Guide to the Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection, BCMS.0006 Finding Aid Prepared by Brooklyn Collection Staff

Guide to the Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection, BCMS.0006 Finding aid prepared by Brooklyn Collection staff

and revised by Diana Bowers-Smith, archivist

This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit May 14, 2019

Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Collection , 2019 10 Grand Army Plaza Brooklyn, NY, 11238 718.230.2762 [email protected] Guide to the Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection, BCMS.0006

Table of Contents

Summary Information ...... 3 Historical Note...... 4 Scope and Contents...... 4 Arrangement...... 5 Administrative Information ...... 5 Related Materials ...... 5 Controlled Access Headings...... 6 Collection Inventory...... 8 Series I: Postcards...... 8 Series II: Stereoviews...... 11 Series III: Prints & Publications...... 11 Series IV: Ephemera...... 14 Series V: Photographic Media...... 14

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Summary Information

Repository Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Collection

Title Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection

Date 1868–2007, bulk 1895–1915

Extent 6.3 Linear feet , 7 boxes

Location Brooklyn Collection Morgue, Shelf 7.2

Language English

Abstract A collection of visual material documenting Prospect Park, compiled and donated by Terrence J. Allen.

Preferred Citation This collection should be cited as the Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection, Brooklyn Public Library – Brooklyn Collection.

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Historical Note

Prospect Park is a 585 acre park in the heart of Brooklyn. It was designed by famed landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who had previously designed Manhattan’s Central Park. Construction of the park began in 1866 and was mostly completed by 1875. Created to serve all classes of Brooklyn – at that point still an independent city and one of the largest in the country – the park was deliberately constructed to resemble a natural landscape, with a small creek, a lake, wooded areas, and long open meadows. Buildings in the park were mainly rustic shelters built of wood to complement the pastoral atmosphere. The park evolved over the years, and as the 19th century drew to a close many classical design elements were added to the landscape. The architecture firm of McKim, Mead, and White was hired to redesign the entrances around the park’s perimeter; they installed the classical pedestals, columns, and statuary that stand at Grand Army Plaza, the Third Street entrance, Bartel-Pritchard Circle, and Park Circle. A number of new buildings were also erected around the turn of the century, including the Boat House and the Peristyle. Under the administration of city parks commissioner Robert Moses in the mid-twentieth century, the park was again renovated to emphasize physical recreation over the passive enjoyment of natural vistas. Moses built a new zoo, bandshell, and several playgrounds around the park’s perimeter. A period of decline followed, with original buildings falling into disuse and decay even as the park celebrated its centennial year in 1966. Restoration efforts were mounted in the 1980s, including the founding of the Prospect Park Alliance, a non-profit organization that works with the City of New York to maintain and restore the park grounds. When taken in its totality, the Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection, the bulk of which dates from 1895 to 1915, forms a nearly complete picture of the park in its earliest incarnation, before cycles of dilapidation and redevelopment altered the landscape. Many of the landmarks represented in the postcard collection, like the Mount Prospect water tower, the Dairy, and Mount Vernon have been replaced or are gone completely.

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of postcards, stereoviews, photographic media, prints and ephemera. Although the collection spans from 1868 to 2007, the bulk of materials are from the period between 1895 and 1915. In addition to the park grounds themselves, the collection also represents areas immediately adjacent to the park, including the Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, and scenes along Prospect Park West and Eastern Parkway. The ephemera collection includes programs from the Parks summer concert series

- Page 4 - Guide to the Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection, BCMS.0006 dating from 1897 to 1914. Although there are some duplicates in the collection, for the most part each item is unique.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into series by format. Within the postcard series, materials are arranged geographically per the donor's original order, to replicate the experience of physically touring the park starting at Grand Army Plaza and looping through the the park's various landmarks. The remaining series are arranged chronologically.

Administrative Information

Publication Information Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Collection , 2019

Access Collection is located in the Brooklyn Collection at the Central Branch at Grand Army Plaza. The collection may only be used in the library and is not available through interlibrary loan. Requests to view the collection must be made at least 48 hours in advance of visit.

Use While many items in the Brooklyn Collection are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.

Provenance Donated to the Brooklyn Collection by Terrence J. Allen in 2012.

Related Materials

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Selection of sources available at the Brooklyn Collection: Berenson, Richard J. The complete illustrated guidebook to Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. New York: Silver Lining Books, 2001. Graff, M. M. The making of Prospect Park : notes for a projected historical study. Greensward Foundation, c1982. Lancaster, Clay. Prospect Park handbook. New York: Long Island University Press, 1972. Landmarks Preservation Commission. Prospect Park designation report. New York: The Commission, 1975. Prospect Park Alliance. Saving Brooklyn’s last forest: the plan for Prospect Park. New York: Prospect Park Alliance, 1994. Prospect Park Centennial Committee. Prospect Park, 1866 - 1966. New York: Prospect Park Centennial Committee, 1966. Historic photographs available via our Digital Collections. Historic prints and ephemera in our Prints Collection and Ephemera Collection. Online resources: Prospect Park Alliance website and archives Forgotten New York’s “Secrets of Prospect Park”

Controlled Access Headings

Genre(s)

• Negatives (Photographs) • Photographs • Postcards • Prints • Stereographs

Geographic Name(s)

• Grand Army Plaza (Brooklyn, New York, N.Y.)

- Page 6 - Guide to the Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection, BCMS.0006 • Prospect Park (New York, N.Y.)

Personal Name(s)

• Allen, Terrence J.

Subject(s)

• Parks -- New York (State) -- New York

- Page 7 - Guide to the Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection, BCMS.0006 Series I: Postcards

Collection Inventory

Series I: Postcards

Box 1

Section 1.1: Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch, 1902–1943

See also oversized postcards, Box 6.

Section 1.17: Boat House: Old Building, 1905-1913

Section 1.18: Lullwater Bridge, 1907-1942

Section 1.19: Rustic Arbor, 1907-1913

Section 1.20: The Umbrella (Breeze Hill), 1908-1915

Section 1.21: Mt. Vernon, circa 1932

Section 1.22: Terrace Bridge, 1905-1954

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Box 2

Section 1.23: The Lake: General Views, 1905-1928

Section 1.24: The Lake: Rustic Shelters, 1903-1924

Section 1.25: The Lake: Swan Boats, 1911-1912

Section 1.26: Park Circle, 1904-1924

Section 1.27: Parade Grounds and House, 1910

Section 1.28: Parkside Avenue Entrance, 1911

Section 1.29: Peristyle, 1905-1925

Section 1.30: Concert Grove: Shelter, 1904-1956

Section 1.31: Concert Grove: Monuments, 1906-1934

Section 1.32: Concert Grove: Flower Garden, 1904-1949

Section 1.33: Stairways, 1915-1919

Section 1.34: Lincoln Road Entrance, 1910-1921

Section 1.35: Cleft Ridge Span, 1908

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Section 1.36: Empire Boulevard Entrance, 1907-1911

Section 1.37: Vale of Cashmere, 1904-1919

Section 1.38: Eastern Parkway, 1910-1951

Section 1.39: Mount Prospect Water Tower, 1902-2007

Box 6

Folder 1: Oversized Postcards

Series II: Stereoviews

Boxes 3 and 4

The stereocards date roughly from 1900 to 1920. They consist mostly of scenic views of different areas of the park.

Series III: Prints & Publications

Box 5

Folder 1: 1860s

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How Parks Are Made--The Present Condition of Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper pp.56-57, October 12, 1867.

Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York. Harper's Weekly, September 12, 1868.

The Lincoln Monument in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, New York. Harper's Weekly, November 13, 1869.

Folder 2: 1870s and 1880s

Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Appletons' Journal of Popular Literature, Science, and Art, June 4, 1870. One page of text and one image.

Prospect Park, Brooklyn. 2 copies, 1 colored. Picturesque America p. 562, c1874.

Fountain Built of Beton, and Erected at the Flatbush Entrance to Prospect Park. The Manufacturer and Builder, 1877.

Circular Yacht in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Harper's Weekly p. 596, July 27, 1878.

The Archery Tournament, Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Harper's Weekly cover, July 23, 1881.

Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Cities of the World p.100, 1882

The Battle Pass (in Prospect Park,) Brooklyn. History of King's County Including Brooklyn, NY, 1884.

Sham Battle at Prospect Park, Brooklyn, on Washington's Birthday. Harper's Weekly p. 148, March 7, 1885.

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Sham Battle at Prospect Park, Brooklyn, on Washington's Birthday. Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper pp. 40-41, March 7, 1885.

Map of Part of Wards 3, 9, 10, 11, 20, & 22, City of Brooklyn, circa 1870s-1890s. Reproduction. Areas of Park Slope and Prospect Heights on either side of Flatbush Avenue with part of Grand Army Plaza in the bottom right corner.

Folder 3: 1890s and later

The Big Bicycle Parade in Brooklyn, New York. Harper's Weekly p. 602, June 29, 1895.

[Tennis Players on the Lawn] Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Culver Pictures, circa 1890. Fortune p.127, July 1, 1966

Scenes at the Opening of the Famous Cycle Path from Prospect Park, Brooklyn, to Coney Island: Incidents at the Manhattan Beach Track. The Illustrated American p.25, July 6, 1895.

Steam Spraying Apparatus used in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, N.Y. Yearbook U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, 1896.

Sunday Morning on the Prospect Park Meadow. New-York Tribune cover, August 1, 1897.

"The Parks and the People" by Samuel Parsons, Jr. The Outlook, May 7, 1898. Multi-page text about New York City parks by a former Superintendent of Parks. Includes images of the lake, bridge and shelter, May pole, sheep pasture, and cleft ridge span.

Electric Fountain at the Entrance to Prospect Park. The New Metropolis, 1899.

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The Lake, Prospect Park. The New Metropolis, 1899.

Entrance to Prospect Park, Brooklyn. The New New York, 1909.

A Morning Ride in Prospect Park. Brooklyn Life cover, January 10, 1914.

Coldwell Motor Lawn Mowers on the Tennis Courts, Prospect Park, Brooklyn, N.Y. The American City p. 72, circa 1910s-1920s.

Map of a Part of the Borough of Kings (Brooklyn,) New York City. The New Wolrd Atlas and Gazetteer p. 215, 1923.

Prospect Park Fall Guide, circa 1984.

Series IV: Ephemera

Box 6, Folder 2

Program for Arbor Day at Battle Pass, Prospect Park, May 2, 1890

Park Concerts Season Programs, 1897-1914

Duke's Cigarettes Advertising card depicting Myra Ward in Colors of Prospect Park Model Club, undated

Series V: Photographic Media

- Page 14 - Guide to the Terrence J. Allen Prospect Park Collection, BCMS.0006 Subseries 5.1: Photographs

Subseries 5.1: Photographs

The photographs are mostly in black and white and range in date from 1892 to 1934. Of note are 14 panoramic prints on scrapbook board dating from 1907, and 10 black and white snapshots of one couple’s day in the park from 1934. Locations depicted in the park include the Terrace Bridge, lake, lawn, Concert Grove, boat house, Lincoln Monument, and Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch. Photographs are arranged by date, although their original order can be reconstructed by sequencing the call numbers assigned to each of the photographs.

Box 6

Folder 3: Photographs, 1890–1899

Folder 4: Photographs, 1900-1929

Folder 5: Photographs, 1932-1934

Folder 6: Photographs, undated

Box 5

Folder 4: Panoramic photographs on scrapbook board, 1907

Subseries 5.2: Slides

Areas depicted include the lake, Long Meadow, and fountains.

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Box 7

Lantern slides, circa 1894-1915. Mostly in black and white and mostly undated.

35mm slides, undated

Subseries 5.3: Negatives

Areas depicted include the Concert Grove pavilion, Abraham Lincoln monument, the thatched shelter, lake and Long Meadow.

Box 6

Folder 7: 5x7" glass negatives, 1907

Box 7

4x5" glass negatives, circa 1906

Film negatives, circa 1930s

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