Seagate, Brooklyn
Encyclopedia
Sea Gate is a private, gated community
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...

 at the far western end of Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....

 at the southwestern tip of the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 borough
Borough (New York City)
New York City, one of the largest cities in the world, is composed of five boroughs. Each borough now has the same boundaries as the county it is in. County governments were dissolved when the city consolidated in 1898, along with all city, town, and village governments within each county...

 of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

. It contains mostly single-family homes, some directly on Gravesend Bay. It is regularly patrolled by the Sea Gate Police Department
Sea Gate Police Department
The Sea Gate Police Department is a law enforcement agency with full arrest authority whose police duties are to protect the property and citizens and to enforce state and city laws in and around the community of Sea Gate, Brooklyn...

 which was established in 1899, though the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...

 has joint jurisdiction over it.

History

The area that is now Sea Gate was once known as Norton's Point. The name came from the owner of a casino where the Coney Island Light
Coney Island Light
Coney Island Light is a lighthouse located in Sea Gate, on the west end of Coney Island, Brooklyn, in New York City, east of New York Harbor's main channel....

 now stands. The neighborhood held a reputation for gambling before it was developed into a neighborhood.

Sea Gate was developed into a full neighborhood in 1892 by developer Alrick Man.

Surrounded on three sides by water, Sea Gate is vulnerable to the whims of mother nature. In 1992, a nor'easter
Nor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...

 pounded the neighborhood, forcing its evacuation. One house slid off its foundation into the sea, and the storm caused considerable erosion and damage. In 1995 the Army Corps of Engineers completed its work of replenishing Coney beaches and building new jetties, including a long jetty at the border of Sea Gate and Coney Island. Unfortunately, this ended up causing more erosion on the Atlantic side of Sea Gate, and an accumulation of sand on the bay side. The second phase of this beach replenishment project has stirred some controversy. Although Sea Gate residents pay federal, state, and local taxes, in addition to Sea Gate homeowners fees, some people think tax dollars should not go to helping refurbish a private beach.

Description

Residents refer to Sea Gate as "the gate," and venturing into adjoining Coney Island as going "out the gate." At present, here are no stores in the neighborhood., but once there were a handful. There is no universally recognized name for residents of the community: "Sea Gatians" and "Sea Gaters" are sometimes heard.

Sea Gate's gated neighborhood is made up of 832 single-family homes, as of 2010. Homes in the neighborhood represent a variety of styles and architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

, including Queen Anne Style
Queen Anne Style architecture (United States)
In America, the Queen Anne style of architecture, furniture and decorative arts was popular in the United States from 1880 to 1910. In American usage "Queen Anne" is loosely used of a wide range of picturesque buildings with "free Renaissance" details rather than of a specific formulaic style in...

 and Mediterranean.

Demographics

In addition to long time residents, Sea Gate has seen an influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...

 and the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 in recent years. Residents now represent Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...

, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...

, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

 and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

, according to the 2000 U.S. census.

Parks

In addition to the large and private beach areas, Sea Gate has two parks:
  • A playground with a basketball court, skateboard ramps and children's jungle gym pieces is located next to the Sea Gate Community Center on Surf Avenue.
  • Lindbergh Park near the Coney Island Light
    Coney Island Light
    Coney Island Light is a lighthouse located in Sea Gate, on the west end of Coney Island, Brooklyn, in New York City, east of New York Harbor's main channel....

     at Norton's Point is a sandy/grassy patch of land with stunning views of Lower New York Harbor and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
    Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
    The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge that connects the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn in New York City at the Narrows, the reach connecting the relatively protected upper bay with the larger lower bay....

    . "Lindy Park," as it is known to residents, has a children's playground, spectacular panoramic ocean/bay views, and space for sitting, picnicing, kite flying, baseball playing, or just enjoying the ocean.


A quiet place for families where children are able to play. Many homes have much land and those close to the sea can enjoy the sounds,the fishing and swimming.

Summer is when Sea Gate comes alive with people of all ages walking the streets in bathing attire as they stroll to their favorite and private beach area.

The beaches in Sea Gate are uncrowded and patrolled during the summer by lifeguards. The Seagate beach is private and visitors must show beach passes. Beach access is also offered to members of the Seagate Beach Club. The beach club, originally for residents, is now privately run and open to anyone who pays for membership.

Landmarks

Located on Beach 47th Street in Sea Gate is the 75 feet (22.9 m) Coney Island Light
Coney Island Light
Coney Island Light is a lighthouse located in Sea Gate, on the west end of Coney Island, Brooklyn, in New York City, east of New York Harbor's main channel....

 which is a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....

 built in 1890, before the area was populated. The lighthouse is the former home of Frank Schubert
Frank Schubert
Frank Schubert was the last civilian lighthouse keeper in the United States.Schubert worked for the United States Coast Guard since 1939; at the time of his death he was serving at the Coney Island Lighthouse in Sea Gate, Brooklyn, New York, where he had worked since 1960.He maintained the grounds...

, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

' last civilian lighthouse keeper
Lighthouse keeper
A lighthouse keeper is the person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Keepers were needed to trim the wicks, replenish fuel, wind clockworks and perform maintenance tasks such as cleaning...

. Schubert died in 2003.

The chapel, once used for services and built in 1901, is a historical building now used for social events, yoga classes, and is a polling site at election times. The Chapel with its stained-glass windows is the first structure seen when entering the main (police protected) gate.

Notable residents

  • Mordechai Ben David
    Mordechai ben David
    Mordechai Werdyger , professionally known as Mordechai Ben David or MBD for short, is an American Hasidic Jewish singer and songwriter popular in the Orthodox Jewish community. He has been referred to as the 'King of Jewish music'. He has produced many popular Jewish albums over the past 40 years...

    , American Hasidic
    Hasidic Judaism
    Hasidic Judaism or Hasidism, from the Hebrew —Ḥasidut in Sephardi, Chasidus in Ashkenazi, meaning "piety" , is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that promotes spirituality and joy through the popularisation and internalisation of Jewish mysticism as the fundamental aspects of the Jewish faith...

     singer
  • Yossi Green
    Yossi Green
    Yossi Green is a composer of Jewish music. His works include some major hits of the Jewish industry. He wrote his first international hit song for Yigal Calek and the London School of Jewish Song in 1973....

    , Jewish music composer
  • Michoel Schnitzler, American Hasidic singer
  • Yeedle, singer and son of Mordechai Ben David
  • Adam Lance Garcia, author Green Lama
  • Isaac Bashevis Singer
    Isaac Bashevis Singer
    Isaac Bashevis Singer – July 24, 1991) was a Polish Jewish American author noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978...

    , Yiddish author
  • Beverly Sills
    Beverly Sills
    Beverly Sills was an American operatic soprano whose peak career was between the 1950s and 1970s. In her prime she was the only real rival to Joan Sutherland as the leading bel canto stylist...

    , opera singer
  • George Reeves
    George Reeves
    George Reeves was an American actor best known for his role as Superman in the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman....

    , portrayed Superman on television, rumored to have lived there one summer.

External links

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