Why visit
The Brooklyn Heights Promenade extends along the western edge of Brooklyn Heights between Remsen Street and Orange Street. Completed in stages in the early 1950s, it was created as an unusual cantilevered public walkway above tiers of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway rather than allowing the highway to cut directly through the neighborhood.
What to see
Benches, shade trees and a broad paved path face the East River, Brooklyn Bridge Park and the piers below. The elevated position aligns the Statue of Liberty, Governors Island, Ellis Island and Lower Manhattan across the harbor, while the Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge frame the view toward the north.
Plan your visit
A row of nineteenth-century houses borders the inland side, making the promenade both a transportation-era engineering solution and a front terrace for the historic district. Its calm linear space conceals the moving highway beneath, a sharp contrast that explains much of the site's distinctive urban character.
