The Brooklyn Bridge Park has a lot to offer from its very rich history surrounding to its lush family friendly parks and activities you can do now. The Brooklyn Bridge park is one of the nicest parks in Brooklyn and is a popular spot to go to for people of all ages around the year. With that being said Brooklyn Bridge Park is becoming very popular and there are many things to tell about the park that a lot of people might not know about.
The Brooklyn Bridge Park has a very rich history. In 1742 the first ferry landing opened on the land that is now the Brooklyn Bridge Park’s empire ferry sections. On August 1776 it also served as a important and crucial strategic point for George Washington and the Continental army in the Revolutionary War. When the 18th century came to a close even more ferry services were made and added to the waterfront community. One of these ferry landings were made by Robert Fulton and became known as the Fulton ferry landing. As this water front community continued to grow it developed what is now known as Brooklyn heights as a residential area. By the 1850’s Brooklyn city railroad lines were added to the Fulton ferry landing to help with better and more smoother transportation of goods from the landing to warehouses that stored these goods. In the 1950’s over 130 total warehouses and 25 finger piers were unfortunately demolished along Brooklyn’s waterfront. This was done in order to accommodate for larger ships and larger cargo that were being delivered to the piers. The New York Dock Company built 13 new larger piers to accommodate for these larger ships and cargo, and this was done from 1956-1964. At its peak, the New York Dock Co. owned or managed over 40 piers and approximately 150 stores and warehouses, making it the largest private freight terminal in the world. But in the 1950’s shipping in the area began a steady decline in use because of competition. By the late 1970’s Piers1-6 were warehouses and generating revenues for the Port Authority. This development includes piers 1-3 and piers 5-6 of what is now currently Brooklyn Bridge Park. Pier 2 was not developed until 1958. However as technology advanced so did trade routes and because of this by 1970 Brooklyn’s water front developments were largely barren and decrepit causing the port authority to close down the waterfronts operation in 1983. Many of these warehouses and piers were demolished, but by the end of the 20th century however, the warehouses on the piers compromising Brooklyn Bridge Park were not demolished until the parks opening in 2010.
Since then the Park has grown immensely located at 334 Furman Street with 85 acres of land and a 1.3-mile water front there are now there are 6 separate piers in which many travel everyday as you can see right now so many people here. The Park now features things such as sand volleyball courts, bicycle and running paths, a dog run, a boat launch where they give free kayaking lessons and a pool. These activities become really popular when the summer strikes, so remember when the weather gets warmer you can come here and enjoy it to the maximum. All provided with a spectacular view of the New York City skyline. The Park also provides over 400 free activities throughout the year ranging from performance arts and fitness classes to children’s education programs to performance arts and fitness classes. The park is a getaway from all of Downtown Brooklyn’s gray buildings with beautiful scenery and green hills, colorful playgrounds and now a pool. It is the perfect place to visit on a hot summer day with a picnic basket and bathing suit or a walk through during the fall or winter. It serves as a year round attraction for its people of Brooklyn and others who wish to visit each year.
Some things about the Brooklyn Bridge Park might not be so good and may be something that a lot of people would want to forget. Hurricane Sandy struck the Northeastern United States also hitting Brooklyn Bridge Park In an article by the New York Times, The author described the hurricanes attack on the park. “Winds toppled a few trees, but most survived, and the railings, benches, and posts were unscathed. But in exceeding the projected 100-year storm-water surge by nearly two feet, Sandy ruined most of the waterfront park’s electrical system.” The park did stand up to the Hurricane that caused absolute damage to neighborhoods. That was just one of the problems that the park had to endure, years before there was a debate on housing that was being planned by the park. This hurricane also caused problems for many people looking to build apartments along the Brooklyn Bridge Park. People didn’t want housing to go up because they didn’t feel like it would be a park anymore. Others felt that it gave the park a sense of life. Many believed it was going to be viewed as an industrial site instead of a city park. With the building of housing some believed that it would be a great addition and the project is now scheduled to begin during the fall of 2015.
Brooklyn Bridge Park is one of Brooklyn’s most beautiful places to visit and see. Its rich history mixed with its urban environment makes it a very popular tourist destination. Its also close to a very nice neighborhood in Brooklyn Heights. The park has been through a lot in its history but its all turned out for the best.
