How the Williamsburg Bridge Transformed Brooklyn

The construction of the Williamsburg Bridge in 1903 brought about a total transformation of the neighborhood on the Brooklyn side of the bridge. The bridge became an immigrant highway and tens of thousands of Jews and Italians streamed over from Manhattan’s Lower East Side. That migration transformed Williamsburg into one of the largest immigrant enclaves in America. Williamsburg became the home to some of the most notorious gangsters in American history, but also some of the most celebrated writers, artists, architects and filmmakers. On Wednesday, September 30, 2020 at 7:00pm EST, join Untapped New York for a book talk on the evolution of Williamsburg with Geoffrey Cobb, author of Williamsburg Transformed: A History of Williamsburg Brooklyn 1903 to 1945.

Williamsburg Transformed not only chronicles the Brooklyn neighborhood’s local history, but also tells the stories of many of the celebrated Williamsburgers who helped create and redefine American culture in myriad ways. The book presents a wide variety of unique and unforgettable characters whose stories mesh with the larger stories of New York City and America. Cobb’s book on the transformation of Williamsburg is the product of years of exhaustive archival research presenting a revolutionary look at this fascinating part of New York City. Get a copy of the book here!

This live event is organized for Untapped New York Insiders — get two months free with code JOINUS. A video of the talk will also be made available to all our Insiders afterwards in the Video Archive section of our website.
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