By Taylor Castro, Lillian Lieu, Navin Rana, and Elaine Wong
To start on our virtual walking tour, please click on continue reading.
★★★★★
Hello and welcome to the Brighton Beach Walking Tour!
Holocaust Memorial Park
The forever wild marking outside the park, meaning it can never be knocked down and built on
The first stop on the walking tour is the Holocaust Memorial Park. This was New York’s first public Holocaust memorial that was dedicated in 1985, by then Mayor Ed Koch. It was created to honor renowned leaders, educators, and heroic figures. However, there was a call for a permanent memorial to built in the park.
Eventually, in 1997 there was a permanent memorial built to represent to the eternal light of the victims of the Shoah, which is standard Hebrew term for the Holocaust. Also, included were granite markers that surround the memorial on either side of it is etched with thousands of names. This Park is very indicative of the large Jewish population of the neighborhood, which increased in the 1950s and ‘60s due to Eastern European—particularly Russian—Jews escaping pogroms and the Holocaust.
An outdoor monument at the Holocaust Memorial Park
An outdoor interactive monument
A closer view of this monument, which is inscribed with many different countries whose people were affected by the Holocaust
P.S. 225 The Eileen E. Zaglin
The main announcement board seen outside of P.S. 225 through which the school can communicate to parents
While walking a few blocks southwest, you will see P.S. 225 The Eileen E. Zaglin School on your left. This school holds about 900 students from pre-K to eighth grade, meaning that there are about 100 students per grade level. Aside from wanting to promote creativity, high expectations, and expert teaching, P.S. 225’s mission is to “create a nurturing and exciting environment in which children of multicultural and multiethnic backgrounds can appreciate and celebrate the diversity of ideas, values and culture in the school community”. In fact, the school serves a community of over 30 ethnic and cultural groups. 41% of the students are white, 38% are hispanic, 18% are asian and 3% are black. This shows that although there is a predominantly white population in Brighton Beach, other races make up the other 59%, so Brighton Beach is pretty diverse after all.
P.S. 225 also goes by the statement, “I believe in me!” in which it strives to “foster and sustain a cultural instructional program conducive to student learning” and to “create lifelong learners by promoting literacy”. What this statement does is to encourage students to trust themselves, which will further motivate them to work harder in school. The school also wants parents to become a great part of their children’s education.
The exterior of P.S. 225
Here, students can participate in various after school activities and clubs such as Arista-Archon Societies, Chorus, Basketball, Peer Mediation Conflict Resolution Program, Mentoring Program, Art Club, Chess Club, and Math Club. These activities help foster the creative minds of young kids, giving them a place for growth in all areas. It helps students interact with each other, encouraging healthy social behavior. These programs not only serve as places for students to stay while their parents are at work, but they also push forward the idea of being in a close, diverse community.
Master Theater
Walk two blocks down Brighton 12th Street onto Brighton Beach Avenue and you’ll see the Master Theater to your right. The Master Theater, previously known as the Millennium Theater, is a 1,362-seat venue that hosts various theatrical performances,
Present-day Master Theater
concerts, film screenings, and comedy acts, many of which are directed toward the Russian-speaking community. The theater is filled with all types of lighting and sound equipment in order to support the variety of performances and acts. Some well-known acts like American singer/songwriter Ray Charles, comedian Jackie Mason, and Russian violinist Vladimir Spivakov, as well as Russian pop stars and ballet and drama groups, have performed here.
When people attend these shows, they feel like they are back in their home countries, whether it be Russia or Ukraine. Nearly everyone who comes here experiences great nostalgia, and they remind themselves that they have made it to America, despite all the challenges they have faced in their lives. However, because most Russian-speaking immigrants are aging, shows from their native countries have become less unpopular. This results in the theater’s owners seeking for better crowd-pleasers, an example being Chinese acrobats.
The lobby of the Master Theater still retains its architectural design after being converted into Gourmanoff in 2014.
Aside from being a concert venue, the Master Theater serves another purpose to the Russian community in Brighton Beach. Since 2014, the lobby of the theater has been converted into Gourmanoff, a luxury food supermarket. Gourmanoff offers the world’s largest selection of caviar, along with gourmet foods, smoked salmon, fresh produce, and fresh meats. There are also Russian buffet-style tables where customers can buy warm, traditional Russian meals.
Brighton Neighborhood Association
While the Master Theater can provide entertainment and even basic groceries, the Brighton Neighborhood Association (BNA) across the street can lend support in terms of quality-of-life issues. The BNA was founded in the 1970s after rallies were held by neighborhood residents on the corner of Brighton Beach Avenue and Coney Island Avenue, due to increasing crime in the area. From these rallies, the neighborhood residents formed the BNA to help each other with problems of living in the area. Now, the BNA helps residents with immigrant outreach, homeowner counseling, tenant organization, youth services, etc.
People walking to support the Brighton Neighborhood Association
Brighton Beach Train Station
After examining this organization, walk down Brighton Beach Avenue past Coney Island Avenue, until you reach the Brighton Beach train station, a place that you might recognize if you’ve traveled here by train.
The entrance to the Brighton Beach above ground train station, at which the B and the Q lines stop
The crossing of Brighton Beach Avenue and a side Brighton Street, under the “L,” a slang term for the “elevated [train] track”
The Brighton Beach train station is the only train station in the Brighton Beach neighborhood. The B and Q trains both run at this station, which is built on top of Brighton Beach Avenue, which is the busiest commercial street within Brighton Beach. The trains are an added convenience, allowing visitors to travel easily. Many immigrants who live in Brighton Beach travel to work in more diverse areas where it is easier to find jobs. They use the train to travel between work and home, as well as to make any trips for leisure. Students who live in the area are able to use public transportation to go to school, making schools further away more accessible to them. Also, the subway stations allow the younger people, who have moved to Long Island, New Jersey, and other areas, to come in and visit their elderly parents and family. Essentially, this subway station represents a vital facet of the community, when it comes to commerce, travel, and accessibility.
Apartment Buildings at Brightwater Court
A view of the apartment complex from across the corner
Keep walking along Brighton Beach Avenue until you reach Brighton 2nd Street. Then, walk down one block to Brightwater Court. Along Brightwater Court are streets lined with apartment buildings. Before the apartment buildings were created, Brightwater Court was full of hotels, attracting visitors to stay when they visited Brighton Beach. Brighton Beach became a family neighborhood in the 1920s, when people began to migrate from various places such as Europe, Pakistan, China, Vietnam, and Mexico. The hotels evolved into Art-Deco styled apartments. However, Brighton Beach wasn’t necessarily a prosperous neighborhood. The settlers were people who tried to escape the slums and Jews who tried to escape the anti-Semitic policies in Europe, specifically Poland and Russia. As the neighborhood became more populated, infrastructure problems deteriorated the buildings. From the 1950s to the 1970s, there was a shift in the people settling in the neighborhood, where middle-class families and workers moved out and impoverished, elderly people moved in. Gang activity involving drugs and arson was also prominent at this time. It wasn’t until the next wave of Soviet Jews that settled in the 1970s when the neighborhood began to rejuvenate.
An apartment window from the outside
Now, the apartment buildings on Brightwater Court still maintain their history of having lavish Art-Deco exteriors. The eclectic detailing is intricately designed, with symmetrical patterns. The oceanside view continues to attract people of all ages to settle there. It is a temporary answer to the problem of overcrowding in the area. They are home to various types of families, ranging from the growing population of elderly couples in the area to families with young kids. Usually, the area is quiet, save for a couple of people standing in front of their homes chatting, which is a benefit for those living there.
One entrance to the apartment complex
An entrance to the building
The outside of a corner, first-floor apartment
Scheur House of Brighton Beach of the Jewish Association for the Services for the Aged
The cornerstone of the Scheur House of Brighton Beach of the JASA
Afterwards, walk along Brightwater Court until you reach Scheur House of Brighton Beach of the Jewish Association for the Services for the Aged between Brighton 6th Street and Brighton 7th Street. As we already know, Brighton Beach has a very large senior citizen population, about 20% of the population, with a median age high at 44.1. Many of these seniors are unable to work, have a hard time finding work, or are living off of retirement funds and pension plans. As a
A view of the Scheur house in its entirety
result, many senior citizens find themselves in low-income brackets. In response, a Jewish Association for the Services of the Aged (JASA) housing center was erected. The center contains 153 rent-assisted units for qualifying seniors ages 62+. This is a form of section 8 housing, for which residents pay about 30% of their adjusted income, which is calculated by the state. For many seniors living in this home, their adjusted income is comprised of social security and various retirement funds. This building is filled to capacity, with a capped waiting list, showing the true need for this kind of assisted-housing in this area.
Shorefront YM-YWHA
The main entrance to the Shorefront YM-YWHA
Right next to the Scheur House of Brighton Beach of the Jewish Association for the Services for the Aged is the Shorefront YM-YWHA. The Shorefront YM-YWHA is a family organization where members can attend various recreational classes including, but not limited to, educational classes, cultural classes, swimming classes, and Jewish culture and identity classes. This center is representative of the large proportion of Russian immigrants that are Jewish. It was established in the early 1950s, and has since been a center of Jewish cultural growth. It has deeply rooted Jewish traditions and values, which many immigrants appreciate as they are assured that their heritage will not be lost to their children who are born in America. They offer summer camp and day care services for children whose parents work. They host a variety of youth sports, including soccer, basketball, tennis, and karate, as well as a full fitness center for adults. The center is a great place for families to connect to one another and others in the neighborhood of the same faith and ethnicity.
The fitness center within the Shorefront YM-YWHA for adults
The full sized swimming pool that serves many purposes in the Shorefront YM-YWHA
An outdoor play area used by children at the summer day camp
Riegelmann Boardwalk
An awning used for shade from the summer sun on the boardwalk
To reach the final destination, turn towards your left, and walk straight down. The last stop of this walking tour is the Riegelmann Boardwalk, which is an extension of the Coney Island Boardwalk, and the beach. The boardwalk was first developed as a place for entertainment in the early twentieth century. It had attractions like Ferrari’s Wild Animal Arena, a scenic railway, a carousel (merry-go-round), an Irish fairground called “Donnybrook Fair” and a pavilion called “Happyland”. Private hoteliers built the three-mile long boardwalk in order to attract visitors over the summer. Many locals took advantage of the influx of visitors in the summer to earn more money by catering, renting out rooms, and selling goods.
Stores along the boardwalk
Today, the boardwalk is the go-to place for socializing with friends and family, fit for people of all ages. The restaurants provide a variety of food to satisfy different people’s appetites. A small park around Brighton 5th Street is an ideal place for older Russians to play dominoes and other various board games. Bikers and joggers frequently visit the boardwalk to exercise. Many people simply go to the boardwalk to chat with their friends, while enjoying the beautiful scenery of bright yellow sand and the cerulean ocean. On summer days, teenagers, young adults, and families from all around New York travel to Brighton Beach to play by the waterfront. Activities at the beach range from playing beach volleyball to swimming in the water to sunbathing on the sand while reading a book. The Brighton Beach Boardwalk and beach is a must-see place for everyone who visits the neighborhood.
A summer sunset on the Brighton Beach boardwalk
Thank you for coming with us on the Brighton Beach Walking Tour. We hope you enjoyed your time and got to know Brighton Beach better!
★★★★★
Works Cited
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