Construction of this Freemason Shrine began in 1909 under a fraternal organization known as the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. It is believed to be the oldest Shriners' mosque still in existence and was the first of its kind in New York. The building was designed in a Moorish Revival style with murals and architectural details mirroring that style throughout the interior. The Friendship Baptist Church has owned the building since 1966. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
The red brick building at 475 Nostrand Avenue is the oldest surviving structure in New York City that was built as a high school. The Girls' High School was constructed from 1885 to 1886 and was designed by James W. Naughton in a mixture of Victorian Gothic and French Second Empire styles. A large addition to the rear of the building dated to 1891 but has been demolished; another to the south was added in 1912. The building has become an adult education center. The Girls' High School building is considered eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and became a New York City Landmark in 1983. The building is part of Bedford Historic District, a National Park Service-certified local historic district.
The buff Roman brick building with circular corner towers on the southwest corner of Nostrand Avenue and Hancock Street has been standing since 1892. The Renaissance Apartments building was one of several in Brooklyn designed by a local architect, Montrose W. Morris, for real estate investor Louis F. Seitz. The building was listed in the New York and National Registers of Historic Places in 1995 and became a New York City Landmark in 1986. The five-story building holds 25 rental apartments.
The red bricks at 404 Tompkins Avenue once served as the facade of a ground-floor commercial space operated by Morris and Rose Mitchom, Russian-Jewish immigrants who designed a stuffed toy bear in 1902 after President Theodore Roosevelt spared the life of a bear cub while hunting. The couple got permission from Roosevelt to call their toy a "teddy bear" and founded the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company in 1907. The couple lived in one of the apartments above the store. One of their early teddy bears is on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. The commercial space now contains Byas & Leon, a vintage and consignment shop, and the upper floors are still apartments.
The building at 832 Marcy Avenue between Putnam and Madison Avenues has been called one of the finest Romanesque Revival buildings in New York City. The Boys' High School was constructed in 1891 and opened in 1892. The school building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural significance. Famous alumni include composer Aaron Copeland, sportscaster Howard Cosell, and author Isaac Asimov. The exterior appeared in the television show The Knick as a Victorian hospital. The auditorium, built in 1911, appears near the end of the Spike Lee film Crooklyn as a concert hall. The building still houses public schools, the Brooklyn Academy High School and the Uncommon Collegiate Charter High School. The school building is part of a National Park Service-certified local historic district, Bedford Historic District.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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Take a stroll through the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood to some of its most historical buildings. The walking tour includes what may be the oldest Shriners' mosque still standing in the U.S., the birthplace of the teddy bear, an apartment building that looks like a French chateau, and two of the oldest high school buildings in Brooklyn.
