THE BUSHWICK WHEELMEN CLUBHOUSES (1894)
******************************************************************************************************************************** Brownstone Detectives investigates the history of our clients’ homes. The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations. Do you know the history of YOUR house? ******************************************************************************************************************************** When the cycling rage began in the early 1890s, Bushwick’s “wheel” enthusiasts joined together under the moniker, the Bushwick Wheelmen. It would not be long before, as with other clubs of the era, that the Wheelmen would find a club house of its own. In 1894, the the club purchased its first Brooklyn clubhouse, No. 841 Lexington Avenue (which still survives), in today’s Bedford-Stuyvesant section. “The Bushwick Wheelmen have fairly settled in their new club house, at 841 Lexington avenue,” noted the Brooklyn Citizen in 1894. “Their membership list numbers about one hundred, and the financial condition of the club is excellent.” “An opening reception was held on Wednesday night and it proved a very enjoyable affair,” reported the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. “The club house was decorated and a large company of women were present. “At 11 P. M. a collation was served.” Throughout the next few years, numerous meetings, parties, and euchres were held in the 2-story wood-frame house. Around 1897, the house was sold to a private family and the club moved its clubhouse to “the corner of Bushwick avenue and Harman street,” No. 897 Bushwick Avenue. “It is situated in one of the choicest residential sections of the city,” said the Times Union. “The building is a three-story […]
