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Crown Heights Gentrification Doesn't Always Fit Narrative
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Feb 1, 2012
Modified Feb 1, 2012
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Tien Mao / Gothamist
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Feb 1, 2012
Modified Feb 1, 2012
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Yesterday the Times profiled Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, the rapidly gentrifying boulevard and the "epicenter of renaissance" previously seen in Park Slope and Williamsburg. Though there are plenty of residents in the historically black and Hasidic neighborhood that welcome the influx of students, young professionals and families, a Crown Heights native and Medgar Evers professor notes,"There's a social cohesion gap right now." And Nick Juravich, a Columbia grad student and Crown Heights blogger, tells us, "There definitely is to certain degrees. But there are also signs that the groups living in the neighborhood are becoming remarkably integrated."
Juravitch, who has been documenting life in Crown Heights for four years on I love Franklin Ave., acknowledges that the high turnover in the neighborhood is partly responsible for the "gap," and that the specter of the 1991 riots hasn't entirely receded. The Hasidic landlord complaining about "sun tanning goyim" doesn't help the community cohesiveness either, nor do cynical attempts at real estate rebranding.
But Juravich says that even Barboncino, the new pizza joint that the Times holds up as the "stylish" epitome of gentrification, is doing its part to bridge the societal and class divides in Crown Heights. "It's not just a young, white hangout. All of the merchants on Franklin encourage their customers to patronize one another. I was there the other night and half of the store owners on Franklin were in there hanging out. It's not quite as stark a difference as the article makes it."
Our own Tien Mao recently moved to Crown Heights South after purchasing a house on Union Street, and notes that he's getting to know his neighbors through his block association. "There are a few students and families who just moved in, but mostly people who have been there a long time," he says. "And there are other community organizations that are pretty successful at bringing people together. Also: Super Wings. They have great wings and a really diverse customer base."
"Candy Rush is also one of those places that the old and new groups in the neighborhood overlap," Juravich says. "They just had an event for the kids of PS 316 in their space. And a bakery, Lily & Fig, has a really charismatic owner who is very committed to introducing everyone in the neighborhood, talks to everybody."
Lost in all of these stories of the pains of gentrification, Juravich says, is that Franklin Avenue was part of "a huge Panamanian community. There are still a handful of Panamanian restaurants and bars around. And they still have a parade there. My favorite is Kelso Dining. But I guess it's just not part of the narrative; it's just another example of how a neighborhood changes."
Tagged
brooklyn
changing neighborhoods
Crown Heights
gentrification
hasidic hews
new york times
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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