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Anthony Costanzo Brooklyn Navy Yard collection

Call Number

ARC.023

Date

1952-1970, inclusive

Creator

Costanzo, Anthony M.

Extent

1.75 Linear Feet in two manuscript boxes and one oversize box.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The Anthony Costanzo Brooklyn Navy Yard Collection contains materials documenting the years just prior to the decommissioning of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1966. The collection includes Brooklyn Navy Yard directories, booklets, programs, invitations to ship christenings, press releases, a manuscript on the history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, photographs, newspaper clippings, souvenirs, official letters, promotional materials relating to the last years of the shipbuilding era of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a small piece of the flight deck of the USS, and newspaper articles relating to Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, and Ford.

Biographical/Historical note

Anthony M. Costanzo was born in Pittsburgh, PA on April 17, 1923. He grew up in Pittsburgh, became an accomplished jazz drummer, and served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war, Costanzo attended Duquesne University and then transferred to Northwestern University where he received a BS in Journalism in 1955. After working as a reporter, editor, and columnist for the Chicago Sun Times, he moved to New York City where he worked in advertising and public relations. He also attended Teachers College, Columbia University where he earned a MS in Education in 1963. Also while in New York City, Costanzo served as Public Information Officer for the U.S. Department of the Navy at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. He held this position until the decommissioning of the Navy Yard in 1966. After the decommissioning, Costanzo served as Public Relations Director and Public Records Access Officer for the New York State Department of Civil Service in Albany, N.Y. He retired from this position in 1988. Costanzo died on December 3, 2008 and was buried with military honors at the Gerald B.H. Solomon-Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, N.Y.

The origins of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, officially known as the New York Naval Shipyard, date back to 1801, when the United States Navy acquired what had previously been a small, privately owned shipyard in order to construct naval vessels. Historic vessels constructed or launched at the Navy Yard include Robert Fulton's steam frigate, the Fulton, the USS Arizona, the USS Missouri, and the USS Antietam. During the Civil War, the Navy Yard employed about 6,000 people. By 1938, it provided jobs for over 10,000 people. When the Defense Department ceased shipbuilding activities at the Navy Yard in 1966, 88 vessels had been manufactured at the facility. It had also grown to encompass 291 acres with 270 major buildings, 24 miles of railroad tracks, 23,278 linear feet of crane tracks, 18 miles of paved roads, 16,495 feet of berthing space, 9 piers, 6 dry docks, and 22 shops housing 98 different trades. In 1967, the Brooklyn Navy Yard was acquired by the City of New York and was converted for private commercial use.

Sources:

  1. Obituaries, Anthony M. Costanzo, December 11, 2008, Saratoga Today. http://www.saratoga.com/today/2008/12/anthony-m-costanzo.html (accessed June 23, 2010).
  2. Shipworker, June 24, 1966.
  3. New York Naval Shipyard (NYNSY). Federation of American Scientists. http://www.fas.org/man/company/shipyard/new_york.htm (accessed June 30, 2010).

Scope and Contents note

The Anthony Costanzo Brooklyn Navy Yard Collection contains materials documenting the years just prior to the decommissioning of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1966. The collection includes Brooklyn Navy Yard directories, booklets, programs, invitations to ship christenings, press releases, a manuscript on the history of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, photographs, newspaper clippings, souvenirs, official letters, promotional materials relating to the last years of the shipbuilding era of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a small piece of the flight deck of the USS Hornet, and newspaper articles relating to Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, and Ford. The photographs show images of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, worker protests against the Navy Yard's decommissioning, and photographs of Robert F. Kennedy's visit to the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the 1960s. The collection is organized into three series: Papers, Photographs, and Oversize material.

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

Reproduction rights for the photographs have not been evaluated. Please consult library staff for more information.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Anthony Costanzo Brooklyn Navy Yard collection, ARC.023, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Anthony M. Costanzo, 1987.

Separated Materials

Six artifacts were separated to the Museum collection. Please see records for M1987.93 for more information.

Collection processed by

Patricia Glowinski

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 11:19:22 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding aid written in English

Processing Information note

Minimally processed to the series level.

This collection combines the accessions 1988.020 and V1988.037.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society

Container

Box: ARC.023 1 of 3 (Material Type: Text)
Oversize: ARC.023 3 of 3 (Material Type: Text)
Box: ARC.023 2 of 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Folder: V1988.37.140 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201