Since the middle of the XIX century, Greenpoint has been an immigration hub of New York City. In the 1970’s of the XX century, the neighborhood saw a big influx of Polish immigrants seeking a better life in America. The immigration to Greenpoint resulted in the creation of Little Poland, with Polish shops, cultural centers, and financial institutions. Despite demographic changes, until now, Greenpoint remains a symbol of Polish immigration to the United States.  

Currently, there are 170,000 residents of Polish heritage engaged in all spheres of New York’s daily life — they are your neighbors, policemen physicians, or your child colleagues. The residents still living in Greenpoint were photographed by Robert Nickelsberg between 2020 and 2023.

So, take a moment to look and meet your fellow New Yorkers!

Robert Nickelsberg worked as a Time Magazine contract Photographer for nearly thirty years, specializing in political and cultural change in developing countries. He was named the 2013 Winner of the Overseas Press Club’s Olivier Rebbot Award. His photographs have been exhibited in various cities around the USA and the world. He lives in Brooklyn, New York. As he recalls his work on the residents of Greenpoint project: “Exploring in early January 2020 an area of two-family homes, next to the industrial area of Newton Creek in north Brooklyn, I stopped at a nearby bread store, a Polish bakery. It turned out I was at the eastern edge of the Greenpoint neighborhood. Here in January 2020, I began a three-year project with the assistance of photographers Maria Gawryluk and Martin Czajkowski. Continually altered by the pandemic and by the lockdown was the reality of the dramatic rise in real estate values and the inevitable gentrification. Millennials were moving into the community. The Greenpoint Polish community was seemingly under siege. While working with those people, I felt that the photograph became a document, a reminder of their cultural identity, of the past and present, and a preserved heritage. “

Follow the QR code to learn more about Greenpoint residents from Greenpointtales.com by Ewa Winnicka, the Polish writer and reporter. There are more stories of Greenpointers, capturing the essence of their pursuit of dreams in this unique part of the city. You can also leave your testimony at hello@greenpointtales.com.