Iconic Williamsburg: The 90th precinct

YS Gold 

The New York Police Department’s 90th precinct, which serves the northwestern portion of Brooklyn that mainly consists of the neighborhood of Williamsburg. It is today located at 211 Union Avenue in Williamsburg—but this location is only fifty years old, serving as the home of the 90th precinct since 1971. 

The history of this police outfit dates back to the 1880’s, when the station started out as the 16th Precinct at 44 Clymer Street. 

In 1888, the precinct moved into a magnificent edifice at 2 Lee Avenue—at the intersection of Clymer and Division. Adjacent to the station was the Police Courthouse, and these two buildings stood side-by-side for many decades. The newspapers of the time are filled with accounts of crimes that were committed around Williamsburg and charged and processed at the 2 Lee Avenue location. 

The following is a timeline of further events surrounding the station: 

05/01/1898: The Station House was renamed the 59 Pct

01/01/1908: The Station House was renamed the 159 Pct

04/01/1918: The Station House was renamed the 101 Pct

07/18/1924: The Station House was renamed the 49 Pct

07/03/1929: The Station House was renamed the 90 Pct

09/16/1971: The 90 Pct moved to its current location (211 Union Avenue)

And what came of the beautiful building at 2 Lee Avenue? 

Yeshiva Ahavas Yisroel-Viznitz moved into the building at some point after it was vacated by the NYPD, and in one of the accompanying photos, we can see that the old building bears signage of the yeshiva. 

But by 2006, the vintage building was razed to the ground, and in its place, a gigantic and magnificent edifice was erected for learning and davening which continues to stand guard over the Williamsburg neighborhood with the power Torah and tefillah.