New Victory in the City: Sunset Park, Brooklyn

This summer, we showed you the world with five travel guides dedicated to the artistic homes of a few shows from the New Victory 2019-20 season. Now, it’s time to go local!

The New Victory joins Americans for the Arts in celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month, highlighting the many ways in which the arts impact communities. Throughout the month of October, we’ll be highlighting a few neighborhoods where you can see New Victory in the community. The first up is Sunset Park in Brooklyn, New York!

New Victory Snapshot

Our work goes beyond the stage and into vibrant neighborhoods across New York City!

Sunset Park is also home to three of our New Victory Ushers, just one of paid employment opportunities of the New 42 Youth Corps, our program to annually employ, mentor and inspire NYC youth with jobs in the performing arts.

The Neighborhood’s History

The original settlers of South Brooklyn were the Canarsee Indians—one of the indigenous Lenape peoples who lived on the land. By the 18th century, the Canarsee were displaced and had left Brooklyn.

During the American Revolution, the famed Battle of Brooklyn took place on Battle Hill. This, the highest point in Brooklyn, is located in what is now known as Green-Wood Cemetery. You can join the yearly commemoration of this fight every August when the cemetery puts on its annual living history event!

Sunset Park was primarily an agricultural hub until the 1830s when Brooklyn officially became a city. The main attraction that first drove the boom in the population of the area was the very same Green-Wood Cemetery. When the cemetery opened in 1840, it quickly became popular and the neighborhood began to shift into a residential area.

The name “Sunset Park” was given to the area north of 65th Street in the 1960s as a part of an urban renewal initiative.

The Neighborhood Today

Sunset Park is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in all of New York City, and therefore the perfect place to experience our bustling city in a few square miles! Almost half of the inhabitants are Latino and about 40% of the remainder comes from a country in Asia—primarily China and India.

Today, you can reach Sunset Park on the N, D and R subway lines or the B63, X1 and B35 bus lines. Below, here are some sights to see.

Happy exploring!