SISTERS WHO FORGED A FAMILY OF FIRSTS

Also: Ode to a Cemetery, landmark pizza, winter coats, church robbery, SletzerFest and more!

There is no dedicated news coverage of Sunset Park — but Sunset Park makes news. This FREE weekly(ish) digest curates all the headlines from all the news sources that touch our neighborhood, which is one of the most vibrant in Brooklyn.

In this issue

• The story of two Brooklyn sisters who forged a family of firsts

• ‘The real Brooklyn slice’: How Luigi’s Pizza became a staple

• 500 winter coats distributed in Sunset Park

• Sunset Park church robber who stole $350 sought by police

• Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy to close in June

• Brooklyn knife fight leaves 2 men hospitalized and in custody

• Watermark Capital's Sunset Park development project saved from foreclosure

• Japanese entertainment giant Bandai Namco is opening its first U.S. store at Industry City

• 19 awesome things to do with kids at Industry City

• Brooklyn SeltzerFest and National Egg Cream Invitational

• Sunset Park owner struggles with debt years after devastating fire

• Ode to a Cemetery: Photographing Green-Wood w/ Bethany Jacobson

The story of two Brooklyn sisters who forged a family of firsts

BY CBS NEWS: A peaceful playground in Williamsburg bears the name of Sarah J. S. Tompkins Garnet. Two miles away in DUMBO is a park named after Susan Smith McKinney Steward. These are not the only places that bear their names -- a school in Fort Greene and another in Prospect Heights are also named after them. Who were these women who left such a mark on Brooklyn? Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Steward was the first Black woman to practice medicine in New York state, graduating as valedictorian and opening a prosperous office in Brooklyn. "She's working as a teacher, and it's her own income that is paying her way through medical school," says Dominique Jean-Louis, chief historian at the Brooklyn Public Library's Center for Brooklyn History. Her older sister Sarah Garnet became the first Black female principal of a New York City Public School. … Among the idyllic hills of Sunset Park’s historic Green-wood Cemetery are two graves, steps away from each other — the resting places of both sisters who desired to educate and heal their community. … READ MORE

‘The real Brooklyn slice’: How Luigi’s Pizza became a staple

BY BROOKLYN PAPER: Luigi’s Pizza has all the makings of a perfect pie, but over the past 52 years, it’s grown into something more than just a pizza place for the Park Slope community. “I want people to come in here and feel like this is their neighborhood store,” owner Giovanni Lanzo told Brooklyn Paper. “Because [when] I grew up here, every store was a neighborhood store. That’s changing.” … Lanzo’s father, Luigi, opened the pizzeria in 1973. An Italian immigrant, Luigi began his life in Brooklyn working at Sunset Park’s Green-Wood Cemetery from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. before starting his shift at a pizzeria from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. … READ MORE

500 winter coats distributed in Sunset Park

BY BROOKLYN PAPER: New York Cares distributed over 500 warm winter coats to Sunset Park residents in need as part of its 36th Annual Coat Drive. The event, held in partnership with the Chinese-American Planning Council, took place during a Lunar New Year celebration at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy on 6th Avenue. Volunteers handed out coats for men, women, and children, along with winter accessories, toys, and bags. … READ MORE

Sunset Park church robber who stole $350 sought by police

BY BK READER: Police released new video of a suspect who they say committed a robbery at a church in Sunset Park. According to NYPD, the suspect entered the church at 5623 7th Avenue through an unlocked side door. He took $350 before fleeing from the building around 1:10 p.m. on Feb. 9. Police are asking anyone who can identify the suspect to contact Crime Stoppers. … WATCH VIDEO

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy to close in June

BY BROOKLYN PAPER: Low enrollment and financial struggles will bring the end for another Catholic school in Sunset Park this summer. Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Academy in Sunset Park will permanently close at the end of the school year in June, its Board of Trustees announced last week, more than a century after it opened. … READ MORE

Brooklyn knife fight leaves 2 men hospitalized and in custody

BY WINS1010: A bloody knife fight in Sunset Park on Sunday afternoon left two men hospitalized—and in police custody. The two men—ages 46 and 27—got into some sort of dispute around 2:30 p.m. at 46^th Street and Ninth Avenue. The fight boiled over and both men stabbed and slashed each other, police said. … READ MORE

Watermark Capital's Sunset Park development project saved from foreclosure

BY PR NEWSWIRE: Real-estate investor Daryl Hagler has successfully secured a $42.5 million loan to support the construction of Watermark Capital's ambitious 28-story, 497-unit residential project located at 6128 Eighth Avenue in Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood. Situated on a former rail yard, this high-profile development was on the brink of foreclosure before Mr. Daryl Hagler intervened with his strategic financing. This move has provided a lifeline to Watermark Capital, helping them avert the impending foreclosure attempt by Rialto Capital Group, a Manhattan-based real estate investment and asset management firm. … READ MORE

Japanese entertainment giant Bandai Namco is opening its first U.S. store at Industry City

BY TIMEOUT: If you’re a fan of One Piece, Naruto or even Pac-Man, mark your calendars: the Japanese conglomerate that licenses those brands and many others is going to open its first-ever U.S. retail store at Sunset Park’s Industry City on Feb. 28. Bandai Namco’s Brooklyn debut is coming at the heels of the success of its store in Camden, London, which opened in August 2023. Like its other locations across Japan and the U.K., the new latest Namco will be an immersive retail experience that will include merch for sale, claw machine games, gashapon machines and much more. … READ MORE

19 awesome things to do with kids at Industry City

BY MOMMY POPPINS: Located within a former industrial storage complex along the waterfront in Sunset Park, Industry City has evolved into a cultural and foodie hub. The eight formerly derelict, city-block-sized buildings, running from 33rd to 37th Streets between Second and Third Avenues, are now home to artist studios, workspaces, great shopping, art exhibitions, a chocolate factory, an international food hall, and even one of our favorite ice skating rinks. Recent additions also include a kid-friendly climbing gym and a tech-powered play space. … READ MORE

Brooklyn SeltzerFest and National Egg Cream Invitational

BY PATCH: The Brooklyn Seltzer Museum is bubbling with excitement as it announces Brooklyn SeltzerFest 2025, a one-of-a-kind (alcohol-free) celebration of all things seltzer! Taking place on March 16, 2025, at Industry City in Sunset Park on the weekend of National Egg Cream Day, this lively festival will feature vendors, interactive experiences, live music, celebrity presenters, and thrilling competitions. … READ MORE

Sunset Park owner struggles with debt years after devastating fire

BY NEW12: The Department of Housing Preservation and Development says it is looking into the matter in Sunset Park. … WATCH VIDEO

Ode to a Cemetery: Photographing Green-Wood w/ Bethany Jacobson

BY UNTAPPED CITIES: Green-Wood, founded in 1838, was a leader in the Rural Cemetery movement in America. Its 478 acres encompass magnificent grounds, grand architecture, and world-class statuary in Sunset Park. Throughout four seasons, Jacobson’s book captures the spirit of this verdant, history-drenched pastoral cemetery.In Ode to a Cemetery, Bethany Eden Jacobson creates a moving portrait of Green-Wood Cemetery with her color and black and white photographs of century-old trees, grand vistas, and time-worn statuary. Her cinematic approach is a visual meditation on the transience of life and the importance of nature to the human spirit. The book also includes reproductions of her unique artworks on handmade paper inspired by the female Victorian statuary. Throughout the book, Cole Swensen’s poetic words reflect on the imagery, creating a lyrical interplay between image and text. … READ MORE

CALENDAR

• Until Saturday, March 8: “I GOT A STORY TO TELL,” celebrating the art and narratives of Black women

• Sunday, March 16: Brooklyn SeltzerFest and National Egg Cream Invitational

• Thursday, March 27: Ode to a Cemetery: Photographing Green-Wood w/ Bethany Jacobson

• Ongoing at Green-Wood Cemetery & Industry City