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November 19, 2007
Naval Hospital to Go Hollywood (East)
Steiner Studios, which already leases 16 acres of space at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, would more than double its presence if a plan to convert the deserted Naval Hospital at the southeast corner of the Yard to a back lot and media campus comes to fruition. The Hospital (which we got to tour last month, hence the pics on the jump) is home to several historic buildings that would be restored under the plan: In addition to the hospital building (top), there's also the Surgeon's House as well as the morgue and several other smaller structures. (Also check out Alexis Robie's interior photos.) While the article definitely gives the impression that Steiner will be in the driver's seat on the project, it also says that other top production companies like Imagine Filims and Warner Bros. "could compete for control of the back lot." Steiner is also in the process of spending $50 million to convert the 280,000-square-foot building at Washington and Flushing Avenues (see photo on jump) in to pre- and post-production space.
Navy Yard To Be Mega-Movie Lot [NY Post]
Naval Hospital entrance
Surgeon's House
Morgue
25 Washington Avenue
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Comments
Wow, those interior photos from that other website are incredible.
Posted by: guest at November 19, 2007 9:52 AM
Someone should film there BEFORE it gets its Disney makeover.
Posted by: guest at November 19, 2007 10:01 AM
Got any interior photos of the surgeon's house? I have heard from landmarks that it has amazing woodwork. It was designed by a noted architect of that era. Not sure of the name though.
Posted by: guest at November 19, 2007 10:37 AM
There are a couple interior shots of the house if you scroll forward in the set.
Posted by: guest at November 19, 2007 10:44 AM
the ny post article says that this is in williamsburg...?
is it?
i always thought the navy yard was more dumbo than anything else...
or its own entity.
Posted by: guest at November 19, 2007 10:54 AM
Re: neighborhoods, one side of the Navy Yard fronts on Kent, which is Williamsburg; one side fronts on Flushing, which is Wallabout/Clinton Hill/Fort Greene; and one side fronts on Navy Street, which is Downtown/Vinegar Hill.
Posted by: brownstoner at November 19, 2007 11:09 AM
I live a block away and work as a crew member on productions at Steiner from time to time.
Steiner isn't the only one expanding studio capacity in NYC. Kaufman Astoria is building new, hollywood size studios, and Silvercup has a mega project in the works also.
NYC film production has ben on a mind bending expansion for the last 3 yrs, fueled by a falling dollar and tax incentives. The worrisome thing is that no major studio, such as Warner Bros or Imagine, mentioned in the article, have invested nickel one in NYC. (The have invested in Canada, however).
If they were planning on sticking around, I think they would be building their own resources here. They can certainly afford to. And they know how.
I fear that Steiner (who is primarily a mall developer) will be burned by the boom or bust film cycles that have always been part of this industry.
Posted by: guest at November 19, 2007 11:12 AM
Wow, what amazing buildings. Better Steiner Studios for the hospital and other buildings than the fate of Admiral's Row. I trust a movie set company to better appreciate period buildings than many other businesses. Less for them to have to recreate from scratch on a soundstage, and much more realistic.
Having worked as a costume designer, I think the factory buildings could have a great costume workshop and storage. The building reminds me of 601 W.26th (Starrett Lehigh Building) which housed the Costume Collection years before Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren discovered the building. The morgue would make a great computer tech or post production space.
What would really be great is for the public to be able to tour the Yard. No one really even knows what's in there. I had heard about the hospital, etc, but had no clue where in the Yard they are, or how beautiful they are. I think this is a good adaptive reuse, and could be good for Brooklyn in terms of expanded film industry jobs, and related service jobs.
Preservationista
Posted by: guest at November 19, 2007 11:13 AM
I agree about tours. I have always wanted to see the Navy Yard, and the one tour during OPEN HOUSE always fills up. (My mom worked there during WWII!)
Posted by: Carol Gardens at November 19, 2007 11:48 AM
Add me to the waiting list to tour these groovy structures. Especially the morgue!!!
Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at November 19, 2007 12:12 PM
whoa baby is that morgue spooky looking.
Posted by: BrooklynLove at November 19, 2007 1:37 PM
I've been DYING to see what the hospital looks like-as a photographer interested in capturing disappearing parts of NY and as a nearby resident. How do I get as lucky as Brownstoner? Suggestions appreciated.
Posted by: guest at November 19, 2007 3:53 PM
we were able to tape some video footage when we were there that we're in the process of pulling together so you'll be able to see more of both the NavyYard and the Hospital next week.
Posted by: brownstoner at November 19, 2007 5:16 PM
Mr. B, does it feel haunted?
Posted by: guest at November 19, 2007 7:37 PM
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