New Utrecht Cemetery

I really like cemeteries. Not so much the new shiny ones, but rather the really ancient and decrepit ones, where you can barely read the inscriptions on the crumbling tombstones.

As I was walking this morning, I saw a really beautiful old cemetery on 16th avenue, between 84th and 85th street in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. The New Utrecht Cemetery is very small (only one city block wide) and sufficiently depressing in its attrition to provoke my interest. A lot of the intact tombstones dated back to the late 1880s, but since the area was fenced off, I couldn't get close enough to inspect them.

I had my camera with me, so I took a few pictures. Before you begin your critique, keep in mind that it was around 6:30am, and very very cold. I could hardly feel my fingers, and all I could think about was conserving enough energy to make it to the nearest Dunkin Donuts. So, I wasn't really concentrating on the shot.

I am going to try to find out if I can get in to take some more pictures. I expect that it is just a matter of weeks before some contractor convinces the local officials to let him tear it down and build a luxury condo in its place.