Claims to Fame:

• Williamsburgh Savings Bank at 175 Broadway built in 1875.
• Kings County Savings Bank (now The American Savings Bank) at 135 Broadway, built in 1868.
• The Williamsburgh Bridge - spelt with an "h" as was the original area name, remains a local icon.
• The Pfizer Pharmaceutical Company still stands at its original location (630 Flushing Avenue). Since 1849, chemists have been busy manufacturing useful medical chemicals, most notably the antibiotic, Terramycin in 1949 and more recently, valuable heart and arthritis medications.
• The Peter Luger Steakhouse at the foot of the Williamsburgh Bridge is reminiscent of the beer halls of yesteryear. Portions are man-sized, where large steaks, mounds of potatoes, and hearty of brews are the fare.
• Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church (275 North 8 Street) each July offers the magnificent Giglio, a Catholic street fair, transforming the street into an Italian village, where hundreds of men carry a 65 foot painted giglio (tower), through the streets in honor of St. Paulinus.
• Red Auerbach, winning pro basketball coach hails from Williamsburg. He graduated from Eastern District High School. Perhaps he is most remembered for his successful coaching of the NBA's Boston Celtics which began in the late 1940s. He took a last place team and moved them into second place by 1950. In 1957 they gained the NBA title, lost it in 1958 and then reclaimed it and held onto it for eight consecutive years, setting an all time record that remains unbroken. Red moved up to general manager and Vice President of the Celtics organization, helping them to continue their success.
• Singer, actor, producer and director, Barbra Steisand hails from Williamsburgh, but at the age of eight she moved to Flatbush. From Brooklyn she would ride the train into Manhattan hoping to launch her career playing mostly clubs and off Broadway productions. "Funny Girl", her own Broadway show, launched her to fame in 1964. Then came multi-million dollar deals, recording contracts and TV specials, followed by various awards, including Grammies, Tonys and Oscars. In the 1980s she turned her talents to directing, starting her own production company, Barwood Films, yielding some successful films in which she starred.
• Williamsburg's swampy marshland was the ideal spot for the ailanthus tree to grow. The tree, spotlighted in Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" was host to the cynthia moth caterpillar, whose silky, spun cocoon was prized for its threads. Back then, the cocoons were harvested and sent to mills. Today this type of tree still grows in Brooklyn and the cocoons are still spun. However, they are no longer harvested; modern technology has proven the process antiquated.