Domino Sugar Factory Proposed for Landmarking
Despite last year’s depressing failure to gain Landmarks designation for 184 Kent Avenue, the Waterfront Preservation Alliance is refocusing its efforts on the ever-changing landscape of Northern Brooklyn. First Up: The Domino Sugar Factory. On Tuesday, the group formally requested that the Landmarks Preservation Commission designate the Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg as a New…
Despite last year’s depressing failure to gain Landmarks designation for 184 Kent Avenue, the Waterfront Preservation Alliance is refocusing its efforts on the ever-changing landscape of Northern Brooklyn. First Up: The Domino Sugar Factory. On Tuesday, the group formally requested that the Landmarks Preservation Commission designate the Domino Sugar Refinery in Williamsburg as a New York City Landmark. The Domino site includes buildings that date to the 1880s, and occupies over five blocks of the East River waterfront. Why the urgency? The site is scheduled to be rezoned for residential use and early designs by Rafael Vinoly show plans to largely destroy most of the historic features of the building, according to a WPA press release. Of particular interest to us, given how much grief we’ve given him for failing to protect other historic buildings, is the fact that David Yassky has signed on in support of the designation. Did we mention he has a small election coming up next week? Regardless of the motivation, it’s a nice change in attitude. The Preservation League of New York State, the Municipal Art Society, the Historic Districts Council, and the Roebling Chapter of the Society for Industrial Archaeology have all also joined WPA in petitioning the LPC.
American Sugar Refinery [Waterfront Alliance] GMAP
After reading these comments, i still think that the future and the direction in which this company went about is really sad.I should know cause the same is happening over at Entenmann’s.The owner cries the blues about how he’s losing money yet we still make crap because of the cheap ingredients we use due to his policy and changes that’s been taking place since he bought this place. And yes we still buy domino’s at the plant, and at least we keep some people employed over at what’s left at dominos.
My heart goes out to the people at domino’s and wish them well, i was considering a while back maybe transfering over to domino’s, i guess that won’t be happening anytime soon!
Brookyln no matter what is said about it is still and will be one of the best places to live in compared to Brentwood in Long island where there is nothing to see or do, well that’s long island for you! And after this layoff comes where about 300 people will be laid off, i hope to see some union brothers and sisters from domino’s so we can share some stories together over lunch. Stories like management,union delegates,saftey concerns etc. It’s a big joke the way they even carried themselves. Leave a way to get in contact with all you great people in Brooklyn because down the road i will be back home, i live in Brentwood but home is Ridgewood after i get laid off…
What this building needs to become is affordable housing for lower to middle class. We don’t need more condos that no one can afford. I’ve lived in this neighborhood all my life yet I can’t afford to pay rent here. Please, if you want to save this building, make it so that it becomes affordable housing. This is what our community needs. Help to keep the Latinos & Latinas who originated in this nighborhood stay here. This is my home, and I do not want to leave.
Make it landmarked. That is one helluva original building. It is the absolute Williamsburg past. Clean it up, develop the interior as lofts/condos, etc., but leave the exterior intact but cleaner. That should be the plan. This attitude of out with the old in with the new is destroying Williamsburg’s character. The northside will be 75% cheap brick with air conditioning under each window construction before we know it.
Guttman destroys everything. Guttman’s goal is to burn down greenpoint and williamsburg and the city lets him – the city hands him the match – and then another and then another.
Doesn’t Mr. Guttman already have a waterfront building just down the road at 240 Kent Ave ( N1/ Grand). The green 3 storey manufacturing building could be reused for light manufacturing…wood shops etc. BUT where’s the profit?
Why draw attention with another fire? The plans read that it will be 10 storeys (illegal for its zoning). It’s being deconstructed on a daily basis so slowly and quietly that perhaps no one will notice the extra seven storeys.
watch out! Is that Joshua Guttman coming this way with a can of petrol!?
No doubt the building has outlived its usefulness as an employer. And the living to work, working to live choice is kind of a tired cliche. But the waterfront industry is still important to Brooklyn and New York, those industrial jobs should be landmarked. A lot more housing is affordable with a $27/hr job than a $12/hr job. I don’t imagine that this building will ever employ another industrial worker. It is sort of monumental but I’ll leave it up to you who know more about architecture whether it has a useful life. I know little about the landmarking political economy but I do enjoy your comments.
Thanks “In”, I guess you’re right, in some Russian Constructivist/ 60’s Brutalist way, maybe the cement tower with the band of windows at the top could be kind of cool. Thanks for the link.
Tate Modern ?!?! Wow, what a awesome level to aspire to! Go Brooklyn!
Seriously, this building can be the Brooklyn version of the Tate Modern.
Alternatively, converting old industrial buildings into luxe housing kind of has a precedent, see Soho and Tribeca.