This spring is a crucial voting time for Brooklyn- not for our politicians but for our historic locations. You can save some of our most interesting historic spaces by voting for them in the Partners in Preservation program starting today. The program will award $3 million in grants to preserve NYC’s historic buildings, icons and landmarks- and some of them are in Brooklyn. Today, the 40 nominees were announced and the voting has begun! On May 22, the top three public vote-getters and the grants for their preservation projects will be revealed.
Will one of the winners be a Brooklyn landmark?! Well, let’s hope!
How can you help?
You can vote for your favorites on Partners In Preservation’s Facebook page or vote online from April 26 to May 21, 2012 once a day. Or you can visit their mobile photo booth, check in on Foursquare for a “Preservation Nation” badge, or follow @PartnersinPres and @AmericanExpress on Twitter (Partners in Preservation is a partnership between American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.)
Our blog has been enlisted to help get the word out about three of the Brooklyn nominees- specifically ones that might interest you as parents. The first nominee is actually 2 landmarks: The Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79 and Tugboat Pegasus. Both desperately need repair and preservation help. What makes these 2 places special for families? Justine Cooper went to find out and took some fabulous photos and notes on her visit with her own kids.
The Lehigh Valley Railroad Barge No. 79 is looking pretty good for its age. In two years the barge celebrates its 100th birthday. Things didn’t look so promising 27 years ago when David Sharps, a former cruise ship entertainer, bought it for $1 and proceeded to spend the intervening years resurrecting the once beached and 7 ft deep mud-filled vessel back to working order…(that’s 60 elephants weight worth of mud!)
Lehigh Valley No. 79 does much more than float these days. The barge has a renewed life as the Waterfront Museum, providing educational tours for schools, outreach programs, and free or low-cost art and cultural events. Some of the family-friendly events for 2012 will include a contra dance, a teen comic book launch, a pirate vaudeville show, a showboat circus, several music concerts and more.
The barge itself is both charming and historically significant as the only surviving all-wooden example of the Hudson River Railroad Barge from the Lighterage Age (1860-1960) that remains afloat and accessible to the general public.
The Barge’s interior serves as a treasure house of maritime artifacts.
One of the preservation projects David undertook was replacing damaged beams and frames of the superstructure with reclaimed wood of the same type, long leaf yellow pine.
Furnishings located inside the Captain’s cabin are believed to be original. They include a table and stool, a closet, a shelf and a berth with mattress stenciled “L.V.R.R. 79”.
There are wonderful artifacts and contemporary attractions that are fascinating to adults and kids.
My son spent most of our visit mesmerized by the magical mouse-trapesque kinetic installation by sculptor George Rhoads.
This is the “backyard” of the barge. What a lovely view to wake up to!
Equally special is the 1907 Tugboat Pegasus, captained by Pamela Hepburn. Together these two vessels have teamed up for many an adventure. Tug Pegasus brings focus to the natural ecology of the harbor and how the historic waterways around NYC has been important to the city.
Currently the barge is at its permanent home in Red Hook and tug Pegasus is in NJ. However both will be heading to Tribeca’s Hudson River Park from May 5th-13th for a full tour, if you want to catch the two of them together in person.
Details:
The Waterfront Barge Museum
290 Conover Street
Brooklyn, NY 11231
(718) 624-4719
waterfrontmuseum.org
Getting there:
The Waterfront Barge Museum is a 5 minute drive from the Brooklyn Queens Expressway at the Atlantic Ave (if heading east) or Hamilton Ave.(heading west) exits. It’s a great excuse to stop at Fairway afterwards and do your grocery shopping too as it is mere parking lot away from the grocery store. And, no stop in Red Hook would be complete without a quick detour to Steve’s Authentic Key Lime Pies.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by the Partners in Preservation program.
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Justine Cooper, our “Top of the Shop” photographer, loves capturing babies and families so much, she made a career out of it. Originally trained as a photojournalist, she also has a Masters in Fine Art. She splits her time between creating work for galleries and shooting families in the New York area. She lives with her husband and two children in Brooklyn. Her portrait work can be seen at www.justinecooperphotography.com. Justine was voted “Brooklyn’s Best Family Photographer” by Nickelodeon’s Parents Connect.