[dailyheights]

Atomische just wrote in to Daily Heights and asked if we could post this on the front page:

"A visitor to my photo blog posted a long and fascinating comment about what it was like living on my block (Underhill & St. John's) back in the 1960s."

Here's the comment:

"Wow,,,,I lived on this block when I was a kid..from about 1961 to about 1968 or 69. We lived in the first apt house on the right,,,310 St. Johns Place.

We lived on the first floor, the door was never locked, us kids went in and out and there were beautiful grand stoops with a ton of brickwork and had huge bushes on each side. Inside our hallway vestibule were two huge mirrors facing each other and you could see yourself into infinity.

On the corner right next to our building was the family owned laundrymat. On Underhill Avenue was the famous HERMANS ICE CREAM PARLOR and people came to hang out from all over Brooklyn and MOTOWN was what we listened to on the juke box mostly and drank Egg Creams. We could buy a pack of cigarettes for 28 cents at the drug store.

Most of us graduated from St. Teresa of Avila two blocks up and some of went John Jay HS, Prospect Heights HS and Bishop McDonald HS. The neighborhood was mostly Irish and Greek. With the Corcorans, McGuires, Gaffneys, Sims, Hughes, Beeban, Georganson, Pavones, McKnight, O'Kane, Rozakis, Scourby, Zanatakis, Hilkies, O'Connor, Attanassio, Gormans, Galanos, Lorenzo, Harrison, Gazis, Miller , Abdo, Byrd, Haggerty, Strong, Zakarriasen and Coffins.

The rent in those days ran about $100 or $150 a month. Down the block toward GAP were the benches surrounding what we called the "Mound". The guys played stick ball on the block and my Mom drove a 56 turquoise Chevy.

The "average" kids lived on the tenament side and the 'richer" kids lived in one of the three big apt buildings across the street. This sure brings back alot of memories.... — comment by Kim (Coffin) Costanzo @ 2006-11-17 00:40:34
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[Anotherdayinbkln]

http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2006/11/17/extra_extra_338.php

wow, Gothamist is already linking this story

[neene]

when i told an old neighbor of mine where i had moved to, this is what he wrote back to me:

I grew up in 252 Prospect Place between the Vanderbilt and Underhill,
on the only cold water flat in the block. The rest were brown stones.
We used to heat the house and get hot water from the coal stove
exclusively until ca. 1958-9 when the city outlawed coal heating.
(sounds so 19th century.)

But I love that neighborhood. Actually still have dreams about it. The
wonderful Prospect Park, the "Hill" park (between the NYPL and the
Bklyn Museum), the BBG (of which I am a member and still visit), the
beautiful architecture, etc. Bobby Fisher the chess champ grew up on
Lincoln Place between Washington and Underhill, incidentally.
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the further you go out on a limb, the harder it is to keep your balance
balance is overrated

[bebop]

hello everybody ! i just had to reply to this thread . this is my first ever post so i hope it goes thru correctly .
i grew up on st.john's place in the 60's too ,
graduated st. teresa & recognized many names in your post , 'dailyheights' !
we were at herman's ice cream parlour also . how amazing to read your post ! take care ...

[doublediamond]

One day, if we're lucky, we'll be telling stories about our neighborhood to a different generation as well. I wonder what they'll think...

I love this kind of stuff. Thank you for sharing your memories.
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I believe in peace, bitch.

[Idlewild]

What's to tell?
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"I'm a Chain Belt...that's called the Quart of Blood Technique. You do that, a quart of blood will drop out of a man's body."

[doublediamond]

[brooklynleather]

I love to hear about the neighborhood's history, thanks for sharing.

[pensodyssey]

[bebop]

hi all ! i lived at 285 st.john's throughout the 60's ( 'till 6 . but i was born on dean st ( washington ave )
i'm old enough to remember shoot-outs on the street back in the 50's .
a helluva lotta 'characters'.