Canceled: Brooklyn Down East Part 1: Bushwick

Please note — In response to concerns about coronavirus, the Municipal Art Society has made the difficult decision to cancel this tour.

Bushwick has seen major transformations from a Dutch settlement to a 19th century staunch German enclave, to a symbol of urban decay after the 1977 blackout and fires. Hear the story of one of New York City’s oldest neighborhoods, as preservationist Joe Svehlak shows us remnants of Bushwick’s glorious past and its current renaissance. View a former brewery, beer baron mansions, great civic buildings and churches including the magnificent St. Barbara’s, and two WWI memorials by sculptor Pietro Montana. We will also visit the Rheingold Gardens complex of apartments and townhouses, an award winning symbol of Bushwick’s revitalization. Private developers are now transforming Bushwick into a trendy community of new housing, galleries, shops, and restaurants. Your tour guide Joe Svehlak recently received the “Guiding Spirit” award from the Guides Association of New York.