Category Archives: tour stops

Greenpoint Walking Tour Group Activity

1 Reply

Group: Laura, Soyeon, Zoya, Inna

We were assigned the role of “Developer,” and our group priorities were to: “create a profitable project luxury apartment complex,” “develop spaces that are easily marketable,” and “maximize long-term gains.” After reviewing all of the locations on the walking tour, we decided that our selected site is the Sludge Tank/site of Greenpoint Landing. Although many of the sites we visited were desirable from the perspective of potential development, the Sludge Tank site’s 2005 rezoning makes developing much easier because it seems to require a less stringent approval process (as evidenced by the upcoming Greenpoint Landing project). It seems that the property is prime for a luxury development because of its waterfront location, views of Manhattan, and proximity to the East River Ferry. Further, the Greenpoint area is much less developed than Williamsburg’s waterfront at this time, offering the potential for maximizing long-term profits since land will be cheaper in the short term. We anticipate that the value of the property will increase greatly over the next 10 years, following the trend that has been seen in Williamsburg. In addition to the value of the land, Greenpoint’s relative lack of development means that the community may have not developed organized advocacy groups yet, meaning that we might meet less resistance to developing the waterfront area in a manner that would maximize our profits.

Continental Iron Works site

Leave a reply
Image of the launch of the USS Monitor

Image of the launch of the USS Monitor, published in Harper’s Weekly, 1862

Shipbuilding was one of the largest industries along New York’s waterfront throughout the 19th century. Established in 1859, the Continental Iron Works built the first Ironclad battleship, the USS Monitor, famous for fighting in the Battle of Hampton Roads. Assembled at this site and launched nearby, the remains of the ship are on display at the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, VA. The Continental Iron Works received several contracts to build more ironclad battleships. After the decline of the shipbuilding industry, the Continental Iron Works specialized in other metalwork for marine and military uses.

The 2005 rezoning called for a continuous waterfront esplanade and several parks; the Greenpoint Monitor Museum site is in the path of the planned open space. Advocates for the museum were awarded a parcel of land for the museum, yet the land is in the footprint of the planned park.

Eberhard Faber Pencil Works and Historic District

Leave a reply

According to the city’s historic district designation report, pencil manufacturing took place here from 1872 until 1956. The buildings were partially converted to condos in 2010; some units remain commercial lofts. 61 Greenpoint Avenue, a later addition to the factory complex, has decorative panels that display the star and diamond motif that was impressed on every pencil, as well as oversize terra-cotta pencils. Early 20th century photos of the factory interiors show a predominance of women workers.

Women at work in the Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory, ca. 1915. Brooklyn Historical Society Collection.

Women at work in the Eberhard Faber Pencil Factory, ca. 1915. Brooklyn Historical Society Collection.

American Manufacturing Company/Greenpoint Terminal

Leave a reply

Importing of sisal, manila and jute from south Asia and the Far East gave some area streets their names: India Street, Java Street. These raw materials were made into rope, which was in demand from the many shipyards that dominated industry here in the 19th century. Founded in the 1890s, the American Manufacturing Company grew quickly and was the second largest industrial employer in Brooklyn at the turn of the 19th century. After World War II, the now-sprawling yet obsolete facility became a warehouse, Greenpoint Terminal.

Greenpoint Terminal Market fire, May 2006. flickr user MGChan

Greenpoint Terminal Market fire, May 2006. flickr user MGChan

After the 2005 zoning, preservationists wanted to landmark some of the significant industrial buildings of the complex. Many of its 19 buildings were destroyed or seriously damaged in a suspicious 2006 fire.

Tour stops

Leave a reply

From Fulton Ferry Landing in DUMBO, we dismbark at the India Street pier and head east on India Street, turning north (left) on West Street to Eagle Street, up Franklin Street, then heading back west on Dupont Street to view the Sludge Tank and the future site of Greenpoint Landing. We return to Franklin Street and head south to #184, the Astral Apartments. We continue south on Franklin and take our third right onto Greenpoint Avenue. At the corner of Greenpoint Avenue and West Street we can observe the buildings that make up the Eberhard Faber Pencil Works and Historic District. Heading south, at the corner of West and Noble Streets we come to the site of the Greenpoint Terminal Market Complex. Heading south on West Street, we come to the site of the Continental Iron Works at the corner of Calyer. We return to Franklin and follow it south to Bushwick Inlet and the site of Astral Oil Works. We wrap up at the East River State Park, entering at Kent and N. 8th Street. [map]

  1. India Street Pier
  2. Sludge Tank/future site of Greenpoint Landing
  3. Astral Apartments
  4. Eberhard Faber Pencil Works and Historic District
  5. Greenpoint Terminal Market Complex site
  6. Continental Iron Works site
  7. Bushwick Inlet/Astral Oil Works site
  8. East River State Park
  9. North Sixth Street Pier

 

Greenpoint Williamsburg Waterfront Tour on Friday, September 20

4 Replies

Welcome back, Living Lab Fellows!  We’ll meet at Fulton Ferry Landing at 9:00 sharp on Friday, September 20. We board the East River Ferry for a 9:25 departure up the river to the India Street Pier in Greenpoint. We will be out in the field for a full 3 hours, so dress for comfort and prepare for temperatures in the high 70s, some sun, few clouds, and a breeze off the river. Directions to the ferry from campus are below:
View larger map

 

We wrap up by 1 pm in time to catch the 1:14 ferry back to Fulton Ferry Landing and City Tech.