BROOKLYN ARTISAN’S 12 DAYS OF BROOKLYN: Starting at the Grand Gateway to Prospect Park

Day One ◊ 12 Views of Brooklyn

  Photograph by Joseph Caserto; see our Who’s Who.

THE SOLDIERS’ AND SAILORS’ ARCH at Grand Army Plaza, lighted for the holidays. Built in 1892 to mark the entrance to Prospect Park, the arch was modified three years later when bronze statuary was added. Originally Prospect Park Plaza, the circle was renamed Grand Army Plaza in 1926 as commemoration for veterans of the Union Army of the Civil War. In 1975, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. At the nexus of Union Street, Eastern Parkway, Vanderbilt Avenue, Prospect Park West and Flatbush Avenue, where the 2/3 trains stop, it is an imposing backdrop for the popular Saturday farmer’s market and food truck meet-ups. (Be warned: This is the busiest traffic circle in Brooklyn, and though recent efforts to address the safety and preferences of pedestrians have yielded improvements, not all problems have been solved.)