Prospect Avenue is a major street in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Route description

Prospect Avenue generally runs northwest-southeast, from Hamilton and Third Avenues in Gowanus and

Park Slope Park Slope is a neighborhood in South Brooklyn, New York City, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park and Eighth Avenue (Brooklyn), Prospect Park West to the east, ...

; southeast of Eleventh Avenue it turns nearly due south and runs through Windsor Terrace, terminating at Ocean Parkway. In this southern section, Prospect Avenue occupies the position of East 6th Street in the Brooklyn street grid, with East 5th Street to its west and East 7th Street to its east. Prospect Avenue intersects every numbered avenue from Third to Eleventh. Due to steep slopes, Seeley Street crosses Prospect Avenue on a masonry bridge. Originally two-way throughout its length, Prospect Avenue is now one-way northbound in two sections as a result of the construction of the Prospect Expressway through the area. It runs one way for one block between Ocean Parkway and Greenwood Avenue, with an on ramp leading to the Prospect Expressway westbound. Between Sixth and Third Avenues, it is one-way for the remainder of its length. Exit 2 from the westbound Prospect Expressway merges into Prospect Avenue between Fifth and Fourth Avenues.

History

Prospect Avenue was originally known as Middle Street, and was laid out on the Commissioners Plan of 1839. As originally designed, Middle Street's southern terminus was at the (then) city limits, approximately the present intersection of Terrace Place. Middle Street, along with Sherman Street and Braxton Street (now Windsor Place), filled the gap between 16th Street and 17th Street caused by an angle in the Brooklyn street grid. An attempt was made in 1865 to change the name of Middle Street to Sterling Street, possibly for

Lord Stirling William Alexander, also known as Lord Stirling (December 27, 1725 – January 15, 1783), was a Scottish-American major general during the American Revolutionary War. He held a claim to be the male heir to the Scottish title of Earl of Stirl ...

, but was vetoed by Mayor Alfred M. Wood. With the establishment of

Prospect Park Prospect Park may refer to: Businesses * Prospect Park (production company), entertainment production company *Prospect Park Productions NZ, theatre company based in Dunedin, New Zealand Places New Zealand * Prospect Park, New Zealand, a portion ...

came the necessity for additional access, and in 1868 the

New York Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: the New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an offici ...

passed an act which provided for the improvement of Middle Street, and its renaming to Prospect Avenue. It was to be widened from 60 to 80 feet. Maps made in 1874 for the Kings County Town Survey Commission provided for the extension of Prospect Avenue at a 100-foot width into the Town of Flatbush as far as Ocean Parkway. A steep. boulder - strewn

terminal moraine A terminal moraine, also called an end moraine, is a type of moraine that forms at the terminal (edge) of a glacier, marking its maximum advance. At this point, debris that has accumulated by plucking and abrasion, has been pushed by the front e ...

, and the fact that the Brooklyn and Flatbush sections of Prospect Avenue were misaligned at the boundary between the two municipalities, delayed completion of the thoroughfare for many years. In 1903, plans were approved to correct the misalignment at the former boundary, to cut through the hill and connect the sections of Prospect Avenue as a continuous roadway. Seeley Street was to cross over Prospect Avenue on a concrete and steel arch bridge.''The Brooklyn Daily Eagle'' (Brooklyn, New York) · Sun, Apr 12, 1903 · Page 54

Public transportation

Prospect Avenue is served by the

New York City Subway The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City serving the New York City boroughs, boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It is owned by the government of New York City and leased to the New York City Tr ...

BMT Fourth Avenue Line The BMT Fourth Avenue Line is a rapid transit line of the New York City Subway, mainly running under Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn. The line is served by the D, N, and R at all times; the R typically runs local, while the D and N run express dur ...

station at Prospect Avenue and the

IND Culver Line The IND Culver Line (formerly IND Culver Line#History, BMT Culver Line) is a rapid transit line of the B Division (NYCS), B Division of the New York City Subway, extending from Downtown Brooklyn south to Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, ...

station at

Fort Hamilton Parkway Fort Hamilton Parkway is a parkway in Brooklyn, New York. It runs for 4.1 miles from the neighborhood of Windsor Terrace to Bay Ridge, its southern end at the entrance to its namesake military base at Fort Hamilton. History Originally known ...

. The Downtown Brooklyn-bound takes the Prospect Avenue exit on the Prospect Expressway, then heads north on Fourth Avenue.

References

{{Brooklyn Streets Streets in Brooklyn