reservoir on the west side of the Brooklyn Museum up there on Mt. Prospect.

jeffrey, very cool shot of the old reservoir.

...I am told the wall that runs along the back of the Brooklyn is library is original.

It is cement, and has ornamental waves carved into it. You can see it from the Flatbush side, or walk into the "employees only" parking lot....

Its now used an administration office of the Board of Education.

whynot_31 wrote: jeffrey, very cool shot of the old reservoir.

...I am told the wall that runs along the back of the Brooklyn is library is original.

It is cement, and has ornamental waves carved into it. You can see it from the Flatbush side, or walk into the "employees only" parking lot....

I will totally look for this. Thanks for the tip!

On a related note, I saw an amusing little article blurb that may refer to the construction of that wall, at least when more excavation and construction was performed to expand the Brooklyn Museum way back when.

Here's the article:



Oh wait, that article came decades too early to be for the wave wall you mention.

Here are the pics of the original museum *before* it was expanded to add its more-well-known neoclassic facade and western wing (not the new neo neoclassic facade or that cheesy somewhat older Sphinx face abomination, lol), which in actuality is probably when your wave wall was added:

Pity to let a little thing like that get in the way of all the fun.

I won't tell if you won't...

:twisted:

Here's an even better idea.

Why don't we start a thread that the building next to the Underhill playground is actually re-opening as an after hours speakeasy cocktail lounge, with beautiful people holding court while drinking homemade cocktails with sprigs of mint and orange peel.

Then we can enjoy as all the hipster poseurs comment all week about how excited they are now that culture has finally come to Prospect Heights, and discuss what drink they will order and what friends from the Brooklynian will be there so they can all share their mutual distaste for parents, children and strollers.

Meanwhile, on "opening night", at midnight, the same hipster poseurs will be lining up on Park Place, outside the Dept of Ed building, hoping their chosen outfit will be acceptable for entrance and trying to decide if they want to sit at the bar or at a table, and discussing plans to turn the Underhill playground into an outdoor smoking lounge with DJ and table service.

And the day after, the Underhill playground will again be full of happy children enjoying every little detail of their new lives, bringing great joy to those adults who appreciate how much they can learn about themselves by listening to the questions from their little voices.

Isn't that a great idea?

You guys have all made my husband's (the OP) day! He asked me to hop online to see if anyone had replied to his question while he makes lunch... and we're both laughing at the speakeasy lounge idea. Nice one!

Back to the topic at hand - I wish the scary metal grates on the windows would come down and the nasty chain link fence would go the way of the dodo. That bldg is pretty cool and it would be so much cooler w/o the grates and fence. So much for the aesthetics of the Dept. of Ed, eh?

My understanding is that the building is going to get an extesive renovation. At least windows and roof repair.