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Eastern Parkway Coalition records

Call Number

2007.016

Dates

1952-2007, inclusive
; 1970-2007, bulk

Creator

Lesold, Constance
Lesold, Constance (Role: Donor)

Extent

10.44 Linear Feet
in eight record cartons, one oversize flat box, ten flat file folders, and two rolled storage boxes.

Language of Materials

English .

Abstract

The collection is composed of the records of the Eastern Parkway Coalition, dating from 1952 to 2007 (bulk dates, 1970-2007). These records are primarily composed of Constance Lesold's subject files. The subject files document many issues which affected the Crown Heights and Prospect Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn. These issues include community gardens, housing/tenant rights, mass transit, summer youth programs, environmentalism, mental health, public parks, and urban renewal. In addition to subject files, the records include a series of plans and maps for the reconstruction of Eastern Parkway and other streets in the area from the 1970s and 1980s.

Historical note

The Eastern Parkway Coalition (EPC) is a community organization based in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Established in the 1970s, the organization ran summer youth programs, many of which focused on community improvement and gardening. The group established a community garden atop the Franklin Avenue Shuttle subway station at the Botanic Garden/Eastern Parkway/Union Street. In 1989, New York City Transit Police demolished the community garden with the intention of clearing the land for a parking lot. The garden was later reestablished due to community outrage and is now known as the Union Street Garden and Community Development.

Biographical note

Constance "Connie" Lesold was born in North Carolina in 1938. She first visited the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights in 1966 and had an apartment with her husband, Helmuth Lesold, by 1967. The couple had one son, Benjamin, who was born in 1970. She is a social worker, who was president of the Parkway Independent Democrats and an official of Community Board Eight. Along with her husband, several Brooklyn community boards, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and a public coalition, she opposed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's move to end service on the Franklin Avenue Shuttle in the mid-1990s. She volunteered with the Brooklyn Mental Hygiene Court Monitors Project and became a member of Disabled in Action. In 2004, she joined a group occupying a firehouse that shut down service in Williamsburg. Lesold joined lawmakers and citizens at the Capitol in Albany to protest rent control regulations in 2015 and she remains an active participant in MTA Board hearings.

Arrangement

The records are organized into two series:

Series 1: Subject files, 1952-2007

Series 2: Plans and maps, 1973-1988

Scope and Contents note

The collection is composed of Constance Lesold's records of the Eastern Parkway Coalition, dating from 1952 to 2007 (bulk dates, 1970-2007). These records are primarily composed of subject files, which document issues that affected the Crown Heights and Prospect Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn. These issues include include community gardens, housing/tenant rights, mass transit, summer youth programs, drug use, environmentalism, mental health, public parks, and urban renewal. In addition to subject files, the records include a series of plans and maps for the reconstruction of Eastern Parkway and other streets in the area.

Subjects

Conditions Governing Access note

Open to users without restriction.

Conditions Governing Use

While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.

Conditions Governing Use

While many items at the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply: copyright, licensing and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.

Preferred Citation

Identification of item, date (if known); Eastern Parkway Coalition records, 2007.016, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Constance Lesold, 2007.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Most of the materials in Series 2: Plans and maps are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org for more information about access.

Related Materials

Center for Brooklyn History holds the following related materials:

- Antonia Denis collection, 1948–1983 (1992.021)

- Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation Oral History collection, 2007-2008 (2008.030)

- West Indian Carnival Documentation Project records, 1993-1996 (2010.019)

- Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation publication and photograph collection, 1968–2007 (ARC.124)

- Brooklyn neighborhood associations and civic organizations publications, 1881-2010 (ARC.167)

- Junior League of Brooklyn records, 1910-2002 (ARC.304)

- Voices of Crown Heights oral histories, 2016-2017 (2016.027)

- Listen to This: Crown Heights Oral History collection, 2010 (2010.020)

The New York Public Library holds the following related materials:

- NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign records, 1962-2007 (MssCol 6147)

Collection processed by

John Zarrillo

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2024-03-20 16:36:40 +0000.
Using Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language: Finding Aid written in English.

Processing Information

Folder titles in brackets were supplied by the archivist. Preservation photocopies were made of all of the newspaper clippings.

Revisions to this Guide

March 2024: Reprocessed by Alice Griffin to rehouse records and oversize items.

Repository

Brooklyn Historical Society
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201