On November 1, 1918, the worst transit disaster in New York City history occurred just outside Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The wooden cars of the Brighton Beach line of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit (B.R.T.) company left the tracks, crashing inside the tunnel beneath the busy intersection where Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue and Malbone Street met [Google map]. The Malbone Street Wreck killed nearly 100 people and injured more than 250. Criminal trials and lawsuits arising from the accident dragged on for years, contributing to the bankruptcy of the BRT. The name "Malbone Street" became associated with the disaster; it's known today as Empire Boulevard.
Please visit the NEW SITE for Flatbush Gardener
Showing posts with label Kensington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kensington. Show all posts
2018-11-01
2010-04-30
Plant Sales This Week in and near Brooklyn
BBG Plant Sale, May 2009
It's the week for the annual plant sale frenzy. All listed here are benefits for their respective gardens. It's a great way to support your local gardens, meet other gardeners, and pick up some cool plants.
It's the week for the annual plant sale frenzy. All listed here are benefits for their respective gardens. It's a great way to support your local gardens, meet other gardeners, and pick up some cool plants.
2009-01-08
Kensington Blog interviews local creativista Gideon Kendall
Dino Pets illustration by Gideon Kendall, author: Lynn Plourde, publisher: Dutton/Penguin
Neighbors and colleagues, the Kensington, Brooklyn blog interviewed the multi-talented Kensington resident Gideon Kendall. And my neck of the woods get a mention:
Raptors on gables - DO NOT WANT!
I'm not aware of any exact match for the houses in the illustrations, but it's easy to see the influences in the neighborhood. Check out these examples from Prospect Park South.
170 Stratford Road, Prospect Park South
1203 Albemarle Road, prospect Park South
143 Buckingham Road, Prospect Park South
Victorian Flatbush
Kensington, Brooklyn
Neighbors and colleagues, the Kensington, Brooklyn blog interviewed the multi-talented Kensington resident Gideon Kendall. And my neck of the woods get a mention:
KB: Do you draw any inspiration from the neighborhood?Must ... have ... Dino Pets ...
GK: Absolutely. In Dino Pets, all of the houses and scenery are based on Ditmas Park [Victorian Flatbush].
- Local Spotlight: Gideon Kendall, Kensington, Brooklyn, 2008-01-08
Raptors on gables - DO NOT WANT!
I'm not aware of any exact match for the houses in the illustrations, but it's easy to see the influences in the neighborhood. Check out these examples from Prospect Park South.
170 Stratford Road, Prospect Park South
1203 Albemarle Road, prospect Park South
143 Buckingham Road, Prospect Park South
Related Content
Prospect Park SouthVictorian Flatbush
Links
Gideon KendallKensington, Brooklyn
2008-11-01
90 Years Ago: The Malbone Street Wreck
On November 1, 1918, the worst transit disaster in New York City history occurred just outside Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. The wooden cars of the Brighton Beach line of the Brooklyn Rapid Transit (B.R.T.) company left the tracks, crashing inside the tunnel beneath the busy intersection where Flatbush Avenue, Ocean Avenue and Malbone Street met [Google map]. The Malbone Street Wreck killed nearly 100 people and injured more than 250. Criminal trials and lawsuits arising from the accident dragged on for years, contributing to the bankruptcy of the BRT. The name "Malbone Street" became associated with the disaster; it's known today as Empire Boulevard.
2008-08-14
Pakistani-American Festival, Sunday, August 17
via the NYC DOT Weekend Traffic Advisory:
Coney Island Avenue between Avenue H and Newkirk Avenue will be closed Sunday, August 17, from 11am to 6pm for the Pakistani-American Festival as permitted by the Mayor's Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO).The event is sponsored by the Pakistani-American Merchants Association. Today, August 14, is the 61st Anniversary of Pakistan's independence.
2008-05-24
The Times discovers Kensington
"Pink Shell", Coney Island Avenue, Kensington, Brooklyn
The "Living In" feature of tomorrow's NY Times Real Estate section focuses on Kensington:
My photos of Kensington
Kensington
New York City Garden
Porochista Khakpour
The "Living In" feature of tomorrow's NY Times Real Estate section focuses on Kensington:
... a quiet, verdant area, just below Windsor Terrace, straddling McDonald Avenue and Ocean Parkway. The neighborhood, which is almost one square mile in size, has several long-established immigrant groups among its roughly 70,000 people.Even though it's right across Coney Island Avenue from me, I have been neglectful of Kensington and haven't spent much time there in the three years I've lived in Flatbush. Kensington and Flatbush both enjoy a rich diversity. With 7 lanes and no median, Coney Island Avenue serves as an (un)natural barrier between our neighborhoods. I have visions of more pedestrian-friendly streetscapes fostering streetlife along C.I.A. Maybe I'll live to see that.
- Name From London, People From Everywhere, New York Times, May 25, 2008
Once part of Flatbush, Kensington was developed after the completion of Ocean Parkway in 1875, according to the Encyclopedia of New York City. It was later named for the borough in West London; much of its housing was built in the 1920s. The wave of immigration that brought the neighborhood much of its ethnic diversity began in the 1980s.
Besides Church Avenue, smaller shopping districts can be found along Ditmas Avenue and Cortelyou Road, though the latter is not as developed in Kensington as it is in Ditmas Park, the neighborhood of Victorian houses to the east, where it is a major commercial street. A Food Town supermarket on McDonald Avenue recently expanded, to accolades from many residents.Individual Plots, East 4th Street Community Garden, Kensington
...
Most of Kensington is a short walk from the southern tip of Prospect Park, including the park’s Parade Grounds, with its tennis courts and baseball and soccer fields. Prospect Park Lake is also close by. Kensington Stables, just outside the park, offers riding lessons.
Related content
Other posts about KensingtonMy photos of Kensington
Some Kensington Blogs and Bloggers
Bad Girl BlogKensington
New York City Garden
Porochista Khakpour
Links
Name From London, People From Everywhere, New York Times, May 25, 20082008-04-29
Sources of Plants for Brooklyn Gardeners
Left to right: Gowanus Nursery, Liberty Sunset Garden Center, Chelsea Garden Center, and Brooklyn Terminal Market
Just a timely pointer to my post from last year, Sources of Plants for Brooklyn Gardeners, May 24, 2007. Since Blogspot doesn't give me any means of creating a standing topic page, I continue to keep that post up to date.
Brooklyn Terminal Market is NOT Closed, June 22, 2007
Chelsea Garden Center, June 16, 2007
Sources of Plants for Brooklyn Gardeners, May 24, 2007
Opening Day at Gowanus, March 31, 2007
A Visit to the Brooklyn Terminal Market, May, 2006
Just a timely pointer to my post from last year, Sources of Plants for Brooklyn Gardeners, May 24, 2007. Since Blogspot doesn't give me any means of creating a standing topic page, I continue to keep that post up to date.
Related Posts
Liberty Sunset Garden Center, July 20, 2007Brooklyn Terminal Market is NOT Closed, June 22, 2007
Chelsea Garden Center, June 16, 2007
Sources of Plants for Brooklyn Gardeners, May 24, 2007
Opening Day at Gowanus, March 31, 2007
A Visit to the Brooklyn Terminal Market, May, 2006
2008-03-10
Kensington Blogade
2008.03.17: Added more links to posts from other attendees.
The Kensington Blogade
I'm overextended. Too many pokers in the fire. Wearing too many hats. No room for another pig in the sty. (I just made that one up. Blog Widow and I like pigs.)
It's going to take me most of the week to catch up with my weekend. Saturday I attended Making Brooklyn Bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. And I'm writing a post about that, really I am. But this post is about yesterday's Kensington Blogade.
We pretty much filled the space at the Old Brick Cafe at 507 Church Avenue, between East 5th Street and Ocean Parkway in Kensington. This was the second-closest Blogade for me, about a 10 or 15 minute walk from my home. (The closest was the inaugural event.)
I was glad to see several new-to-the-Blogade bloggers there. Most I had already met virtually, several were also neighbors. At least two were completely new to me.
Joyce Hanson of Bad Girl Blog organized yesterday's event.
Each host chooses if and how to structure the event. Joyce asked each of us attending to present something we had published on our blog.
Most were readings, but there were also two media presentations, on laptops setup on the bar. My laptop is a heavyweight, or I would have done the same with my photography.
My other Blogade posts
My Flickr photo set from yesterday
Blogade Review from the Laziest Girl in Town, Bad Girl Blog
Blue Barn Pictures
A Taste of the Blogade at Old Brick, Brooklynometry
Crazy Stable
Creative Times
Brooklyn Blogade last Sunday, Found in Brooklyn
HutchOwen
Story Time, Luna Park Gazette
Poking My Head Out, Midnight Cowgirls
Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn
Self-Absorbed Boomer
Kensington Blogade, Shellytown
Washington Square Park
Sheepish, A Year in Prospect Park
The Kensington Blogade
I'm overextended. Too many pokers in the fire. Wearing too many hats. No room for another pig in the sty. (I just made that one up. Blog Widow and I like pigs.)
It's going to take me most of the week to catch up with my weekend. Saturday I attended Making Brooklyn Bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. And I'm writing a post about that, really I am. But this post is about yesterday's Kensington Blogade.
We pretty much filled the space at the Old Brick Cafe at 507 Church Avenue, between East 5th Street and Ocean Parkway in Kensington. This was the second-closest Blogade for me, about a 10 or 15 minute walk from my home. (The closest was the inaugural event.)
I was glad to see several new-to-the-Blogade bloggers there. Most I had already met virtually, several were also neighbors. At least two were completely new to me.
Joyce Hanson of Bad Girl Blog organized yesterday's event.
Each host chooses if and how to structure the event. Joyce asked each of us attending to present something we had published on our blog.
Most were readings, but there were also two media presentations, on laptops setup on the bar. My laptop is a heavyweight, or I would have done the same with my photography.
Related Posts
At yesterday's Blogade, I read Barbara Corcoran Hates the Earth and Back in the Day.My other Blogade posts
My Flickr photo set from yesterday
Links
Attending:Blogade Review from the Laziest Girl in Town, Bad Girl Blog
Blue Barn Pictures
A Taste of the Blogade at Old Brick, Brooklynometry
Crazy Stable
Creative Times
Brooklyn Blogade last Sunday, Found in Brooklyn
HutchOwen
Story Time, Luna Park Gazette
Poking My Head Out, Midnight Cowgirls
Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn
Self-Absorbed Boomer
Kensington Blogade, Shellytown
Washington Square Park
Sheepish, A Year in Prospect Park
2008-03-04
This Sunday: The Kensington Blogade
This is a reminder that the next Brooklyn Blogade, our mostly monthly meetup of Brooklyn bloggers and community members, will be this Sunday, March 9, in Kensington. Joyce Hanson of Bad Girl Blog is hosting this month at Old Brick Cafe, 507 Church Avenue, between Ocean Parkway and E. 5th Street:
Time for "Show & Tell": Bloggers are encouraged to be brave and give a reading from one of their best blog posts. Or bring along your laptop and a screen and show us your best pics. Or just tell us about your best post. Please plan to limit your presentation to about five minutes so everybody can have a turn.RSVP by THIS THURSDAY. See Joyce's Blogade post for details.
2008-02-11
Sunday March 9: The Kensington Blogade
On Sunday, March 9, the Brooklyn Blogade visits Kensington, courtesy of Bad Girl Blog:
WHERE:
Old Brick Cafe
507 Church Avenue, between Ocean Parkway and E. 5th Street
Kensington, Brooklyn
RSVP REQUIRED. See Bad Girl Blog for details.
Time for "Show & Tell": Bloggers are encouraged to be brave and give a reading from one of their best blog posts. Or bring along your laptop and a screen and show us your best pics. Or just tell us about your best post. Please plan to limit your presentation to about five minutes so everybody can have a turn.WHEN: Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 12noon
WHERE:
Old Brick Cafe
507 Church Avenue, between Ocean Parkway and E. 5th Street
Kensington, Brooklyn
RSVP REQUIRED. See Bad Girl Blog for details.
Related Posts
BlogadeLinks
Bad Girl Blog2008-01-06
Park Circle Mulchfest 2008: Sunday, January 6
219 trees were chipped at this location on Saturday, 564 on Sunday. The two-day total was 783. Not bad for the first time at this location.
I left Saturday about 12:45pm, so I didn't get to see how the rest of the day went. When I arrived Sunday morning, there was already a full corral of trees waiting to be chipped. I don't know how many of them were left over from Saturday. It's likely that many of them were dropped off overnight.
There was a much bigger turnout of volunteers today than yesterday. It took a while for everyone to get signed in this morning.
It's a good thing we had all the volunteers on hand. There were several large truckloads delivered during the day.
As expected, many more people brought their trees today rather than yesterday. There was a pretty regular stream of arrivals. Most of the folks brought their trees by car, but they also walked, as this couple did, wheeled their trees in laundry and shopping baskets, and even biked them in.
The chipper didn't operate constantly all day. We'd build up a large batch of trees, then the Parks staff would crank up the chipper and polish off the pile quickly. When the timing was right, and the chipper was active, folks dropping off their tree got to watch their very own tree getting chipped.
In the interest of photos of garden bloggers, here's an action shot of me bringing a tree from curbside to a Parks pickup truck. It's not in my garden, but it's somewhat gardening-related. Several of the Parks staff and some of the volunteers addressed me as "Santa".
Guardian of the Tools
Park Circle Mulchest 2008 [Flickr set]
I left Saturday about 12:45pm, so I didn't get to see how the rest of the day went. When I arrived Sunday morning, there was already a full corral of trees waiting to be chipped. I don't know how many of them were left over from Saturday. It's likely that many of them were dropped off overnight.
There was a much bigger turnout of volunteers today than yesterday. It took a while for everyone to get signed in this morning.
It's a good thing we had all the volunteers on hand. There were several large truckloads delivered during the day.
As expected, many more people brought their trees today rather than yesterday. There was a pretty regular stream of arrivals. Most of the folks brought their trees by car, but they also walked, as this couple did, wheeled their trees in laundry and shopping baskets, and even biked them in.
The chipper didn't operate constantly all day. We'd build up a large batch of trees, then the Parks staff would crank up the chipper and polish off the pile quickly. When the timing was right, and the chipper was active, folks dropping off their tree got to watch their very own tree getting chipped.
In the interest of photos of garden bloggers, here's an action shot of me bringing a tree from curbside to a Parks pickup truck. It's not in my garden, but it's somewhat gardening-related. Several of the Parks staff and some of the volunteers addressed me as "Santa".
Guardian of the Tools
Related Posts
My Mulchfest postsPark Circle Mulchest 2008 [Flickr set]
Links
Mulchfest 2008, Parks2008-01-05
Park Circle Mulchfest 2008: Saturday, January 5
Update 2008.01.06: I've added a post with photos from today.
Trees check in, they don't check out.
Today I volunteered for the city-wide Mulchfest at the Park Circle location. I had a great time, and I'm going back tomorrow.
The 3rd Street entrance to Prospect Park has been the focus of past years, and it was this year as well. By 11am, we heard that they had already handled over 300 trees. All the media were there, as well as the Parks Commissioner.
This is the first year that chipping is being done on-site at Park Circle. It was slow to start at 10am, but the pace picked up during the morning, and by the time I left around 12:30pm, I estimate at least 200 trees had been chipped and shredded, with more arriving every few minutes. Parks trucks went out with staff and volunteers to cruise the streets in the area for trees left for curbside pickup. They brought those back to park Circle for chipping. That was the source for most of the trees, though we had several drop-offs as well.
Because today was Three Kings Day, many people in the area of Park Circle had not yet taken down their trees. Tomorrow should be even busier.
The chipper empties into the back of a specialized dump-van/track. A couple of times during the day, the truck backs up and dumps out a huge pile of mulched Christmas trees.
The mulch is available for residents to come by and pick up. I got four big bags of it to use in my backyard. Parks staff and volunteers also moved the mulch to mulch trees around Park Circle. We'll be doing more of that tomorrow, as well.
Two of the volunteers at Park Circle were from the radio station Hot97. They sent a small crew over from 3rd Street to Park Circle. I think they interviewed everyone there, including me. So sometime in the next week there will be a very brief (about 10 seconds) video of me on their Web site.
Thank You Very Mulch!
Park Circle Mulchest 2008 [Flickr set]
HOT 97 at Mulchfest 2008
Trees check in, they don't check out.
Today I volunteered for the city-wide Mulchfest at the Park Circle location. I had a great time, and I'm going back tomorrow.
The 3rd Street entrance to Prospect Park has been the focus of past years, and it was this year as well. By 11am, we heard that they had already handled over 300 trees. All the media were there, as well as the Parks Commissioner.
This is the first year that chipping is being done on-site at Park Circle. It was slow to start at 10am, but the pace picked up during the morning, and by the time I left around 12:30pm, I estimate at least 200 trees had been chipped and shredded, with more arriving every few minutes. Parks trucks went out with staff and volunteers to cruise the streets in the area for trees left for curbside pickup. They brought those back to park Circle for chipping. That was the source for most of the trees, though we had several drop-offs as well.
Because today was Three Kings Day, many people in the area of Park Circle had not yet taken down their trees. Tomorrow should be even busier.
The chipper empties into the back of a specialized dump-van/track. A couple of times during the day, the truck backs up and dumps out a huge pile of mulched Christmas trees.
The mulch is available for residents to come by and pick up. I got four big bags of it to use in my backyard. Parks staff and volunteers also moved the mulch to mulch trees around Park Circle. We'll be doing more of that tomorrow, as well.
Two of the volunteers at Park Circle were from the radio station Hot97. They sent a small crew over from 3rd Street to Park Circle. I think they interviewed everyone there, including me. So sometime in the next week there will be a very brief (about 10 seconds) video of me on their Web site.
Thank You Very Mulch!
Related Posts
My Mulchfest postsPark Circle Mulchest 2008 [Flickr set]
Links
Mulchfest 2008, ParksHOT 97 at Mulchfest 2008
2007-11-06
The OASIS Mapping Service
Welcome, OASIS visitors! In addition to this tutorial, you can see some other examples of OASIS maps elsewhere on this blog:
Flatbush Rezoning Proposal will define the future of Victorian Flatbush, 2008-06-13
Weather Alert: Flood Watch Tonight and Tomorrow, 2008-03-04
Imagine Flatbush 2030, 2007-11-20
The Future Home of the Ex-Lax Gardens, 2007-11-01
In NYC, the non-profit OASIS - New York City Open Accessible Space Information System Cooperative - provides a thematic mapping service on their Web site. I have a link to them in the sidebar of my blog under "Links > NYC". They consolidate multiple sources of public information. In addition to all the real estate related information, they have layers for groundcover classification, street trees, aerial maps, flood hazards, and so on.
I've been using it for the past three and a half years. I've used it to generate many of the maps in my blog posts to visualize different themes and issues. I've become very comfortable using it.
The Kensington (Brooklyn) blog notes that it "seems to have a ton of info though we can't seem to figure it out." They mention a couple of empty lots, including one on Caton Avenue which caught my eye when I passed it on my way to visit their East 4th Street Community Garden this past Saturday. I'll use that empty lot as an example. What follows is a step by step tutorial on how to use the OASIS Mapping Service to get information about your neighborhood, and get details about a particular piece of property.
Here you can control what is, and isn't, displayed on the map. The "Layer" checkboxes on the left control points, lines and borders, and areas. The "Label" checkboxes on the right control text labels, like "Brooklyn" and "Kensington" in the map above.
Let's get rid of "Brooklyn"; we know that's where we are! Look for the section labeled "Boundaries & Labels" and uncheck the "County/Borough" box.
Town/Neighborhood
County / Borough
Community Districts
City Council Districts
Let's see the subway lines and stations, and let's also see the station names.
Streets
Bridges / Overpasses
zoom in/out Highways / Major Roads
Subway Stations
Subway Routes
Ferry Stops
Ferry Routes
zoom in/out Buildings
Piers
NYCHA Properties
Schools
Historic Houses
1 & 2 Family Residential
Multi-family Residential
Mixed Use
Commercial
Institutions
Transportation & Parking
Industrial
Vacant Lots
Notice the row of buttons across the top of the map.
Identify 
Zoom In 
Zoom Out 
Recenter 
Tag map 
Help
The "Zoom In" button is enabled. If we click on the map, we zoom into it, centered on the location where we clicked.
Our large vacant lot on Caton is in the upper right of the map, one block east of Ocean Parkway and west of the Parade Grounds. Click on it to zoom in on it. Your map should look something like this, depending on exactly where you clicked.
Now we can see the lot boundaries. We could zoom in closer, but this is a large lot, and it's big enough for us to select for identification.
Identify 
Zoom In Zoom Out Recenter Tag map Help
Now, whatever you click on in the map will be identified with detailed information in the area below the map. Click the vacant lot. The map changes to highlight the selected lot with a red border.
Scroll down to the area below the map to see all the details for this property.
Our vacant lot is 701 Caton Avenue. The Block-Lot numbers are 5321-64, information which we can use to get more information, such as the owner of the property, from city databases such as the Department of Buildings.
That's the basics! You can play around with different layers to produce different thematic maps, zoom in and out, and so on.
Have fun!
Flatbush Rezoning Proposal will define the future of Victorian Flatbush, 2008-06-13
Weather Alert: Flood Watch Tonight and Tomorrow, 2008-03-04
Imagine Flatbush 2030, 2007-11-20
The Future Home of the Ex-Lax Gardens, 2007-11-01
In NYC, the non-profit OASIS - New York City Open Accessible Space Information System Cooperative - provides a thematic mapping service on their Web site. I have a link to them in the sidebar of my blog under "Links > NYC". They consolidate multiple sources of public information. In addition to all the real estate related information, they have layers for groundcover classification, street trees, aerial maps, flood hazards, and so on.
I've been using it for the past three and a half years. I've used it to generate many of the maps in my blog posts to visualize different themes and issues. I've become very comfortable using it.
The Kensington (Brooklyn) blog notes that it "seems to have a ton of info though we can't seem to figure it out." They mention a couple of empty lots, including one on Caton Avenue which caught my eye when I passed it on my way to visit their East 4th Street Community Garden this past Saturday. I'll use that empty lot as an example. What follows is a step by step tutorial on how to use the OASIS Mapping Service to get information about your neighborhood, and get details about a particular piece of property.
1. Select a Theme
An easy way to get started using it is to use the "Search By" drop-down box at the top of the page to select the topic of interest. For this tutorial, select "Neighborhood" for "Search By", then select "Kensington" for "Neighborhood." That gets you into the general area. Your map should look like this.2. Choose your Layers
Note the right-hand column, labeled "New Layers".New Layers
Here you can control what is, and isn't, displayed on the map. The "Layer" checkboxes on the left control points, lines and borders, and areas. The "Label" checkboxes on the right control text labels, like "Brooklyn" and "Kensington" in the map above.
Let's get rid of "Brooklyn"; we know that's where we are! Look for the section labeled "Boundaries & Labels" and uncheck the "County/Borough" box.
Boundaries & Labels
Town/NeighborhoodCounty / BoroughCommunity DistrictsCity Council DistrictsLet's see the subway lines and stations, and let's also see the station names.
Transportation
StreetsBridges / Overpasseszoom in/out Highways / Major Roads
Subway StationsSubway RoutesFerry StopsFerry Routes3. Redraw the map
Whenever you change the layers, you need to click the "Redraw Map" button at the top or bottom of the page for your changes to take effect. With our layer changes above, our new map looks like this.4. Refine your Layers
We said we were interested in vacant lots, so let's turn on that layer so we can see where they are. It's the last layer listed in the "Property & Land Use" section. Check the box for that, then redraw.Property & Land Use
zoom in/out Block/Lot Boundarieszoom in/out Buildings
PiersNYCHA PropertiesSchoolsHistoric Houses1 & 2 Family ResidentialMulti-family ResidentialMixed UseCommercialInstitutionsTransportation & ParkingIndustrialVacant Lots5. Zoom in
Notice that the first two layers in the Property & Land Use section - Block/Lot Boundaries and Buildings - are disabled: they have no check boxes. Instead, there's a hint: zoom in/out. We can't view those layers at this scale. We need to zoom in.Notice the row of buttons across the top of the map.
Identify Zoom In Zoom Out Recenter Tag map HelpThe "Zoom In" button is enabled. If we click on the map, we zoom into it, centered on the location where we clicked.
Our large vacant lot on Caton is in the upper right of the map, one block east of Ocean Parkway and west of the Parade Grounds. Click on it to zoom in on it. Your map should look something like this, depending on exactly where you clicked.
Now we can see the lot boundaries. We could zoom in closer, but this is a large lot, and it's big enough for us to select for identification.
6. Identify
At the top of the map, click the Identify button to enable it. Identify Zoom In Zoom Out Recenter Tag map HelpNow, whatever you click on in the map will be identified with detailed information in the area below the map. Click the vacant lot. The map changes to highlight the selected lot with a red border.
Scroll down to the area below the map to see all the details for this property.
| Information about the Lot you identified: Borough: Brooklyn Block: 5321 Lot: 64 Police Precinct: 72 |
Our vacant lot is 701 Caton Avenue. The Block-Lot numbers are 5321-64, information which we can use to get more information, such as the owner of the property, from city databases such as the Department of Buildings.
That's the basics! You can play around with different layers to produce different thematic maps, zoom in and out, and so on.
Have fun!
Follow-up
There was some additional discussion in the Kensington blog post which sparked me to write this. In particular, comparison was made to PropertyShark, a commercial service that offers similar mapping features with free registration. I'm also registered with PropertyShark. I hardly ever use it.- I've only found a couple of maps that PropertyShark generates that OASIS doesn't provide. One nice thing that you can get from PropertyShark, but not OASIS, is a map with street addresses overlaid onto it.
- PropertyShark retains Copyright for everything you get through them. They place restrictions on how you can use and reuse the information, even though they're based on largely the same public information sources as OASIS. Since I'm often posting the maps I create to Flickr and using then on my blog, it's important to me that the maps be unrestricted.
- PropertyShark requires registration. OASIS does not.
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