Cook Mansion’s Legacy and Fate Remain
Shrouded in Mystery
By Amanda Becker
Wedged between the elevated JMZ subway tracks, a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant, an empty lot and a World War I memorial is one of Bushwick’s most notorious mansions. The once-grand manse on the corner of Bushwick Avenue and Willoughby sits empty behind a chain-link fence. The windows are boarded with plywood and graffiti scars the brick façade. But, as any passerby can guess, there is a story behind the Bushwick Mansion.
Bushwick, founded in 1661 by Peter Stuyvesant as Boswijck (“Town in the Woods”), was one of Brooklyn’s six original towns. By the late 1800s, a sizeable community of German immigrants thrived on the success of local breweries and many grand residences and churches rose up along the town’s main residential street, Bushwick Avenue.
Among the most regal of Bushwick’s stately homes was the estate built by Frederick A. Cook on the corner of Bushwick and Willoughby. Cook, a physician and explorer, was better known for the controversy surrounding his Arctic expeditions than his medical expertise. In 1908, Cook claimed to be the first explorer to reach the North Pole with two Inuit tour guides. Lack of documentation and evidence led many to question his claims. Under a cloud of suspicion for fabricating expedition tales, Cook later spent time in prison for stock fraud during the 1920s. As the years passed, the condition of Cook’s mansion deteriorated along with his reputation.
As breweries closed and the German community disbanded in the second half of the twentieth century, Bushwick slipped into disrepair. The New York City blackout of 1977 sealed Bushwick’s fate – 35 blocks along Broadway were destroyed, two set entirely ablaze, and hundreds of homes and businesses were torched and damaged.
The Cook Mansion, one block off the Broadway thoroughfare, has endured its own hardships over the years. Seemingly abandoned, weeds have overtaken the small lawn and the garage has collapsed. But lately there are signs of life on the corner of Willoughby and Bushwick. A wheelbarrow and construction materials sit behind the empty house and new windowpanes have replaced several plywood coverings. Are the owners restoring the mansion to its former glory or will the Cook residence meet the fate of the manor that was torn down across the street?
Property records indicate that Cook Mansion has been under the same ownership since May of 2000, but calls to the listed owners yielded no response. Hopefully the activity stirring at 670-675 Bushwick Avenue means Cook’s legacy will endure in this Brooklyn neighborhood – but history buffs might want to stop by soon just in case.
While you’re in the neighborhood:
A short walk from the Marcy stop on the JMZ puts you right in the heart of the historical section of Bushwick, Brooklyn. Stop by on a weekend when neighborhood churches are open to visitors to check out their grand interiors.
South Bushwick Reformed Church
Corner of Bushwick & Nimrod
This structure, built in the Dutch Colonial style, was completed in 1853. The church was organized in 1851 by members of the Bushwick Reformed Church that dates back to 1654.
St. Barbara’s Roman Catholic Church
Central Avenue & Bleeker
St. Barbara’s, built in 1910, boasts ornate Spanish architecture and one of the tallest spires in Brooklyn, visible throughout Bushwick and adjacent neighborhoods. To appreciate the true beauty of this church, be sure to go inside and check out the stained glass windows and domed ceiling.
Arion Mannerchor
Broadway & Arion Place
In the 1800s, the Mannerchor was a prominent German singing club. It now houses loft spaces.
