When Trolleys Roamed Brooklyn
The Daily News is renewing the call to restore Brooklyn’s long-lost trolley lines to Downtown–a worthy cause that has long been championed by Brooklynite Bob Diamond. Not only could a downtown trolley make transport to Red Hook a breeze, but they could restore a link to a lost Brooklyn, and even be a tourist attraction along the lines of San Francisco’s streetcars (more attractive than the night loop buses).
The above photo dates from June, 1933, and shows a trolley car passing in front of 110 Livingston, back when it was the headquarters to the Elks Lodge of Brooklyn (you can almost hear the roll of bowling balls and splashing in the pool inside the building). The below photo shows a trolley stop right on Boerum Place outside 110′s door. Check out another downtown trolley image after the jump–and don’t miss the Brooklyn Historic Railway Association’s historic maps, and proposed Red Hook line (pdf), which would run straight from 110 to Fairway.
- Brooklyn Historic Railway Association
- Lost New York on Brooklyn Trolleys
- A proposal for Coney Island trolleys (Gowanus Lounge)
