Oil Spill Facts

Be sure to check out Julie Liebach's article about the Greenpoint underground oil spill.

Black Mayonnaise

For nearly 30 years, New York State agencies have known about a 17 million gallon oil spill under the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn. Now they’re finally starting to do something about it.

Fire Pictures

Here are some pretty dramatic FDNY pictures of the fire.


Across Noble Street, facing south


From Consolidated Freight Parcel on Oak Street, facing North


Detail from Consolidated Freight Parcel on Oak Street, facing North

Sorry for the long absence

There is clearly more to say about this fire after its aftermath, but will require some research.


At 9am this morning


at 5:30pm from my roof. The building between Oak, Noble, West, and the river is gone. It was the size of an entire midtown Manhattan block.


The building in question in happier days.

Plans for Greenpoint Avenue Park

The conceptual plan for the old WNYC Transmitter site at the end of Greenpoint Ave are available. Plans for the park were previously discussed on Greenpointer


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Interior Demolition begins on Noble St.

The interior demolition job has begun on the Greenpoint Terminal Market building on Noble Street.


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Also, a door to a transformer room was open to the street - it's pretty gross.


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This is the only place in the city I've seen wooden sidewalks.

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When will this view be yours?

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2007 or 2008, if you can believe the good folks at NYC Parks and NYC Economic Development Corporation. At a public meeting of Community Board 1's Waterfront Committee, the city showed a conceptual design for the Greenpoint Avenue park (a/k/a the WNYC transmitter site).

The plan includes a trippy pier, a naturalistic shoreline, a snack shop, a lot for children's activities, a sloped lawn, and a waterfront esplanade stretching two blocks between the south end of the park and Java Street. Permitting is expected to take at least a year and additional money may be needed to execute the design. It may be possible for a water taxi dock to be built off of the proposed pier.

As a final note, NYC Dept. of Parks says that interim access to the site is not possible because of "numerous trip hazards" which are apparently not visible in this picture.

Image courtesy Bridge & Tunnel Club

Movement on Landmarking 184 Kent Avenue

The Landmarks Preservation Commission has decided to hold a hearing on landmarking 184 Kent Avenue, a/k/a the Austin-Nichols Warehouse. This is major progress on a step that many in the historic preservation community consider overdue.

Designed by Cass Gilbert (of Woolworth Building and Brooklyn Army Terminal fame) in 1913, the building has hosted a range of warehousing, light manufacturing, and artistic uses in recent years. Most recently, the owners were denied a variance to convert the building's facade and to put a massive four-story extension on the roof. Because of the recent rezoning, the owners are allowed as-of-right to convert the building to all residential use and to put residential towers on top of the building.

Picture courtesy Historic Districts Council

Between Java & Kent

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A few years back, the City's Economic Development Corporation stablized the East River bulkhead between Java and Kent Streets in Greenpoint. For at least two years, the public had access to this stretch of the waterfront between Kent and Java.

But over the winter of '04-'05 the property owner fenced off the portion of the waterfront accessible from Java St and closed the gate on Kent St. This has reduced by 3/4 the amount of space available to the public for fishing, suntanning, and contemplation.

Hopefully this is not a sign of how the waterfront will be treated in between now and when the private-public shorewalk is built.

Greenpoint from the Air

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View of Greenpoint (with Williamsburg in the foreground) from the area. The tallest building in Greenpoint when this picture was taken (Sep 20, 2004) is the 1875 St. Anthony's church at 862 Manhattan Ave. Its white spire visible at the right/middle of the picture is 240 feet tall.

Greenpoint Terminal Market Beginning Renovations

The two concrete-faced buildings on the neighborhood side of West St (pictured above) have construction permits for internal demolition.

42 West St: (filed 4/26) "Proposed filing to remove stairs, to create at a later date, and remove elevator shafts. No change in use, occupancy or egress under this application."

60 West St: (filed 2/9) "Proposed interior demolition of partitions, disconnection of plumbing fixtures & mechanical. No change in occupancy, use or egress under this application."

The architect is Scarano & Associates