Park Slope Civic Council (PSCC) records
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Abstract
This collection contains materials generated by the Park Slope Civic Council between 1931 and 2018. It chronicles the activities of the Council, including meetings, the Civic News newsletter, grantmaking, fundraising, events, historic district status, and zoning/development proposals. Types of materials include correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, newsletters, news clippings, posters, blueprints, photographs, negatives, and slides.
Historical Note
The Park Slope Civic Council (PSCC) was founded in 1896 as the South Brooklyn Board of Trade, which acted as a chamber of commerce, lobbying the city and state for improvements to infrastructure and services across the geographic area south of Downtown Brooklyn. One of the founders and first president was Alexander G. Calder. In the late 1950s, the South Brooklyn Board of Trade renamed itself the Park Slope Civic Council to increase residents' engagement in the neighborhood.
As the Park Slope Civic Council, the organization regularly publishes the Civic News newsletter, reviews changing building regulations and developments, provides grants to neighborhood projects, and organizes fundraising activities such as the annual House Tour. PSCC acts as a conduit between members and political representatives.
PSCC led the campaign that achieved historic district designation for the section of Park Slope closest to Prospect Park in 1973. The Council continued its historic district advocacy in the late 1990s, planning to expand the historic district designation to the north, south, and west.
In 2001, Revitalization of the Southern Area of the Slope (ROSAS), a neighborhood association active in the neighborhood south of Park Slope since 1978, merged with the Park Slope Civic Council, bringing the activities of both organizations under one umbrella.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into six series:
Series 1: Irene Wilson papers, 1931-1977, bulk: 1960-1970
Series 2: Carl Kaiserman papers Series 2: Carl Kaiserman papers, 1970-2004
Series 3: Mort Fleischer papers, 1977-2004
Series 4: Park Slope Civic Council Administration, 1938-2009
Series 5: Landmark Campaign Research, circa 1960
Series 6: Civic News Issues, 1938-2018
Scope and Contents
The Park Slope Civic Council records is made up of materials generated by the Park Slope Civic Council (PSCC) administration and members, especially those involved with PSCC's newsletter Civic News and the Board of Trustees. Materials include correspondence, meeting agendas and minutes, newsletters, newspaper clippings, photographs, negatives, slides, blueprints, and posters.
Much of the collection is made up of Irene Wilson's correspondence and subject files from when she was editor of Civic News from the 1960s until her retirement in 1976, and Carl Kaiserman's files from the 1980s through the early 2000s. Kaiserman was a PSCC trustee and active in Revitalization of the Southern Area of the Slope (ROSAS). Park Slope House Tour planning and promotional materials from 1959 to 2018 and research materials related to PSCC's Landmark Campaign to receive NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Historic District designation also make up a significant portion of the collection.
While there are materials dated from the 1930s, this collection does not contain many records from when the organization was the South Brooklyn Board of Trade.
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Conditions Governing Access
The collection may only be used in the library and is not available through interlibrary loan.
Conditions Governing Use
While many items at 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); Park Slope Civic Council (PSCC) records, BCMS.0083, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Public Library, Center for Brooklyn History.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of the Park Slope Civic Council via Judith Lief, Co-President, 2016.
The immediate source of acquisition for some material accessioned by Brooklyn Historical Society in 1991 is unknown.
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.
About this Guide
Processing Information
This collection combines two accessions: 2016.0006 by the Brooklyn Collection, Brooklyn Public Library and 1991.041 by Brooklyn Historical Society.
Records from the 1991.041 accession were processed by Matthew Gorham in 2011. Records from the 2016.0006 accession were processed by Alice Griffin, October 2021-May 2022. Preservation photocopies were made of all of the newspaper clippings.
