Park Slope Section of Brooklyn on Eve of Important Movement.

Another IMBY W.W.W. Train of Thought Leaves the Station.

link: The Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide, February 3rd, 1917 

Park Slope Property a Specialty  

The author of this editorial article, Charles Edward Rickerson was in "Real Estate and Insurance" according to Empire State Notables, but I think he was essentially a well known Brooklyn broker operating in The Slope with an office at 227 Flatbush Avenue.  The New York Times has about a half dozen paragraphs in their archives records listing his recent property sales.  link    The Real Estate Record has many, many, more listings where he leased prominent area townhouses. 

I found this great hand written letter he had sent to then Brooklyn Borough President (1940-1961) John Cashmore, offering up the idea of using Ft. Greene Park as a possible site for a new Brooklyn Dodgers' stadium.  If you recall, in 1957 Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley was threatening to move the team if they didn't get a new ballpark. 

January 4th, 1957   Mr. Rickerson does the math selling Ft. Greene Park to Borough Pres. Cashmore. Link

Why not build a downtown Brooklyn Ballpark?

New York politicians reacted as effectively as possible to the threat of losing their team.  A meeting that included the city’s mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr., Brooklyn’s Borough President Cashmore, the New York City’s Construction Coordinator, and the Dodgers’ owner Walter O'Malley was held to investigate how to acquire the land just to the east of the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues in downtown Brooklyn for a new ballpark. O’Malley indicated that the Dodgers’ had $6 million available to purchase land and build a new ballpark.  

Of course we all know how this story turned out... We lost out to Los Angeles, and the honorable Robert Ferdinand Wagner II was elected to a third term, but hey, he got us fluoridated drinking water and the Mets.

History is funny.  


Priceless memo below. Draw your own parallels.

February 6, 1957
Internal memo from Walter O'Malley  Link

Take a look at this 1957 Dodgers Autographed Baseball,
  Virtual Tour


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