Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

(Fort Greene/Clinton Hill/Wallabout, Brooklyn, July 19, 2005) - The Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership has just released their new neighborhood shopping guide, which also includes, for the first time, a self-guided tour of historic sites on and around the avenue. The shopping guide and tour are also available on the Partnership website, myrtleavenue.org, in an enhanced version which also provides merchant hours of operation and menus for avenue restaurants. Users can request guides by mail on the site, and copies are available in avenue businesses and at the Brooklyn Tourism Office in Brooklyn Borough Hall.

“We wanted to create something that would not just provide information to shoppers, but also remind local residents of the rich cultural history of the neighborhood,” said Michael Blaise Backer, Executive Director of the Partnership. “The addition of an historic guide helps us move towards our goal of stimulating foot traffic on the avenue and increasing cultural tourism in the area.”

Funding from the Department of Small Business Services assisted the Partnership in undertaking historical research in the area, and the guide reflects months of study, conducted on foot, interviews with long-time residents and from traditional resources. The guide provides information on historic Wallabout industrial buildings such as the Rockwood Chocolate Factory and the Merganthaler Linotype Company, residences of well-known residents such as Walt Whitman and Richard Wright, and places of architectural interest such as the Caroline Ladd Pratt House and Emmanuel Baptist Church. In total, 52 places are detailed in the guide, which includes a numbered map highlighting the locations.

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The electronic shopping guide can be found here. To request a printed shopping & dining guide and historical walking tour, please contact us.