Latest Articles - Turnstile Tours

Dredging the Past and Present of the Gowanus Canal | Episode 31

Best known today for its pollution and gentrification, the Gowanus Canal is an historic waterway that has seen war, industry, innovation, and reinvention play out along its banks. We will …

Architecture
Virtual Programs
Waterfront

Virtual Visit to the Church Murals of Artist Maxo Vanka in Millvale, PA | Episode 28

St. Nicholas Croatian Catholic Church in Millvale, PA, just outside Pittsburgh, is home to one of the most remarkable works of church art in America, a series of 25 murals painted …

Architecture
Virtual Programs

Podcast: Unifying Connections During COVID-19

Since the WHO has categorized COVID-19 as a pandemic, the global economy has suffered, and millions of people are filing for unemployment. There are several webinars that are designed to help brands and companies stay relevant, but several lack the fundamental issue for most small business owners (i.e. restaurants, cafes, etc.), which is, how do I get money into my business now.

Press

The History of NYC Public Markets, Part 2 | Episode 22

Take a deep dive into the history of New York City’s public markets, which have their origins in a vast food distribution system set up by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in …

Public Markets
Virtual Programs

The first and second floors of the Essex Market with a historic neon sign from the Orchard Essex Meat Market

Manufacturing in Crisis: The State of NYC Manufacturing with Adam Friedman | Episode 18

The COVID-19 crisis has thrust manufacturing into the national spotlight, as the city, state, and nation struggle to procure necessary medical equipment, and companies big and small pivot to produce …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Inside Industry
Virtual Programs

Exploring the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History | Episode 17

Join Sarah Litvin, former Turnstile guide and current director of the Reher Center for Immigrant Culture and History in Kingston, New York, to learn how immigration, community, work, and bread …

Virtual Programs

Sarah standing in front of a yellow store front

Census Day: Telling Brooklyn’s Story Through the US Census | Episode 15

April 1 is Census Day, so we’re discussing the importance of the 2020 Census, and delving into the history, from the first federal census of 1790 to the present day. …

Prospect Park
Virtual Programs

NYC Street Vendors: How Can We Help Them? | Episode 13

There are as many as 20,000 street vendors in New York City, most of whom are immigrants. This program will focus on the impact of the current public health crisis …

Street Vending
Virtual Programs

Street vendors rally on the steps of city hall with signs that read I love immigrant NY and Support NYC smallest businesses and Help us to serve you

Comfort at Sea: History of Hospital Ships in New York City

The hospital ship USNS Comfort is en route to New York City. One of just two hospital ships in the Navy fleet, it has been dispatched from Norfolk, while its …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Waterfront
World War I
World War II

The History of NYC Public Markets, Part 1 | Episode 7

Take a deep dive into the history of New York City’s public markets, which have their origins in a vast food distribution system set up by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia in …

Public Markets
Virtual Programs

Brownstoner: Virtual Prospect Park Launches to Help Brooklynites Adhere to Social Distancing

While you can still appreciate the beauty of the park for brief respites of fresh air with appropriate social distancing, the Prospect Park Alliance is encouraging visitors to head online to explore the green space with a new resource. Virtual Prospect Park includes resources from educators, historians, gardeners and others to allow a look into Brooklyn’s backyard while following the directive to stay indoors as much as possible during the crisis.

Press
Prospect Park

Inventions of the Brooklyn Navy Yard | Episode 1

For over 200 years, the Brooklyn Navy Yard has been on the cutting edge of innovation, first as a leading shipyard for the US Navy, and today as a home …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Virtual Programs
Waterfront

Slavery and the Brooklyn Navy Yard

After nearly 12 years of leading tours at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, one of the most difficult questions we get – and almost always from young people – is this: …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Waterfront

Clayton Colefield and the Building of USS Missouri

They say a Navy ship has three birthdays: its keel-laying, its launching, and its commissioning. The World War II-era battleship USS Missouri has one more, its recommission in 1986 as part …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Shipspotting
Waterfront
World War II

Black and white photo of five naval officers standing on a large metal plate, one of them turning a long handle attached to a riveting machine.

Americal Division: Brooklyn Army Terminal Sends First US Troops to Pacific

Last week we looked at Operation Magnet, the scramble in the weeks after Pearl Harbor to move American forces into the European battle zone. Just one week after that, it …

Brooklyn Army Terminal
Shipspotting
Waterfront
World War II

Black and white photo of two soldiers walking up a gangplank onto a ship at dusk.

Brooklyn to Belfast: Red Bull Division Were First US Overseas Troops of World War II

On January 15, 1942, ships of convoy AT-10 left the Brooklyn Army Terminal to make the journey across the Atlantic. Aboard the transports USS Chateau Thierry and HMTS Strathaird were …

Brooklyn Army Terminal
Shipspotting
Waterfront
World War II

Black and white photo of a soldier waving from the gangplank of a ship with soldiers in the background.

Inside Industry at the Brooklyn Navy Yard: Women Welders, Past and Present, Mar 8

Celebrate International Women’s Day by exploring the past and present of women’s labor at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Learn about the history from the early nineteenth century, when women sewed flags …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Inside Industry

Inside Industry at the Brooklyn Navy Yard: Love Stories and Letterpress, Feb 9

Get ready for Valentine’s Day on this special Sunday Inside Industry program at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. We will first delve into the archives of the Yard to share stores of sailors, …

Brooklyn Navy Yard
Inside Industry

Typeface collection at Woodside Press at the Brooklyn Navy Yard

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Workers walk alongside a large stone dry dock in the Brooklyn Navy Yard with two white tugboats below and a red and white crane on the right.