Joan L. Millman papers
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Abstract
The Joan L. Millman papers document the New York State Assemblywoman's role in the establishment of Brooklyn Bridge Park, as well as her involvement with local Democratic Party organizations in Brooklyn, NY. The papers date from 1974 to 2014. The Brooklyn Bridge Park files comprise the bulk of the papers, and date from 1990 to 2014. The records include reports, plans, correspondence, legislative documents, Board of Directors' meeting files, publications, clippings, and memorabilia. The papers also include programs from annual dinners held by the West Brooklyn Independent Democrats (1974-1985) and the Independent Community Democrats (1983, 1997-2014).
Biographical note
Joan L. Millman was born in Brooklyn, New York, on June 20, 1940. She received a BA from Brooklyn College (1962), a MS in Library Science from the Pratt Institute (1974), and a professional degree from Long Island College. Prior to entering politics, she was employed as an elementary school teacher, a school librarian, and an educational consultant. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected to represent the 52nd Assembly District of New York City in 1997. Her district encompassed the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, and portions of Prospect Heights and Red Hook. She was reelected eight times before retiring from office in January 2015. She was a Kings County Democratic Committee chairperson, a member of the Major Steering Committee in the New York State Assembly, and a member of the Independent Neighborhood Democrats.
Source:
"Joan Millman," Ballotpedia. Accessed March 2, 2015. http://ballotpedia.org/Joan_Millman.
Arrangement
The papers are organized into two series:
Series 1: Brooklyn Bridge Park
Series 2: Independent Brooklyn Democratic groups annual dinner programs
Scope and Contents
The Joan L. Millman papers document the New York State Assemblywoman's role in the establishment of Brooklyn Bridge Park, as well as her involvement with local Democratic Party organizations in Brooklyn, NY. The papers date from 1974 to 2014.
The Brooklyn Bridge Park files comprise the bulk of the papers, and date from 1990 to 2014. The records include reports, plans, correspondence, legislative documents, Board of Directors' meeting files, publications, clippings, and memorabilia.
The papers also include programs from annual dinners held by the West Brooklyn Independent Democrats (1974-1985) and the Independent Community Democrats (1983, 1997-2014).
Subjects
Organizations
Genres
People
Topics
Places
Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
The rights to the material in this collection have not been evaluated. Please consult library staff for more details.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Joan L. Millman papers, 2014.020, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Joan L. Millman, 2014.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Processed to the folder level.
Digital materials, donated on one CD, were imaged using BitCurator-2.0.14 in 2019. No viruses or personally identifying information were found during imaging.
Repository
Series 1: Brooklyn Bridge Park, 1990-2014, inclusive; 1997-2014, bulk
Scope and Contents
The Brooklyn Bridge Park series documents Millman's involvement with the development of Brooklyn Bridge Park. The records include reports, plans, correspondence, legislative documents, Board of Directors' meeting files, publications, clippings, and memorabilia, dating from 1990 to 2014. The public's opposition to the use of residential housing within the park to finance the park's operations is documented throughout the series. A more detailed description of the records can be found in the scope and contents notes for each sub-series.
Arrangement
The series is organized into 5 sub-series:
Sub-series 1.1: Chronological files
Sub-series 1.2: Subject files
Sub-series 1.3: Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation Board of Directors meetings
Sub-series 1.4: Reports and plans
Sub-series 1.5: Memorabilia
Sub-series 1.1: Chronological files, 1997-2011, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This sub-series contains Brooklyn Bridge Park files which were organized chronologically by Millman's staff, dating from 1997 to 2011. The files include reports, redevelopment plans, legislative documents, correspondence, meeting files, publications, and clippings.
A number of organizations are represented in the files, including the Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition, the Old Brooklyn Waterfront Alliance, the Downtwon Brooklyn Waterfront Development Corporation, Empire State Development, the Fulton Ferry Landing Association, Two Trees Development Association, the DUMBO Neighborhood Association, the Brooklyn Heights Association, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Defense Fund, and the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy.
The files are mostly concerned with the planning and funding of the park, including the concerns of local residents regarding the use private-owned residential housing within Brooklyn Bridge Park to fund the park's operations.
Some files of note include an agreement between Two Trees Development Association with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (1999), the by-laws of the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation (2010), a New York Hotel Trades Council (AFL-CIO) labor peace report (2011), reports on alternatives to housing for the funding of Brooklyn Bridge Park (2011), and files on the historic Tobacco Warehouse (2011).
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by date.
Chronological files (6 folders), 1997-2006, inclusive
Chronological files (8 folders), 2006-2010, inclusive
Chronological files (4 folders), 2010-2011, inclusive
Sub-series 1.2: Subject files, 1990-2012, inclusive; 1997-2011, bulk
Scope and Contents
The sub-series consists of subject files relating to Brooklyn Bridge Park, dating from 1990 to 2012. It includes correspondence, reports, legislative files, publications, and clippings. The files document the park's development and the public opposition to the use of private residential housing within Brooklyn Bridge Park to pay for its operation costs.
Some files of note include a 1991 report on redeveloping piers on Brooklyn's waterfront, a traffic study sent by Two Trees Development Corporation to Millman (located in the Correspondence, 1997-1998 file), correspondence with New York State and local politicians regarding park related legislation, and a series of financial and housing reports.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by folder title. Titles were transcribed directly from the original folders, with the exception of "Associations," which groups together correspondence from several Brooklyn neighborhood organizations.
Act - BBDC - Dept. # 133, 2005, inclusive
[Associations], 1994-2008, inclusive
General
Includes Atlantic Avenue Betterment Association, Community Board 6, Brooklyn Bridge Park Coalition, Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy, Brooklyn Heights Association, Boerum Hill Association, Cobble Hill Association, Fulton Ferry Landing Association, and Willowtown Association
Correspondence, 1997-1998, inclusive
Correspondence, 2005-2009, inclusive
Legislation, 1997-2008, inclusive
Financial, 2000, 2010, inclusive
Housing, 2010-2011, inclusive
Memorandum of Understanding, 2011-2012, inclusive
Newsclippings, 1998-2010, inclusive
Piers, 1990-2000, inclusive
Piers 1-5, 1997-2010, inclusive
Public Benefit Corporation, 1997-2011, inclusive
Publications, 2000-2011, inclusive
Requests for proposals, 2010, inclusive
Sub-series 1.3: Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation Board of Directors meetings, 2010-2014, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The sub-series contains Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation (BBPC) Board of Directors' meeting files, which consist of agendas, meeting minutes, and supplemental documents, such as reports, financial statements, maps, plans, and correspondence. The meeting files date from September 2010 to August 2014. The BBPC was responsible for the planning and construction of the park, which is reflected throughout the sub-series.
This collection of meeting files belonged to Ann Strahle, who was member of the BBPC Board of Directors, as well as Assemblywoman Millman's Chief of Staff. Handwritten notes by Strahle appear throughout the files.
The meeting files are primarily concerned with budgetary matters, construction and labor contracts, and pier redevelopment. Other topics include the Tobacco Warehouse, Hurricane Sandy, concessions, residential housing, and the Squibb Park land-bridge.
The sub-series includes two color photographs of the warehouse located at the corner of Furman Street and Montague Street (April and June 2012 meetings).
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by meeting date.
BBPC Board of Directors meetings (3 folders), 2010-2012, inclusive
BBPC Board of Directors meetings (3 folders), 2012-2014, inclusive
Sub-series 1.4: Reports and plans, 1997-2014, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The sub-series contains Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP) reports and planning documents, dating from 1997 to 2014. The files include early redevelopment plans (1997), pier redevelopment studies (2002), BBP master plans (circa 2000, 2005), BBP concept plan (2003), a budgetary meeting presentation (2004), the final environmental impact statement (2005), architectural drawings of a Tree Trees Development project on Dock Street (2007), a transportation and access study (2007), and a paper outlining the origins of the park (2014).
Additional reports and plans can be found in both the Chronological files and Subject files sub-series. A framed illustrative plan for the park (2001) is included in the Memorabilia sub-series.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically by date.
The Redevelopment and Adaptive Reuse of: Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park and Fulton Landing, 1997, inclusive
Brooklyn Bridge Park: Master Plan, circa 2000, inclusive
Port Authority Piers 1-5 Brooklyn Bridge Park Engineering Feasability Study, 2002, inclusive
Brooklyn Bridge Park concept plan, 2003
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The collection includes both a physcial and digital version of the Concept Plan. Digital files donated on one CD containing two JPEG files and one PDF file of a 50 page document. Digital ID 2014_020_media_001. Access to digital materials is available onsite at the Othmer Library. Requests to access digital materials must be made at least 2 days in advance by emailing library@brooklynhistory.org.
Brooklyn Bridge Park Maintenance and Operations Costs meeting files, 2004, inclusive
Brooklyn Bridge Park master plan, 2005, inclusive
Brooklyn Bridge Park Environmental Impact Statement (1 of 4), 2005, inclusive
Brooklyn Bridge Park Environmental Impact Statement (2-4 of 4), 2005, inclusive
Two Trees Development - Dock Street DUMBO Project architectural drawings, 2007, inclusive
Brooklyn Bridge Park Transportation and Access Study, circa 2007, inclusive
NYC Fieldhouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park - Programming update, 2012, inclusive
The Origins of Brooklyn Bridge Park, 1986-1988, by Scott M. Hand and Otis Pratt Pearsall, 2014, inclusive
Sub-series 1.5: Memorabilia, 2001 to circa 2008, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The sub-series contains memorabilia related to Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBP), including a framed illustrative plan for the park (2001), a laminated clipping (circa 2003), and two BBP baseball caps (circa 2008).
Brooklyn Bridge Park illustrative plan (framed), 2001, inclusive
Brooklyn's Progess laminated clipping, circa 2003, inclusive
Brooklyn Bridge Park baseball caps (2 objects), circa 2008, inclusive
Series 2: Independent Brooklyn Democratic groups annual dinner programs, 1974-2014, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The series contains programs for the annual dinners of the West Brooklyn Independent Democrats (WBID) and the Independent Neighborhood Democrats (IND), dating from 1974 to 2014. Millman was was actively involved with the IND during her political career.
The WBID was formed in 1957 as one of the first "reform" organizations of Democratic Party politicians in Brooklyn, NY. Its members primarily represented the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn. Each year the organization held a dinner which celebrated the group's accomplishments and honored its members. This collection of dinner programs spans the years 1974 to 1985 (excluding 1976, 1981, and 1982).
The IND was formed in 1970, and its membership is comprised of Democratic Party politicians who represent the 52nd Assembly District of New York City (the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Boerum Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, and portions of Prospect Heights and Red Hook). This collection of dinner programs includes one program from 1983, and 16 programs spanning the years 1997 to 1983 (excluding 2003 and 2008).
Arrangement
The series is divided between the two organizations, and then arranged arranged chronologically by date.