The Jackie Robinson House is a historic house at 5224 Tilden Avenue in the

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

borough of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. Built c. 1912-1916, it is prominent as the home of baseball great Jackie Robinson from 1947, when he was awarded Rookie of the Year, through 1949, when he was voted Most Valuable Player. It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1976. and

Description and history

The Jackie Robinson House is located in Brooklyn's

East Flatbush East Flatbush is a residential neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. East Flatbush is bounded by Crown Heights and Empire Boulevard to the north; Brownsville and East 98th Street to the east; Flatlands, Canarsie and the ...

, neighborhood, at the southwest corner of Tilden Avenue and East 53nd Street. It is a modest two-story brick duplex, with the units set side-by-side. Each is two bays wide, with the entrance set in the right-hand bay. 5224 is the left (east) unit, which has a band of three sash windows in the left bay, topped by a porch with a wooden railing and metal awning supported by decorative metal supports. The house was built sometime between 1912 and 1916. From 1947 to 1949 it was home to baseball player Jackie Robinson, the first African-American to play in the major leagues. Robinson had been signed to a contract in 1945 by Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and he was called up to the major league team after spending 1946 with minor league

Montreal Royals The Montreal Royals were a minor league professional baseball team in Montreal, Quebec, during 1897–1917 and 1928–1960. A member of the International League, the Royals were the top farm club (Class AAA) of the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1939; p ...

. When he was called up, he and his wife

Rachel Rachel () was a Biblical figure, the favorite of Jacob's two wives, and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, two of the twelve progenitors of the tribes of Israel. Rachel's father was Laban. Her older sister was Leah, Jacob's first wife. Her aun ...

had difficulty finding housing in Brooklyn due to racism; this was secured as a rental by a friend. Another house, at 112-40 177th Street in the

Addisleigh Park St. Albans is a residential neighborhood in the southeastern portion of the New York City borough of Queens. It is bordered by Jamaica to the northwest, Hollis to the north, Queens Village to the northeast, Cambria Heights to the east, Laurelton ...

neighborhood of Queens, was the Robinsons' home from 1949 to 1955. "Locals had recently canceled a restrictive covenant that forbade blacks from living in the area, so African-American stars such as jazz great

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

and Herbert Mills of the

Mills Brothers The Mills Brothers, sometimes billed the Four Mills Brothers, and originally known as the Four Kings of Harmony, were an American jazz and traditional pop vocal quartet who made more than 2,000 recordings that sold more than 50 million copies a ...

quartet moved in."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robinson, Jackie, House National Historic Landmarks in New York City Houses completed in 1916 House Houses in Brooklyn National Register of Historic Places in Brooklyn

Description and history

See also

References