Admiral's Row: Up Close and Personal
Over the weekend, Gothamist’s Jake Dobkin photographed the interior of the Admiral’s Row houses inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The shots are incredible so we encourage you to click on each one above to see the full-size version. We also thought the commentary he provided on his personal site, Bluejake, was worth repeating here: I…
Over the weekend, Gothamist’s Jake Dobkin photographed the interior of the Admiral’s Row houses inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The shots are incredible so we encourage you to click on each one above to see the full-size version. We also thought the commentary he provided on his personal site, Bluejake, was worth repeating here:
I was surprised how messed up these buildings were on the inside. The rear ends of many of the houses had collapsed, leaving a tangled mess of wood. Interior staircases were hanging a few feet off vertical, and large holes dotted many of the floors. Almost all of the windows were open or blown out, and the wind and rain had taken off most of the paint on the inside walls. Still– some romantic details were still extant– dozens of fireplaces and cedar-lined closets, handsome plaster work and ornamental detailing, and one enormous, empty ballroom. It’d be a shame if we let these buildings get demolished. I know the neighborhood needs a supermarket and more jobs, but there’s got to be a way to bring that stuff without destroying the past.
There’s also a related post on Gothamist from Monday. Incredible. Wish we could take photos like these.
Admiral’s Row Photos [Bluejake]
Inside Admiral’s Row [Gothamist]
Admiral’s Row Archives [Brownstoner]
I beleive robert Moses is out there still destroying neighborhoods for the sake of highways. Just what we need- another arrogant, insensitive SOB in City Planning who could care less about people and neighborhoods- the reason cities exist, in case some of you have forgotten.
Admirals row is hardly insignificant. Historically or architecturally. they would as a great deal of interest tot he Navy Yard Tours- seems to me if the Navy Yard understands the interest and funds generated by tours, they would want to maximize those points of interest.
But re infrastructure- I agree benson. the city is an ass when it comes to making intelligent decisions and follow through.
(apologies if this is posted twice- damn @#$%&*(*!! computer)
benson, you’re right. There are too many exogenous factors that get in the way of development that’s truly necessary. NIMBYs, Community Boards, EPA….all of these things add far too much time and money to any project and the result is, and you can’t argue with me on this, that the projects are stalled to the point of nonexistence.
bxgirl:
you hit the nail on the head. what other options are there?
if its about availability of healthy food for underserved populations then i for one would love to help setup a green-market near the projects and really nail it. if its about toilet paper, twinkies and other commodities, well thats what target ad fairway are for. i would rather setup a bus shuttle to red hook or target than destroy these houses.
There is always something romantically wistful and melancholy about a ruin. Poets and composers have been inspired by them for centuries. These photos are among the best I’ve seen of the Row’s interiors. Makes me really want to see them, and shoot them, myself. Preservation shouldn’t even be a question.
I’m struck by a couple of things. First of all, damn, they could build back then. In spite of the damage from water and neglect, that ballroom is still mostly intact, and incredibly gorgeous. The plasterwork, the intricate corbels, the graciousness of the room remains intact. If I were restoring that building, after structural repairs and rebuilding, I’d leave the room as is, a monument to a bygone era, and a reminder of time’s passage and man’s ability to both create beauty, and let it rot.
I am also more determined to see that the best and most intact of these houses survive. My first thought in seeing a couple of these shots is that they look like a couple of the houses I’ve seen for sale here in Brooklyn, over the years. If they can be reclaimed, so can the best of these houses. It will cost a lot, and I know we have no money, but I still insist that at least part of the Row can be rebuilt and preserved, as a museum, repurposed for the common good in other ways, and still have room for necessary community growth. These are too good to lose.
I think the Military actually. Maybe the National Guard? but I may not be remembering that correctly.
Please stop this madness.
NYC REALLY needs a new Robert Moses on the scene.
We live in a city that is having its economic underpinnings pulled out from us day-by-day, a city that has not built a major new piece of public infrastructure (except for the water tunnel) in over SIXTY years, a city that has taken SEVEN years (and counting) to tear down a building that was destroyed by an enemy attack (Deutche Bank building), a city that cannot even build a park on already vacant land (Brooklyn Bridge park) and folks are talking about saving a bunch of dilapidated homes of no special significance.
PLEASE,PLEASE: where is Robert Moses II to knock some heads?????
this is just sad. these houses should either be restored or torn down — no good can come of leaving them like this.
THL:
my take is that there was quasi abandonment of the area once the projects went up, the bqe was built, the navy yard closed and the mytle avenue EL was taken down. no reasonable public access. no jobs. severed frm the other areas of the city by a highway (like red hook). it decayed with the neighborhood.
i used to take the bus by there everyday in 91-92. the only things in the area were the sweet and low factory and the door store. both virtual fortresses.
not a place you would want to be at. it was/is a sad situation to see the navy/city purposefully ignore things to an almost irretrievable state.
bkn4life- where do they shop? I knw they did lose a supermarket when this whole project was supposed to get started (another case of premature- fill in the rest) but what else is in the area now? Of course you are right- they have to shop somewhere. I love the they need a supermarket argument, because as you point out, it would most likely be a hi-end, expensive food palace and not a real neighborhood supermarket.