Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment Collection
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Abstract
The collection contains materials concerning the activities of the Brooklyn Center for Urban Environment (BCUE), a non-profit, environmental-education program focusing on the parks and urban life in Brooklyn, New York. It was founded in 1978 by John Muir and a group of like-minded individuals that wanted to restore the Park Slope neighborhood back to its former glory. The collection is comprised of organization records, writings, lesson plans, photographs and negatives documenting the programming done by the Brooklyn Center for Urban Environment.
Historical Note
The Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment (BCUE) was first founded in 1978 as the Prospect Park Environmental Center or PPEC. Its founder John Muir started the organization with a few volunteers as a response to a growing urban crisis. He served as executive director and president until December of 2001. Its original intent was to teach environmental stewardship and protection in Prospect Park and its nearby neighborhoods; the center expanded to serve every neighborhood in Brooklyn and parts of New York City. The staff of BCUE led many school programs, workshops for teachers, and walking tours for adults.
The organization called several places its home; from its initial headquarters at the Picnic House and later move to the Tennis House on Prospect Park West, to Floyd Bennett Field and finally Gowanus. The organization dropped "Brooklyn" from its name some time in 2008 and became the Center for the Urban Environment (CUE) as it provided programing and workshops throughout New York City. The nonprofit organization abruptly announced it was closing its doors on April 6, 2009.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into five series: Series 1: Newsletters "City Green" are arranged in chronological order. Series 2: Educational Planning is arranged by school number or community school district number and program or original folder name. Series 3: Attended Workshops are arranged chronologically. Series 4: Empire State Partnership Project/PS 139 is organized in chronological order. Series 5: Photographs and Negatives are arranged alphabetically by name of program or place.
Scope and Contents
This collection includes newsletters, documents, photographs, negatives, and ephemera dating from 1979 to 2001. Newsletters, documents, photographs, and negatives make up a sizable portion of the collection and are especially rich in materials from the 1990s. Ephemera is a small portion of the collection but there are some significant materials that include flyers of events held by the center.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Due to sensitive personal information, certain materials in box 11 are restricted. Other materials open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items in the Center for Brooklyn History are unrestricted, we do not own reproduction rights to all materials. Be aware of the several kinds of rights that might apply copyright, licensing, and trademarks. The researcher assumes all responsibility for copyright questions.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment Collection, BCMS.0066, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Amy Peck, 2019.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
The majority of the materials in this collection are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact cbhreference@bklynlibrary.org at least two weeks prior to research visit.
If digital surrogates exist, they should be used in place of the originals whenever possible.
