The map of Brooklyn has changed surprisingly little, at least on paper, since 1922. One exception to this is in the Dyker Beach Park area, where a number of streets have vanished since then. The park was first developed in 1895 when the architectural firm Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot was commissioned to design a 50-acre park from the waterfront to about 92nd Street. The Dyker Land and Improvement Company owned the parcel between 92nd and 86th Streets and leased it to the Dyker Golf Club and Marine and Field Club, both of which used the still-standing 1898 field house as their headquarters. Poly Prep was unsuccessful in purchasing property from Dyker Land and Improvement for their new school, which they wanted to build at Dyker Park, but the NYC Parks Department offered them some acreage and Poly built its signature clock towered school on 7th Avenue south of 92nd Street.
The Dyker Beach Golf Course as we know it took shape by 1934 as the golf club acquired parcels between 86th and 92nd Streets, and the streets occupying the parcel were eliminated as the golf course was built.
On this map we see the streets between 7th Avenue and 14th Avenue south of 86th Street which were eliminated: Gubner, DeRussy, Morrison, Delaplaine, and Bay 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th. DeRussy Street was named for General Rene Edward DeRussy (1789-1865), who helped design Fort Hamilton. A semicircular drive past the Dyker Beach Golf Course’s clubhouse was named for DeRussy in 2008, restoring the name to the map.
The slots for Bay 3rd and 6th Streets were occupied by 12th and 13th Avenue. The elimination of Bay 1st-Bay 5th Streets is the reason for the current situation of the Bay streets beginning with Bay 7th, and the avenues’ taking the place of Bay Streets is responsible for the odd numerical sequence in Bath Beach of 17, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 19, 22, in which Avenues and Bay streets combine in an odd sequence.
Benson Avenue also went as far west as 7th Avenue and 90th Street.
Check out the ForgottenBook, take a look at the gift shop, and as always, “comment…as you see fit.”
1/3/18