List of lettered Brooklyn avenues A-M

List of lettered Brooklyn avenues

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The flat south central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn has a set of lettered avenues. Improved public transport brought urban sprawl to this area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after the hilly areas to its west and north had already been developed. The avenues are oriented east to west and unless specified have two traffic lanes, carrying two-way traffic. Route descriptions are given west to east.

Much of Brooklyn has only named streets, but in this portion of Brooklyn, lettered avenues (like Avenue M) east of Dahill Road run east and west, forming a perpendicular grid with numbered streets that have the prefix “East”. South of Avenue O, related perpendicular numbered streets west of Dahill Road use the “West” designation. This set of numbered streets ranges from West 37th Street to East 108th Street, and the avenues range from A to Z with names substituted for some of them in some neighborhoods, notably Albemarle Road, Beverley Road, Cortelyou Road, Clarendon Road, Dorchester Road, Ditmas Avenue, Foster Avenue, Farragut Road, Glenwood Road and Quentin Road.

Avenues A and B

These are less than a mile long, in northern Canarsie. In 1897, at the request of developers, the City of Brooklyn renamed several streets in what is now known as Prospect Park South. Among these are Avenues A and B, and five numbered streets which cross them. Avenue A was renamed Albemarle Road, and a portion of Avenue B between Coney Island Avenue and Flatbush Avenue was renamed Beverley Road.^[1][2] Albemarle Road runs from Church Avenue to Nostrand Avenue, with a short disalignment break at Flatbush Avenue.

After Brooklyn was annexed into the City of Greater New York, three more segments of Avenue B, namely between Church Avenue and Coney Island Avenue, between Flatbush Avenue and Brooklyn Avenue, and between Schenectady Avenue and Ralph Avenue, were renamed with an Americanized spelling: Beverly Road. This explains the spelling discrepancy between the two subway stations along what was once known as Avenue B: the Beverley Road station on the BMT Brighton Line, and the Beverly Road station on the IRT Nostrand Avenue line.

The portion of Avenue B east of Ralph Avenue was not given the name in order to complement an Avenue A which is distinct from what is now known as Albemarle Road (though starts at roughly the same latitude, running from Ralph to the corner of East 96th Street and Linden Boulevard). Avenue B runs to East 98th Street, which Avenue A once did as well before Linden Boulevard was extended and the remaining block, cut off, was absorbed into Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center.

Avenue C

Avenue C is located in Kensington and is less than a mile long. Cortelyou Road, which is one block south, can be easily confused with Avenue C, since Cortelyou starts with the letter “C”. Clarendon Road, which begins one block further south from Cortelyou at Flatbush Avenue and also starts with the letter, is the most likely successor as it begins at roughly the same latitude. Clarendon runs to a short block east of Ralph Avenue where it meets Avenue D, which in turn re-assumes the name Ditmas Avenue.^{[3][circular reference]}

Avenue D

Over a mile in length, Avenue D is located in East Flatbush. Ditmas Avenue and Dorchester Road are sometimes associated with Avenue D, since Ditmas and Dorchester start with the letter “D”. However, Cortelyou Road is actually the successor to a portion of Avenue D between Dahill Road and Coney Island Avenue. Ditmas Avenue does intersect the western terminus of Avenue D and Flatbush Avenue, at a 135-degree angle. There is some evidence that the current Avenue D was originally named Ditmas Avenue, and renamed to fit the letter grid; the portion that angled off remained Ditmas.^[4][5]

Avenue E

There is no longer any Avenue E. Late 19th and early 20th century maps depict an Avenue E, which was later renamed Ditmas Avenue (the segment between Dahill Road and Coney Island Avenue) and Foster Avenue (the segments from Foster Avenue to Bank Street, including a small realignment at Kings Highway).^[4][5]

Avenue F

Located in the southern part of Kensington, Avenue F is less than a mile long. It is commonly associated with nearby Foster Avenue and Farragut Road, since Foster and Farragut begin with the letter “F”. However, Foster Avenue predates Avenue F and is possibly the successor to Avenue E.

Although Avenue F currently terminates west of Ocean Parkway, it originally continued a few blocks further east, until East 8th Street at 18th Avenue. Farragut Road is in close alignment with the remnant Avenue F, and may have originally been called Avenue F.^[4][5]

Avenue G

There is no longer any Avenue G. It was renamed Glenwood Road in the early 20th century.^[4][5]

Avenues H and I

The Bay Ridge Branch lies between these avenues for most of their length.

Avenue H begins in the west at Ocean Parkway, is interrupted by the BMT Brighton Line at East 16th Street, and again by the Brooklyn College Campus between Campus Rd and Nostrand Avenue. It resumes its run through the East 30’s, 40’s and 50’s before its eastern terminus at Paedergat Avenue South just past East 58th Street.

Avenue I begins at Dahill Rd in the west, It is interrupted by the BMT Brighton line past East 16th Street, and terminates in the East at Flatlands Avenue and East 58th Street.

Avenue J

Avenue J travels through the neighborhoods of Midwood and Flatlands. It begins at Dahill Road and runs to Ralph Avenue in Georgetown, just short of Paerdegat Basin. It resumes across the water in Canarsie and runs from East 80th Street to East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east. The road carries 2 lanes of traffic and has a commercial strip between Coney Island Avenue and East 16th Street. The avenue carries the B6 bus in some places. It is also notoriously home for the famous street gang, The J Boys, which existed from roughly 1979 to 1988.

Avenue K

Avenue K starts off at Ocean Parkway in Midwood. It gets interrupted with a brief concurrency along Flatbush Avenue. It then runs to Bergen Avenue in Bergen Beach, where it is interrupted by Paerdegat Basin. It resumes across the water in Canarsie and runs from East 80th Street to East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east.

Avenues L and M

“Avenue M” redirects here. For the subway station, see Avenue M (BMT Brighton Line). Avenue L starts off at its western terminus at East 4th Street in Midwood and continues to Flatbush Avenue in Flatlands. It resumes at East 41st Street and Troy Avenue and continues as a one-way street going from west to east to Ralph Avenue, where it becomes a two-way street again until its eastern terminus at Bergen Avenue in Bergen Beach. Across the Paerdegat Basin, it resumes at East 80th Street in Canarsie and runs to its terminus at East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east. Avenue M starts at Dahill Road in Mapleton. It gets interrupted at Flatlands Avenue, resumes at Flatbush Avenue and is juxtaposed to the south at Ralph Avenue, from which it runs as a two-way street to Bergen Avenue along Paedergat Basin. Across the water, it resumes at East 80th Street in Canarsie and runs to its terminus at East 108th Street. The house numbers increase from west to east. Avenue M is a one-way street westbound from Ralph Avenue to Flatbush Avenue.