Bensonhurst, Brooklyn

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Bensonhurst
BaypkwyBhurst.jpg
Bay Parkway in Bensonhurst
Etymology: Egbert Benson
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn
Location in New York City
Coordinates: 40°36′11″N74°00′07″W / 40.603°N 74.002°W / 40.603; -74.002
CountryFlag of the United States.svg  United States
StateFlag of New York.svg  New York
City New York City
Borough Brooklyn
Community District Brooklyn 11 [1]
Area
[2]
  Total
7.6 km2 (2.95 sq mi)
Population
 (2020) [2]
  Total
104,934
  Density14,000/km2 (36,000/sq mi)
Ethnicity
[3]
  Asian43.9%
  White34.8%
  Hispanic17.2%
  Black1.0%
  Other2.5%
Economics
   Median income $51,667
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
  Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
11204, 11214
Area code 718, 347, 929, and 917
Website www.bensonhurst.nyc

Bensonhurst is a residential neighborhood in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bordered on the northwest by 14th Avenue, on the northeast by 60th Street, on the southeast by Avenue P and 22nd Avenue (Bay Parkway) and on the southwest by 86th Street. It is adjacent to the neighborhoods of Dyker Heights to the northwest, Borough Park and Mapleton to the northeast, Bath Beach to the southwest, and Gravesend to the southeast.

Contents

Bensonhurst contains several major ethnic enclaves. Traditionally, it is known as a Little Italy of Brooklyn. [4] Bensonhurst today is now home to Brooklyn's second Chinatown and has the largest population of residents born in China and Hong Kong of any neighborhood in New York City. [5] The neighborhood accounts for 9.5% of the 330,000 Chinese-born residents of the city, based on data from 2007 to 2011. [6]

Bensonhurst is part of Brooklyn Community District 11, and its primary ZIP Codes are 11204 and 11214. [1] It is patrolled by the 62nd Precinct of the New York City Police Department. [7] Politically it is represented by the New York City Council's 38th, 43rd, and 47th Districts. [8]

Etymology and history

Stillwell Avenue at Bay Parkway and Bay Ridge Parkway Stillwell Av end Bensonhurst jeh.jpg
Stillwell Avenue at Bay Parkway and Bay Ridge Parkway

Bensonhurst derives its name from Egbert Benson (1789–1866), whose children and grandchildren sold his lands to James D. Lynch, a New York real estate developer. Lynch bought the old farmlands from the Benson family in the mid-1880s, and by 1888, began selling private lots in an area dubbed as Bensonhurst-by-the-Sea, now Bath Beach. [9] The first sale of lands in "The New Seaside Resort" area was advertised in the July 24, 1888, issue of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle . [10]

Through the mid-20th century, Bensonhurst developed as an Italian and Jewish enclave. Despite a wave of commercial development in the 1980s, some land had remained undeveloped by then. [11] By the early 2000s, condominiums were being built in Bensonhurst, and it had turned into a diverse community of Chinese, Mexican, Middle Eastern, and Russian residents. [12] The neighborhood, along with adjoining neighborhoods have been called "Brooklyn's Chinatown". [13]

Demographics

Based on data from the 2020 United States census, the population of Bensonhurst was 104,934, Covering an area of 1,890.81 acres (765.18 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 75.7 inhabitants per acre (48,400/sq mi; 18,700/km2). [2]

The racial makeup of the neighborhood was 43.9% (43,064) Asian, 34.8% (36,545) White, 1.0% (1,078) African American, 0.6% (600) from other races, and 2.5% (2,613) from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 17.2% (18,064) of the population. [3]

The entirety of Community Board 11 had 204,829 inhabitants as of NYC Health's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 83.8 years. [14] :2,20 This is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. [15] :53 (PDF p. 84) [16] Most inhabitants are middle-aged adults and youth: 20% are between the ages of 0–17, 31% between 25 and 44, and 26% between 45 and 64. The ratio of college-aged and elderly residents was lower, at 8% and 15% respectively. [14] :2

As of 2016, the median household income in Community District 12 was $53,493. [17] In 2018, an estimated 23% of Bensonhurst residents lived in poverty, compared to 21% in all of Brooklyn and 20% in all of New York City. Less than one in ten residents (8%) were unemployed, compared to 9% in the rest of both Brooklyn and New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent, is 52% in Bensonhurst, about the same as the citywide and boroughwide rates of 52% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018, Bensonhurst is considered to be low-income and not gentrifying relative to the rest of the city. [14] :7

As of the 2020 census data from NYC Dept. Of City Planning, there were 46,000 Asian residents surpassing the remaining White residents of 30,000 to 39,999 for the first time in history. The Hispanic population has also grown significantly to between 10,000 and 19,999 residents. [18] [19]

Ethnic enclaves

18th Ave and 66th St Bensonhurst at 18th Avenue and 66th Street.jpg
18th Ave and 66th St

In the early 20th century, many Italians and Jewish migrants moved into the neighborhood, and prior to World War II, the neighborhood was about equally Jewish and Italian. [20] In the 1940s an influx of immigrants from southern Italy moved in, leaving the area predominantly Italian.

Around 1989, an influx of immigrants from China and the former USSR began to arrive, mainly from Southern China, Russia, and Ukraine. In the 1990s, Bensonhurst rapidly grew in cultural diversity. Bensonhurst is home to many ethnic Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, Albanian, Georgian, Uzbek, Tajik, Arab, Egyptian, Pakistani, Mexican, and Guatemalan Americans. [12] In 1994, The New York Times cited the growing influx of Russian-speaking, Asian, and Hispanic populations in the area. [21]

In 2000, the New York City Department of City Planning determined that just over half of the residents were born in another country. [20] By 2013, then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the city's foreign-born population had reached a record high, and that Bensonhurst had the city's second-highest number of foreign-born people with 77,700 foreign-born immigrants in the neighborhood, just after Washington Heights. [22]

Little Italy

18th Avenue and Bay Ridge Parkway 18 Avenue.jpg
18th Avenue and Bay Ridge Parkway

With a large Italian-American population, Bensonhurst is usually considered the main "Little Italy" of Brooklyn. [23] [24] The Italian-speaking community was over 20,000 strong in the census of 2000. The Italian-speaking community, though, is becoming "increasingly elderly and isolated, with the small, tight-knit enclave in the city slowly disappearing as they give way to demographic changes." [25] Despite changing demographics over the recent years, Bensonhurst is home to one of the largest Italian speaking communities outside of Italy and is home to the largest Sicilian and Neapolitan speaking communities outside of Sicily and Naples, respectively.

Its main thoroughfare, 18th Avenue (also known as Cristoforo Colombo Boulevard) between roughly 60th Street and Shore Parkway, is lined with predominantly small, Italian family-owned businesses—many of which have remained in the same family for several generations. 86th Street is another popular local thoroughfare, located under the elevated BMT West End Line. [11]

After Italy's World Cup victory in 2006, over 50,000 flocked to 18th Avenue for an all-day party.

The annual Festa di Santa Rosalia (commonly known as "the Feast" to locals), is held on 18th Avenue from Bay Ridge Parkway (75th Street) to 66th Street in late August or early September. "The Feast" is presented by Bensonhurst resident and marketer Franco Corrado, as well as by the Santa Rosalia Society, on 18th Avenue. Born in Rome in 1955, Corrado has been an active social member of the Italian-American community for the past 20 years. St. Rosalia is the patron saint of the city of Palermo and is sometimes venerated as the patron for the entire island of Sicily. The annual end-of-summer celebration attracts thousands. Bensonhurst also hosts a Columbus Day parade.

Like Lower Manhattan's Little Italy, Bensonhurst's Little Italy and its Italian-American population is declining, with the rapid expansion of its Chinatown and Chinese population. [26]

In the 2020 United States Census, Italian-Americans constituted 9.2% of the population of Bensonhurst. [27]

Little Hong Kong/Little Guangdong

The D train
of the New York City Subway system connects Brooklyn's Bensonhurst Chinatown to Manhattan's Chinatown. NYCSubway2590.jpg
The D train of the New York City Subway system connects Brooklyn's Bensonhurst Chinatown to Manhattan's Chinatown.

Below the West End Line, served by the D train along 86th Street between 18th Avenue and the intersection with Stillwell Avenue, [28] is a rapidly growing Brooklyn Chinatown. [29] [30] In the 2000s it was intermixed with Italian, Jewish, and Russian residents, [31] but in the 2010s, most of the new businesses between 18th Avenue and 25th Avenue, have been Chinese. 86th Street is home to a growing number of Chinese restaurants, including the 86 Wong Chinese Restaurant (one of the earliest Chinese businesses established in Bensonhurst), as well as Chinese grocery stores, salons, bakeries, and other types of businesses. [32] The subway directly connects to Manhattan's Chinatown, and indirectly to the Chinatown in Sunset Park, which is served by the N and W trains at the 8th Avenue station.

With the large migration of the Cantonese and some Fuzhouese people in Brooklyn now to Bensonhurst, as well as new Chinese immigration, other clusters of Chinese businesses and residences have also started to emerge in other parts of Bensonhurst such as 18th Avenue and Bay Parkway, creating other newer small emerging Chinatowns in Bensonhurst in addition to the one on 86th Street under the D train. These are connected to the Sunset Park Chinatown by the NandWtrains. [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38]

The newly emerging Chinese enclaves in sections of Bensonhurst, and another one in Homecrest/Sheepshead Bay, are primarily Cantonese populated and are more of extensions of the Western Cantonese section of Manhattan's Chinatown or Little Hong Kong / Little Guangdong or Cantonese Town. However, there are also small numbers are Fuzhou- and Mandarin-speakers.

The Flushing-based New World Mall, which owns and operates a Chinese supermarket called Jmart Supermarket inside their shopping center, opened a second branch of Jmart Supermarket in Bensonhurst in 2018. It is the neighborhood's largest Chinese Asian style supermarket. [39] The Jmart is located in a former Waldbaum's. [40]

Bensonhurst's Chinese population was 31,658 in 2015, with this population being primarily Cantonese-speaking from Mainland China's Guangdong Province and Hong Kong. The majority of Brooklyn's Cantonese population is concentrated in Bensonhurst, and is slowly replacing Manhattan's Chinatown as the largest primary Cantonese cultural center in New York City resulting in Bensonhurst increasingly becoming the main largest attraction for newly arriving Cantonese immigrants into New York City with Homecrest/Sheepshead Bay as a smaller secondary attraction. [41]

In 2011, the New York Daily News reported that Manhattan's Chinatown Chinese population dropped from 34,554 to 28,681 from 2000 to 2010, and that it is continuing to decline due to the gentrification going on in Lower Manhattan, which has spurred the increasing growth of newer Chinatowns in Brooklyn including in Queens. [42] As of the 2010s, the current Chinese population in Bensonhurst has grown so much that it is enough to create another large Chinatown surpassing Manhattan's Chinatown and nearly being as big as Sunset Park's Chinatown. [43] [44] However, unlike in Sunset Park where the Chinese community is highly concentrated, the Chinese community in Bensonhurst is split into several sections, such as 18th Avenue, Bay Parkway, and 86th Street. [41] [45] [46]

Brooklyn's Asian population, mainly Chinese, has grown substantially in the Sunset Park area, as well as in Bensonhurst, Dyker Heights, and Borough Park. In Bensonhurst alone, from 2000 to 2010, the Asian population increased by 57%. The study showed that Asians very often live in houses that are divided into studio apartments, which means the Asian population could be higher than indicated on censuses. [42] [47]

Based on data from the 2020 United States census, the Asian population in Bensonhurst grew to 46,000, surpassing the Asian populations in Sunset Park of 31,000 and in the original Manhattan's Chinatown of 27,000. Bensonhurst has the third-largest Asian population of any New York City neighborhood, behind Elmhurst with a population in excess of 55,000 and Flushing with 54,000. While the original Chinatown in Manhattan saw a decline in the Asian population, all these other neighborhoods have continued to experience Asian population increases. [48] [49]

For the first time as of the 2020 census data from NYC Dept. Of City Planning, the Asian population(46,000 residents) in Bensonhurst now constitute a more than 50% majority in the neighborhood now surpassing the remaining White population (30,000 to 39,999 residents). Nearby adjacent neighborhoods of Gravesend has 26,700 Asian residents and Dyker Heights has between 20,000 and 29,999 Asian residents and Bath Beach has between 10,000 and 19,999 Asian residents. The Asian population in the Dyker Heights/Bensonhurst/Gravesend/Bath Beach area all together approximately made up around roughly 102,700 residents more or less and remain primarily Chinese speaking. [18] [19] [50]

There is a small significant amount of Vietnamese Chinese residents integrated into the community, particularly west of Bay Parkway going towards Dyker Heights. [51] [52] [53] [54]

Chinese translation terms Bensonhurst as 本森社区.

New York City's largest Hong Kong community

Bensonhurst and the nearby neighborhood of Bath Beach collectively have the largest concentration of Hong Kong immigrants in New York City. [44]

Land use and terrain

Many of Bensonhurst's houses are attached or semidetached, though fully detached houses can be found in the west near Dyker Heights. These are mostly 20th-century houses made of brick, stucco, and stone, with aluminum siding facades. There are also clusters of apartment buildings throughout the neighborhood. After rezoning in the 2000s, many short single-family homes were torn down [55] and replaced by three-story brick apartment buildings and multi-family condominiums. [20]

They are sometimes called "Fedders Houses" for their distinctive, standard air conditioner sleeves. [56] From 2002 to 2005, 1,200 new housing units in Bensonhurst were approved to accommodate the growing population, which includes many foreign-born residents. With an increase in the area's real estate values, long-time homeowners sold their houses. [20]

Sons of Israel Synagogue Sons of Israel Benson 21 Avs 1927 jeh.jpg
Sons of Israel Synagogue

As no official neighborhood designations are used in New York City, Bensonhurst does not have any official boundaries. [57] Still, parts of Bath Beach, Mapleton, Dyker Heights, Gravesend, and Borough Park are sometimes considered parts of Bensonhurst. [20] [58] However, Bensonhurst-proper includes the area bounded by 86th Street, 14th Avenue, 60th Street, McDonald Avenue, Avenue P, Stillwell Ave. and Bay Parkway. [59]

Police and crime

The NYPD's 62nd Precinct is located at 1925 Bath Avenue. [7]

The 62nd Precinct ranked 4th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. Historically, Bensonhurst has had lower crime than other neighborhoods in Brooklyn, though its mostly White and Asian population has made the area susceptible to racially-motivated crimes, such as the murder of Yusef Hawkins in 1989. [60]

As of 2018, with a non-fatal assault rate of 23 per 100,000 people, Bensonhurst's rate of violent crimes per capita is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 152 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole. [14] :8

The Precinct has a lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 87.4% between 1990 and 2018. The precinct reported 2 murders, 20 rapes, 120 robberies, 148 felony assaults, 178 burglaries, 482 grand larcenies, and 67 grand larcenies auto in 2018. [61]

Fire safety

The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) operates two firehouses in the area. [62] Engine Co. 330/Ladder Co. 172 is located at 2312 65th Street. [63] Engine Co. 253 is located at 2429 86th Street. [64]

Health

As of 2018, preterm births and births to teenage mothers are less common in Bensonhurst than in other places citywide. In Bensonhurst, there were 84 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 12.5 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). [14] :11 Bensonhurst has a high population of residents who are uninsured, or who receive healthcare through Medicaid. [65] In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 13%, which is higher than the citywide rate of 12%. [14] :14

The concentration of fine particulate matter, the deadliest type of air pollutant, in Bensonhurst is 0.007 milligrams per cubic metre (7.0×10−9 oz/cu ft), lower than the citywide and boroughwide averages. [14] :9 Sixteen percent of Bensonhurst residents are smokers, which is higher the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. [14] :13 In Bensonhurst, 21% of residents are obese, 12% are diabetic, and 16% have high blood pressure—compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. [14] :16 14% of local children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. [14] :12

Ninety percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which is slightly higher than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 65% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", less than the city's average of 78%. [14] :13 For every supermarket in Bensonhurst, there are 27 bodegas. [14] :10

The Bay Ridge/Dyker Heights/Bensonhurst area does not have any hospitals. However, the Coney Island Hospital, NYU Langone Hospital – Brooklyn, and Maimonides Medical Center are located in nearby neighborhoods. [65] :19–20

Post offices and ZIP Codes

Bensonhurst is covered by ZIP Codes 11204 north of Bay Ridge Parkway, and 11214 south of Bay Ridge Parkway. [66] The United States Postal Service's Parkville Station is located at 6618 20th Avenue. [67] It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. [68] Another post office, the Bath Beach Station, is located at 1865 Benson Avenue. [69]

Notable current and former landmarks

Lenny's Pizza Lenny's Pizza.jpg
Lenny's Pizza

Parks

Education

Bensonhurst generally has a lower ratio of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018. While 36% of residents age 25 and older have a college education or higher, 26% have less than a high school education and 38% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 40% of Brooklynites and 38% of city residents have a college education or higher. [14] :6 The percentage of Bensonhurst students excelling in math has been increasing, with math achievement rising from 50 percent in 2000 to 71 percent in 2011, though reading achievement within the same time period stayed steady at 52%. [73]

Bensonhurst's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is lower than the rest of New York City. In Bensonhurst, 12% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year, compared to the citywide average of 20% of students. [15] :24 (PDF p. 55) [14] :6 85% of high school students in Bensonhurst graduate on time, higher than the citywide average of 75% of students. [14] :6

Schools

The New York City Department of Education serves Bensonhurst. [74]

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn operates Catholic schools in the borough. Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Bensonhurst was nicknamed "OLG" in the neighborhood. In 2012 the school had 217 students, but by 2019 enrollment was 120. That year its fund balance was $559,633 and its deficit was $215,377. [76] It closed in 2019. [77]

Libraries

The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) operates two libraries in Bensonhurst. The Highlawn branch is located at 1664 West 13th Street, near the intersection with Kings Highway. The branch was renovated in 2005–2006. Unlike most other BPL branches, it contains a circular reading room with multicolored walls. [78]

The New Utrecht branch is located at 1743 86th Street, near Bay 17th Street. It was founded in 1894 as the Free Library of the Town of New Utrecht and became a BPL branch in 1901. The current building opened in 1956. [79]

Transportation

The 62nd Street station platforms 62nd Street (West End Platform).JPG
The 62nd Street station platforms

The neighborhood is well served by the New York City Subway. The D train, which runs on the BMT West End Line above 86th Street, provides a direct connection to Grand Street in Manhattan. [20] [80] The N and W trains, which run on the BMT Sea Beach Line near 63rd Street, provide a direct connection to Canal Street. [20] This provides convenient commutes into Manhattan's Chinatown for the growing Bensonhurst Chinese population. [81]

The Sea Beach Line has a station at Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn's Sunset Park Chinatown. A transfer to the West End Line is available at New Utrecht Avenue / 62nd Street. The IND Culver Line along McDonald Avenue, carrying the F and <F> trains, runs through the most northeastern end of Bensonhurst between the Bay Parkway and Kings Highway stations. [28]

Subway stations in the neighborhood include:

The B1 , B3 , B4 , B6 , B8 , B9 , B82 and B82 SBS bus routes operate through Bensonhurst. [82]

Bensonhurst has been portrayed frequently in film, art, and literature:

Notable people

Notable current and former residents of Bensonhurst include:

Organized crime

A number of high-profile organized crime figures hail from Bensonhurst, including Frankie Yale, Anthony Casso, Paul Castellano, Mikey DiLeonardo, Anthony Gaggi, Dominick Montiglio, Carlo Gambino, John Gambino, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, Gregory Scarpa, and Carmine Sessa.

See also

Events:

Chinese enclaves:

Italian enclaves:

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References

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  85. Berman, Eliza. "Why Margot Robbie Thought Her Career Was Over After Making The Wolf of Wall Street", Time , August 4, 2016. Accessed September 6, 2016. "Naomi Lapaglia, the foul-mouthed, platinum-haired lover-turned-wife she played in Martin Scorsese's The Wolf of Wall Street, is from Bay Ridge, just a handful of blocks away from Bensonhurst. That's the birthplace of Harley Quinn, the bonkers baddie Robbie portrays in DC Comics' supervillain convention Suicide Squad, out Friday."
  86. West, Abby. "General Hospital: Maurice Benard on Sonny's journey home to Brooklyn" Archived December 1, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , Entertainment Weekly , November 28, 2011. Accessed September 6, 2016. "'I'm very excited about the stuff I've done in the last month, when Sonny and Kate [Kelly Sullivan] go to Bensonhurst,' says Benard of episodes that kick off today and deal with Sonny's childhood abuse at the hands of his stepfather.... Sonny and Kate leave their upstate New York town for the Brooklyn neighborhood they grew up in as part of an effort to help Sonny – who recently spiraled out of control after Brenda (Vanessa Marcil) left him – deal with his anger/abandonment issues."
  87. Atkinson, Michael. "Reel Brooklyn: The French Connection: Gravesend/Bensonhurst" Archived September 16, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , Brooklyn Magazine , August 15, 2016. Accessed September 6, 2016. "Friedkin shot and cut this chaos so clearly it practically serves as its own map: after a French hood takes a shot at Hackman's hothead from a rooftop in Gravesend, he boards the elevated B train at Bay 50th Street station, and Hackman grabs someone's LeMans and follows the train at illegal speeds under the platforms, up Stillwell Avenue, north onto 86th Street and then New Utrecht Avenue. The train doesn't stop—the assassin makes the driver blow through the stations, after offing a few transit cops—and the LeMans races it across Bensonhurst for some 26 blocks, through a hairy litany of crashes, near-misses, screaming pedestrians, and flat-out outlaw driving, until the runaway train meets another at 62nd Street Station, and crashes."
  88. Ebert, Roger. Spike of Bensonhurst, Roger Ebert.com. Accessed December 25, 2023.
  89. "Lenny's Pizza, iconic Brooklyn pizzeria featured in 'Saturday Night Fever,' to close", WABC-TV , February 18, 2023. Accessed December 27, 2023. "Just as it was celebrating its 70th birthday, the iconic Lenny's Pizzeria in Brooklyn, made world-famous by its cameo in Saturday Night Fever, is closing on Sunday."
  90. Boyar, Jay. "Dice Man's Ford Fairlane Is One For The Junkyard", Orlando Sentinel , July 13, 1990. Accessed September 6, 2016. "In The Adventures of Ford Fairlane, Clay plays the title character, a Dice-like Los Angeles detective (by way of Bensonhurst, N.Y.) who specializes in solving crimes involving the rock-music industry."
  91. Frishberg, Hannah. "Red Hot Chili Peppers Release Homage to Saturday Night Fever, Filmed in Bensonhurst (NSFW)", Bklyner.com, September 14, 2016. Accessed December 25, 2023. "The four minute 28-second video is a surreal homage to the 1977 cult classic Saturday Night Fever and is shot at the same spots on the Bath Beach-Bensonhurst border, under the elevated subway tracks."
  92. "Keanu Reeves rides through Bensonhurst on horseback". Brooklyn Eagle. July 17, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2019.
  93. Barron, James; Stevens, Kimberly; and Brescia, Joe. "Public Lives" Archived September 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , May 29, 1998. Accessed September 21, 2019. "Steve Augeri, who sang with bands like Tall Stories and Tyketto in Manhattan in the 1980s, had all but given up on a regular spot with a major group. To pay the bills, he became a house painter in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, then a repairman for the Gap in Manhattan."
  94. Walters, John. "Donnie Loves Chachi: Who Is Scott Baio, And Why Is He Speaking At The Republican National Convention?" Archived August 26, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , Newsweek , July 18, 2016. Accessed September 20, 2019. "Scott Baio was born September 22, 1960, in the primarily Italian-American Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York."
  95. Medina, Jennifer. "Studying Tiny Fruit Flies, and Reaping Big Rewards" Archived September 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , April 29, 2006. Accessed September 21, 2019. "Dr. Benzer, who grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, continued to make the audience at the news conference chuckle with his anecdotes of researching fruit flies."
  96. Ratliff, Ben. "Bob Berg, 51, Tenor Saxophonist" Archived July 8, 2018, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , December 7, 2002. Accessed September 21, 2019. "Mr. Berg grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, and took up the saxophone at 13."
  97. Staff. "Kerry Butler Spills The Beans on Her Best Man Co-Stars, Tough Brooklyn Upbringing & Intoxicating Hairspray Experience" Archived September 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , Broadway.com, March 30, 2012. Accessed September 21, 2019. "Butler dished on this amazing stage experience, then chatted about everything from her childhood in Bensonhurst to a potential Hairspray reunion."
  98. Sharoni, Erin. "Victor Calderone Comes Full Circle; The techno stalwart takes us on a journey from his Brooklyn roots to fated meetings in Miami..." Archived September 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , DJ Mag , August 30, 2016. Accessed September 21, 2019. "Victor Calderone was born and raised in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, a neighborhood once defined by the Jews and Italians who packed its brick-lined blocks."
  99. Kirsch, Jonathan. "Book Review : From Flawed World to a Flawed Utopia" Archived November 28, 2022, at the Wayback Machine , Los Angeles Times , June 15, 1988. Accessed June 3, 2020. "Rather, Catran insistently returns to the scene of his characters'--and his own—childhood, the Bensonhurst neighborhood of Brooklyn:"
  100. Miller, Gregory E. "Vincent D'Onofrio recruits Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke for his new movie" Archived May 11, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , New York Post , March 7, 2019. Accessed September 21, 2019. "Born in Bensonhurst but raised in Hawaii, Colorado and Florida, D'Onofrio first earned recognition playing the doughy Private Pyle in Stanley Kubrick's 1987 Vietnam War drama Full Metal Jacket".
  101. "Vic Damone, Who Crooned His Way to Postwar Popularity, Dies at 89". The New York Times. February 12, 2018.
  102. Martin, Douglas (July 28, 2002). "Millie Deegan, 82, Pioneer In Women's Baseball League". The New York Times . Retrieved September 22, 2009. Mildred Eleanor Deegan was born on Dec. 11, 1919, in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst.... She excelled in track and field at Lincoln High School, and after graduation played amateur softball with a team called the Americanettes.
  103. McGoldrick, Meaghan. "Bensonhurst actor to channel the past in new documentary", Brooklyn Reporter, November 20, 2015. Accessed April 15, 2024. "Bensonhurst-born actor William DeMeo is going Back in the Day in a new way."
  104. Darrow, Chuck. "From birth to mirth: A Joey Fatone chronology" Archived May 16, 2022, at the Wayback Machine , The Philadelphia Inquirer , April 4, 2011. Accessed August 24, 2020. "Jan. 28, 1977: Joseph Anthony Fatone Jr. born to Joseph and Phyllis Fatone in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, N.Y."
  105. Specter, Michael. "How Anthony Fauci Became America's Doctor An infectious-disease expert's long crusade against some of humanity's most virulent threats." Archived April 13, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , The New Yorker , April 20, 2020. Accessed August 26, 2020. "Fauci grew up in southwest Brooklyn, first in Bensonhurst and later in Dyker Heights, where his family ran a pharmacy and lived in an apartment upstairs."
  106. Fortuna, Matt. "Sports and Entourage were a classic match" Archived November 28, 2022, at the Wayback Machine , The Athletic , May 29, 2020. Accessed August 24, 2020. "This was not out of character for the Bensonhurst-bred Jerry Ferrara, whose get-up evolved from an audition.""
  107. Rosenblum, Constance. "Brooklyn boy grows up and OUT" Archived November 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine , New York Daily News , January 30, 1977. Accessed August 24, 2020. "These kids adore Pumping Iron, and what they love best about it is Lou Ferrigno, a two-time Mr. Universe from Bensonhurst, who is featured in the movie."
  108. Chambers, Andrea. "Harvey Fierstein, the Gay Torchbearer, Could Be Queen of the Tonys" Archived September 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , People (magazine) , June 6, 1983. Accessed September 21, 2019. "Fierstein's unlikely roots were in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, which was the home of Jackie Gleason's The Honeymooners."
  109. Martin, Douglas. "Marshall Flaum, Documentary Filmmaker, Dies at 85" Archived October 6, 2018, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , October 8, 2010. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  110. Mancari, Jim. "Like Father, Like Son In the Franco Family" Archived September 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , The Tablet (Brooklyn) , June 21, 2012. Accessed September 21, 2019. "One of those ballplayers was J.J. Franco, the son of long-time New York Mets lefty relief pitcher John Franco. John, a Bensonhurst native, spent 21 years in professional baseball – 14 with the Mets."
  111. Gore, Jeff. "The view from Venus; Jacque Fresco designed a society without politics, poverty and war. Will it ever leave the drawing board?" Archived October 9, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , Orlando Weekly , October 12, 2011. September 21, 2019. "Jacque Fresco was 13 years old when the Great Depression began. The precipitating event – the crash of the stock market in the final days of October 1929 – occurred less than 10 miles away from his home at the corner of 67th Street and 20th Avenue in Brooklyn's Bensonhurst neighborhood."
  112. Grimes, William. "Vincent Gardenia, Character Actor, Is Dead at 71" Archived May 24, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , December 10, 1992. Accessed August 24, 2020. "Vincent Gardenia, a character actor known for his work in theater and television and his supporting roles in the films Bang the Drum Slowly and Moonstruck, was found dead yesterday in his hotel room in Philadelphia. He was 71 years old and lived in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn."
  113. "Daniel Glass, 35 General manager, EMI Records Group North America" Archived September 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , Crain's New York Business . Accessed September 21, 2019. "Raised in Bensonhurst, Mr. Glass was a premed student at Brooklyn College."
  114. Barnes, Mike. Family Ties Creator Gary David Goldberg Dies at 68" Archived February 24, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , The Hollywood Reporter , June 23, 2013. Accessed August 24, 2020. "Goldberg was born on June 25, 1944, in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn and raised in a noisy apartment building (think the Kramdens' place in The Honeymooners) that was crowded with his caring, extended family."
  115. Firestone, David. "Public Lives; An Amiable Defender of Colleges Under Fire" Archived August 12, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , February 6, 1998. Accessed September 21, 2019. "Mr. Goldstein, 65, is a bearish man with a slow, earnest speaking style and the sure-footed Brooklyn instincts of a politician rather than an educator. Born in Bensonhurst, he worked his way up through CUNY from an instructor's post, and long ago decided that he preferred the backslap to the cannon-fire political style practiced by Mr. Giuliani."
  116. Houberman, J. "The Goulden Age" Archived February 28, 2021, at the Wayback Machine , The Village Voice , April 10, 2007. Accessed August 26, 2020. "Yeah, baby! Gould rocketed out of nowhere (or rather, Bensonhurst by way of Broadway) to the fifth spot on the 1970 exhibitor's poll of box-office stars."
  117. Manegold, Catherine S. "Philip C. Habib, a Leading U.S. Diplomat, Dies at 72" Archived November 1, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , May 27, 1992 Accessed August 26, 2020. "A Lebanese Maronite Christian who grew up in a predominantly Jewish section of Bensonhurst, Mr. Habib became Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs in 1976."
  118. Benitez-Eves, Tina. "A Death in the Family: Peter Steele of Type O Negative Remembered By Bandmate Johnny Kelly" Archived December 2, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , Billboard (magazine) , April 14, 2020. Accessed August 24, 2020. "Born Petrus Thomas Ratajczyk in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn on Jan. 4, 1962, and raised in Bensonhurst, Steele was in bands with childhood friend and future Type O keyboardist-producer Josh Silver since their teens."
  119. Furse, Jane H. "N.Y.-born funnyman kills self, cops say" Archived May 16, 2022, at the Wayback Machine , New York Daily News , March 12, 2007. Accessed August 26, 2020. "Jeni, who grew up in Bensonhurst and graduated from Hunter College, moved to the West Coast years ago, but would stop into the club when he was in New York and perform sometimes."
  120. Alexander, John. "Beloved Brooklyn-based TV series Welcome Back, Kotter debuted 44 years ago" Archived August 27, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , Brooklyn Reporter, September 9, 2019. Accessed August 26, 2020. "The show debuted on Sept. 9, 1975. Comedian Gabe Kaplan played title character Gabe Kotter, who returns to teach at his alma mater. Kaplan grew up in Bensonhurst and attended New Utrecht High School, which doubled as the fictional James Buchanan High in the TV series."
  121. "In Memoriam: Sheila Susan Moriber Katz, 1943–2023", Women in Academia Report, September 29, 2023. Accessed December 25, 2023. "Dr. Katz was born and raised in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, New York."
  122. Harris, Elizabeth A. "Not All Make the Cut in a City Filled With Landmarks" Archived November 12, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , October 1, 2012. Accessed August 26, 2020. "Some have sought, for example, an evaluation of a cheerless little spot underneath a bridge, or a seemingly unremarkable house in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, which happened to be the childhood home of the talk-show host Larry King."
  123. Verne, Gay (June 30, 2023). "Tough-on-TV Newsday Critic: Witty, Acerbic Columnist Told it Like He Saw it". Newsday. Long Island. ProQuest   2831174390 via ProQuest. Kitman moved with his family to Bensonhurst when he was a child
  124. Belknap, Johnny. "The Jews who created Woodstock; They weren't rock legends but, 50 years ago, they made rock history" Archived September 18, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , The Jewish Chronicle , August 14, 2020. Accessed August 26, 2020. "Back then record labels ruled the music world, and Lang blagged his way into Capitol Records to meet their youngest executive Artie Kornfeld, also Jewish, also from Bensonhurst."
  125. Lipman, Steve. "Where Have You Gone, Sandy Koufax?; Catching up with the baseball legend, as the 50th anniversary of his iconic Yom Kippur day off approaches. An exclusive Jewish Week interview." Archived November 28, 2022, at the Wayback Machine , The Jewish Week , March 12, 2014. Accessed August 26, 2020. "Koufax, who grew up in the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, was (and remains, as far as is known) devoutly secular, with little formal Jewish education and (according to all accounts) no bar mitzvah."
  126. Purdum, Todd S. "Man in the News; Persistence Pays Off: Jerrold Lewis Nadler" Archived May 5, 2019, at the Wayback Machine , The New York Times , September 25, 1992. Accessed September 21, 2019. "Born in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn on June 13, 1947, in a block that is now part of his district, Mr. Nadler first became active in politics as a student at Columbia in the 60s."
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