CULTURE AND SOCIETY

Brooklyn Historical Society

Founded in 1863 by Henry Pierrepont as the Long Island Historical Society, it is one of the oldest societies in the country and is a museum, library and educational center dedicated to preserving and encouraging the study of Brooklyn’s history.
It is located in an ancient building (1878-81) designed by George Browne Post, who also designed the New York Stock Exchange, following the Queen Anne style with the particularity of the exterior decorated in terracotta and with some busts of the sculptor Olin Levi Warner that they represent among others Michelangelo, Beethoven, Gutenberg, Shakespeare, Christopher Columbus, Benjamin Franklin, a Viking and a Native American.
The museum has a permanent collection dedicated to Brooklyn’s history which includes paintings, sculptures, other art objects, archaeological finds, books, manuscripts, photographs and maps. Over the years the collection has expanded to include articles about the city and the state of New York.

References

Kenneth T. Jackson, Lisa Keller, Nancy Flood. The Encyclopedia of New York City: Second Edition. Yale University Press, 2010. p. 178
Gerard R. Wolfe. New York, a Guide to the Metropolis: Walking Tours of Architecture and History. McGraw-Hill, 1994, 2° ed. pp. 408-409
About Brooklyn Historical Society (Brooklyn Historical Society)
Brooklyn Historical Society (Wikipedia)