As Forgotten New York documents in the Street Necrology of Downtown Brooklyn, the realms of Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO and Vinegar Hill used to be crawling with narrow alleys, that were likely lined with factories and tenements. Today, most of them are gone and frankly, I’m mystified how most of them, besides the ones obliterated by housing projects and expressways, disappeared in the first place as the streets they connected are otherwise intact. If you look at street maps of northeast cities from the early 1900s to now, alleys have made a gradual disappearance as they are demapped and buildings go up where they used to be.
One tantalizing alley that’s still intact is Harrison Alley, on the south side of Evans Street just east of Hudson Avenue. Evans Street itself is a one-block street that leads to another one, Little. You can see on Street View that it’s heavily wooded and gated and impenetrable to all except its residents. One building, #1 Harrison Alley, can be vouchsafed a glimpse at its very end.
Will Harrison Alley ever give up its secrets? I may need your help, if you know who lives at #1 Harrison Alley and will allow me past that gate.
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6/8/22