Sternberg Park

Sternberg Park occupies a city block that, over a century ago, was one of the most densely populated spots in all of Brooklyn. In the year nineteen nineteen, the site held nearly two hundred families, dozens of stores, two factories, and even a stable, all crammed into a single block between Boerum, Leonard, and Lorimer streets. The city decided to clear these buildings to create a public playground, a project that sparked significant local controversy at the time because the block was still fully occupied when the decision to demolish it was made.