Brooklyn has long been known as the Borough of Churches. But with so many chapels selling out to deep-pocketed developers or, as in the case of Downtown’s Recovery House of Worship, seeking a massive overhaul from them, is it still true? We quizzed everyday Brooklynites, asking: “If Brooklyn is no longer the ‘Borough of Churches,’ then what is it the borough of?”
The verdict? Not everybody agrees with our premise.
— Photos and interviews by Matthew Perlman
It’s still the Borough of Churches to me. There’s so many of them! They’re all over the place.nBertha Young, Brownsville
Community Newspaper Group / Matthew Perlman
No one has said that to me in a while, but I think it’s still the Borough of Churches. If I go up on my roof I can see a ton of them.nHerb Rosenbaum, Brooklyn Heights
Community Newspaper Group / Matthew Perlman
I say it still is the Borough of Churches. If anyone says anything different, they don’t know what they’re talking about. Churches are everywhere. All different faiths, cultures, and denominations.nElisa Liggins, Coney Island
Community Newspaper Group / Matthew Perlman
I think it’s the Borough of Neighborhoods. It’s much more neighborhood-y than Manhattan. It has smaller, more unique neighborhoods that don’t bleed into each other. They’re distinct.nBailey Griswold, Crown Heights
Community Newspaper Group / Matthew Perlman
