New York City in 60 Seconds
Michael Jordan’s Birthplace | February 20, 2011
Our supernatural experiences continued this week when Mark entered the twilight zone. On Thursday he found out that Michael Jordan was born in Brooklyn (which is cool), but things got weird when he found out that Thursday was Michael Jordan’s birthday. Coincidence?
An article in the Chicago Tribune from 2009 (which is worth reading) provided detailed information on the whereabouts of Michael Jordan’s birth. So, the next day Mark decided to pay a visit to 39 Auburn Place, which is just east of downtown Brooklyn in the neighborhood of Fort Greene.
This beautiful brick building is the former Cumberland Hospital. Michael Jordan was born here on February 17, 1963 after his mother went into early labor and wasn’t able to get to their doctor in Manhattan.
Twenty years later, in 1983, the hospital was shut down and was later transformed into a homeless shelter known as the Auburn Family Reception Center. Here’s a picture of the front entrance to the building.
Mark spliced three photos together to create this panoramic image.
In the background of this photo you can see the beautiful brickwork featured on the exterior.
A local was nice enough to take this picture of Mark in front of the old hospital.
From the top of Fort Greene Park — a block to the south — you can catch a glimpse of Cumberland Hospital with the skyscrapers of Manhattan in the distance.
Maybe someday someone will recognize the significance of this building and install a historical marker or statue to make everyone aware. In the meantime, perhaps this cyber-marker will suffice.
8 Comments »
do-do-do-do,
do-do-do-do…
welcome to the twilight zone.
I like your cyber-marker!
Comment by Amy — February 21, 2011 @ 12:43 am
[...] Original post: Michael Jordan's Birthplace « New York City in 60 Seconds [...]
Pingback by Michael Jordan's Birthplace « New York City in 60 Seconds — February 21, 2011 @ 1:40 am
It was fun to watch Michael Jordan fly. Wonder what he’s up to nowadays.
Comment by Scerinda — March 6, 2011 @ 11:28 am
i once resided in the auburn family shelter i wasnt sure it was ahospital but after my spooky experience of haunting in this shelter i now realized it was a hospital in the past but its also cool to know micheal was born there
Comment by puerto rican mami — July 2, 2011 @ 8:52 pm
Thanks for your comment. What was it like living in the Auburn Family Shelter and what was haunting about it?
Comment by Mark J. Sanderson — July 4, 2011 @ 6:12 am
I was born in Cumberland Hospital on 20 September 1963, 7 months after Michael Jordan. Our family lived in the Ft Greene Projects until I was about 10 years old. I remember playing in Ft Greene Park and catching the subway on Myrtle Ave. I went to P.S. 20 which to my amazement is still standing. Don’t know what the neigborhood is like now but when I was growing up, it was cool and exciting.
Comment by Kevin M — March 16, 2012 @ 7:31 am
[...] 3. Michael Jordan’s Birthplace [...]
Pingback by New York City in 60 Seconds « Portfolio: Mark J. Sanderson — November 26, 2012 @ 8:58 pm
[...] 3. Michael Jordan’s Birthplace [...]
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