RAIN DATE: Brooklyn Heights SOUTH: War, Churches, and Real Estate!

This is the RAIN DATE for the tour scheduled originally for Saturday June 8, which has been forecast as a rainy day. The next day, Sunday, is instead forecast to be partly sunny.

Richard Upjohn, James Renwick, Minard Lafever, Patrick Keely: Some of the greatest architects of New York in the early to mid-nineteenth century are represented by tour-de-force churches within a few blocks of each other in our Brooklyn Heights SOUTH tour. Brooklyn long had a reputation as "The City of Churches", and you'll know why before we're halfway done. We'll see these and other masterpieces of the Romanesque, Renaissance, Gothic, and Greek revivals in marble and brownstone among the literally hundreds of pre-Civil War homes in this marvelous neighborhood. Besides that, hear about the great vision of the canny merchant who created New York's first suburb by grasping the significance of a breakthrough in technology; see where the clubhouse of one of the first baseball teams still stands; learn how the shocking plan to destroy this now-landmarked neighborhood was foiled; and relive the night George Washington executed one of the most daring retreats in military history after the nightmarish Battle of Long Island, masterminded in a mansion perched atop the very cliffs of Brooklyn Heights.

Where to meet: Meet by the tall set of front steps of Brooklyn Borough Hall, at Court and Remsen streets. Take the 2,3,4,5 to "Borough Hall" or R to "Court Street". Please note though the mailing address of this building is listed as Joralemon Street, that is NOT the front of the building. Walk around the building until you see an imposing TALL flight of stairs. That's the spot!

When to meet: 12:45pm for a 1pm start. I will be holding a sign that says "Brooklyn Heights SOUTH". There are restroom facilities inside a Starbucks across the street from Borough Hall; please be sure to take a visit there if necessary before the tour starts.

Fee: $15 cash, exact change appreciated!

The tour will be approximately 2/2.5 hours long. While Friendly Native tours walk rain or shine 99.9% of the time, on rare occasions they will be postponed in cases of what can be deemed dangerous weather, and an email sent out to that effect to all who have registered for the event. Check the weather reports on the day of the tour; if there is a chance of rain, please bring your own umbrella.