New York Public Library Digital Collections

The Midwood Development Corporation, in collaboration with the Friends of Vitagraph, will lead a Jane’s Walk that explores Midwood’s film industry on May 7th. There is no cost to attend.

At Avenue M and 14th Street, The Vitagraph Company built the nation’s first modern film studio in 1906, where it operated until 1925 as one of the most prolific moving picture companies in the world, making Brooklyn the epicenter of film production long before Hollywood. Bought by Warner Brothers in 1926, which later drew NBC to build a neighboring studio complex, Vitagraph established a significant legacy of film and television production in Midwood until 2014.

Architectural remnants of old studio buildings still exist; the walk will include a tour of those structures, as well as an overview of Vitagraph’s contributions to early film history, including its prolific output of classic silent films, the world’s first movie stars, and the impact of Vitagraph’s success on the social and economic development of Midwood. The one-hour walking tour will culminate at MDC on Avenue M and 15th Street. Other information, including a formal display of historical documents and photographs of Vitagraph Studio and early 20th Century Midwood, will be available for review.

A Film Industry Grew in Brooklyn
May 7, 2017
2:30 pm
1416 Avenue M

Please click here for more information.