Brooklyn's Waterfront Gets Boost from Nat'l Trust
In the wake of the destruction of some the Brooklyn waterfront’s most historic structures, including the Revere Sugar factory, the Dutch Mustard building and the Greenpoint Terminal Market, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will today announce that it is adding the entire area from the Sunset Park through Greenpoint to its list of America’s…
In the wake of the destruction of some the Brooklyn waterfront’s most historic structures, including the Revere Sugar factory, the Dutch Mustard building and the Greenpoint Terminal Market, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will today announce that it is adding the entire area from the Sunset Park through Greenpoint to its list of America’s 11 most endangered historic places. The buildings really represent an important part of Brooklyn’s heritage, and it would be a tragedy to lose it, Richard Moe, president of the trust, said in an interview. We’re very concerned that there’s such a rush on to demolish everything. While presence on the list does not stop any of the buildings from death or disfigurement, it does give the issue a national profile and, hopefully, adds to political pressure for government to act on a local level to save an important part of the city’s heritage. Timed with the release of this news, the Municipal Art Society launched a new website this morning called SaveIndustrialBrooklyn.org that details the architectural and historic context for many of the waterfront structures. It also has a very cool interactive map (shown above) with the 411 on over 50 buildings in the footprint of the National Trust’s designation. As Mr. Moe puts it, This is a problem that can be fixed — it’s not too late. As we’ve said before, tearing down these buildings is not only short-sighted but potentially bad business. Their continued presence, whether converted in condominiums or turned into homes for arts institutions and other public uses, will only enhance the texture, and ultimately the dollar value, of the waterfront as a whole. Update: We’ve posted a few photos from this morning’s press conference on the jump.
Brooklyn Waterfront Called Endangered Site [NY Times]
National Trust regional director Wendy Nicholas
MAS head Kent Barwick
Pratt Urban Planning Guru Ron Schiffman
This is just another ploy to focus attention on the Domino buildings, try to have them all landmarked which then would prevent any affordable housing from being built in Williamsburg on the site. The preservationist movement in Williamsburg is a scam run by racist white kids.
Exactly 10:26! These building looks like crap! I’m fine with keeping them but they need to be massively rehabilitated! They way they are now they are old decrepit buildings that anyone would be ashamed of having anywhere nearby!
Brownstoner is smoking crack AGAIN! Preserve the Brooklyn waterfront? Preserve what? Are you $@%king kidding us? Please don’t confuse old, decrepit and outdated with structures that are truly historic and worthy of prevservation. Do you think that your readers were born yesterday? Do you think the rest of us are from Mars and have never taken a boat cruise around Brooklyn before? What the heck are you trying to preserve? There is not a single (yes, I said single) beautiful structure on Brooklyn’s entire waterfront worthy of preservation efforts. Give us a break!
The Brooklyn waterfront is a POS. Utterly pathetic. Everything on the waterfront should be completely demolished for the making of parks, marinas and stunning towers (both residential and commercial). In fact, the city would be smart to turn the entire Navy Yard into a massive office complex on the level of Jersey City (yes, relocate Steiner Studios and everything else in it). While you’re at it, reclaim the waterfront from the housing projects too(Redhook and Farragut). There is a lot of positive momentum in Brooklyn right now and the goal should be to make our borough the premier destination in the US. Why are you guys so happy to settle for less and mediocrity?
Progressive, forward thinkers see Brooklyn’s waterfront as the future model for not only the country but the world! TRUE BROOKLYNITES WANT THE MOST ATTRACTIVE AND APPEALING WATERFRONT IN THE WORLD! That’s the problem with all of you stinking newbies. You lack the Brooklyn sense of pride, vision and drive for excellence. You come hear thinking that you’re moving into a second class borough with second class citizens and thus you can easily impose your will upon us. That’s why it’s so important that the rest of the borough must prevent the crunchy granola newbies from taking over the public discourse on Brooklyn’s future. If left to them, we would never have a spectacular waterfront, high density development, a thriving downtown, a Brooklyn Bridge Park, or a sports team and arena.
The Brooklyn waterfront can never realize its true potential if we are constrained by what’s already there. No. It must be torn down and redone the right way with the goal of creating the most beautiful and functional waterfront in the world.
Lastly, Brownstoner, if you’re so infatuated with urban blight and decay, move your ass to Detroit or Cleveland.
Yes, but Walentas is a very very VERY unique developper. There is no one like him; he develops entire communites, not just buildings (and most people despise how he does it and the results he achieves, but that’s a whole other thread).
You cant expect any other developper to show even an ounce of that guy’s vision. They just see the bottom line from the immediate project at hand.
Interesting comment about what Walentas is doing with Galapagos. One could argue that government intervention is not needed as the private sector will offer these incentives if it increases the value to the area, Walentas is an example of that happening. He’s doing this because he sees that it will increase the attractiveness of DUMBO where he owns a significant amount of land.
He did the same thing with non-cultural businesses as well, offering free or low cost rent to many of the shops that are located there. This helped to seed the retail market and speed up the rate at which new businesses opened.
That’s the spirit! Get demoralized and let them run rampant.
Nice to see the Municipal Arts Society finally waking up. The tragedy of the arson of the Greenpoint Terminal may leave a legacy of some sensible preservation.
developers get to do whatever they want in this city right now. this stuff truly does not matter.
The government should not only preserve the buildings, but give incentives to cultural institutions to move into them. I think Walentas’ example of inviting Galapagos to Dumbo is the kind of long-term thinking that the government could implement, in order to not only freeze the area in time, but to give it a thriving future (a waterfront of condos and a park packed with strollers is not exactly an exciting future — see upper west side riverfront).