Brooklyn’s industrial waterfront “endangered”
Brooklyn’s industrial waterfront “endangered”
Pandas, the Miami Blue butterfly and Brooklyn’s industrial waterfront — the common link? All endangered.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation Thursday listed the Brooklyn waterfront as one of America’s “11 Most Endangered Historic Places.”
“Once a booming 19th century industrial waterfront supported by generations of immigrants, Brooklyn’s heritage is at risk as historic dockyards and factories are being demolished by developers anxious to cash in on the area’s newly hip status,” the trust said.
Waterfront businesses have found another unlikely sounding ally in the Municipal Art Society of New York, which has created a site called aveindustrialbrooklyn.org , which notes development “threatens not only architecturally significant former manufacturing, warehouse and factory buildings in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, but also active sites like the Red Hook Graving Dock that is being paved over for a parking lot by furniture retailer Ikea.”
Both the society and National Trust are urging New York City government to enforce preservation laws protect industrial buildings and sites, while planning for development.