The BHA has embarked on an ambitious project to reinstall historic lighting in the Historic District. As most of you know, Brooklyn Heights was the first neighborhood to be designated as a historic district by the City (in 1965), and it is the best-preserved treasure trove of NYC's 19th Century architecture from the earliest Federals onward. (You'll be seeing one of these houses on our May 10th house tour.)

At the time of its designation, the Brooklyn Heights Historic District ("BHHD") retained intact its early 20th Century cast iron "Bishop's Crooks" and "M-Pole" lampposts, which contributed immeasurably to its unique character. It is precisely these lights that we hope to bring back to Heights streets - all 229 of them, in fact, at a cost of roughly $2.8 million.

Accordingly, we've written to all of our elected officials (the Honorables Markowitz, Velazquez, Clarke, Millman, Connor, Yassky) urging them to collectively undertake funding the cost of this historic lighting project.

As the Brooklyn Heights Association approaches its centennial year, in 2010, we cannot think of a better way for us and our elected representatives to celebrate the neighborhood's history and the BHA's preservation achievements.