Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center
670 Lafayette Avenue | Bedford-Stuyvesant | built 1973
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The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1899
Tompkins Park Library opens in the middle of the park, on the ground where the arts center now stands
In 1899 a library opened at the center of what was then Tompkins Park, under the Public Library Association. It became part of the Brooklyn Public Library system in 1901. After the library burned in 1969, the recreation center that became today's arts center was built in its former place.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1963
Almira Kennedy Coursey leads a new association to improve Tompkins Park and its neighborhood
In 1963 a new group, the Tompkins Park Recreation and Cultural Association, was set up under Almira Kennedy Coursey as an extension of the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council. Years of lobbying by the park association later brought the recreation center that opened on the library's old site in 1973.
“In 1963, the Tompkins Park Recreation and Cultural Association was formed as an extension of the Central Brooklyn Coordinating Council, led by Almira Kennedy Coursey…”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1969
The Tompkins Park library burns down and is shut down
The library that had stood in the middle of Tompkins Park since 1899 burned down in 1969. It was closed on March 14 of that year. The park's community association spent the following years lobbying for a new facility on the same spot.
“The library burned down in 1969, and was shut down on March 14 of that year.”
Source: Wikipedia
- 1973
The Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center opens, with Mayor Lindsay and Shirley Chisholm at the ceremony
The new recreation center opened on March 13, 1973, built for $1.5 million where the burned library had stood. It had an outdoor amphitheater sunk below ground level, a lounge, an information center and, indoors, an auditorium named for local musician Eubie Blake. Mayor John Lindsay and Representative Shirley Chisholm attended the opening ceremony. A mural by Akwesi M. Asante in the auditorium depicts African American leaders such as David Dinkins and Frederick Douglass.
“…a new recreation center was constructed in the former place of the library, opening on March 13, 1973. Built at a cost of $1.5 million…”
Source: Wikipedia
- 2011
The center's outdoor amphitheater is named for Almira Kennedy Coursey
In 2011 the outdoor amphitheater at the arts center was named the Almira Kennedy Coursey Amphitheatre. Coursey, who died in 1996, had been a longtime advocate for building the facility. She also led the Tompkins Park Recreation and Cultural Association, formed in 1963.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2022
The arts center reopens after a $7 million renovation
In 2022 the center reopened after a renovation costing $7 million. The work repaired the building and added accessibility features, including to the Eubie Blake Theater. It also brought a media lab and more cultural programming.
“In 2022, the Herbert Von King Cultural Arts Center reopened after a $7 million renovation, with repairs and accessibility features added to the Eubie Blake Theater.”
Source: Wikipedia
Further reading
- Herbert Von King ParkWikipedia
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