I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I’ve always been captivated by the energies and architecture of industrial neighborhoods/zones (IZ). The main reason? I was born and grew up in one. Red Hook, Brooklyn. When visiting an IZ, you may see remnants of the Industrial Revolution amid the tranquil warehouses, factories, and maybe a diner.
In today’s newsletter, I’m taking you on a look back. Analyzing photographs I’ve not extensively probed in a very long time. One of my most vivid memories of my neighborhood IZ is of building a “clubhouse” with some friends. Inside 20ft.+/6.09m tall stacks of wooden shipping pallets in an open-air lot, we’d wiggle our way into the center of the stacks to stakeout our “hideout.” The comfort I felt being in this secret place was invigorating, and cozy.
Tap any photo for larger size
It’s no surprise that sugar refineries were situated throughout the city since sugar was the biggest industry. Just a few miles apart were Domino (American Sugar Refining Co.) & Revere. As with many factories of the period, the property where Domino was, has been transformed into Domino Park. Revere was demolished in 2009 with prospects for redevelopment.
Before attaining the status of being the most expensive neighborhood in Brooklyn, DUMBO-Vinegar Hill was one of many IZs. These photographs were made in 1999, It’s now rare to find a cobblestone street. Wow! How far humanity has come since hoof and wheel days of horses with carriages.
I believe this was a cement mix and delivery company located on a pier at the East River in Midtown Manhattan. They were demolished though I don’t know when. The term “urban exploration” wasn’t in the photography lexicon in those days.
Northeast New Jersey’s past is filled with remnants of the industrial revolution as well. Remembering past personal anecdotes about the “awful smells” that emanated from the ports and industrial neighborhoods by motorists that had passed through.
The Hunts Point IZ is isolated from the rest of the city by a major highway. The Bruckner Expressway and railroad thoroughfare.
Would you like to guess where my last job was located? Long Island City. Now, and for the past ten-plus years, a gentrifying neighborhood. It was an IZ, although there are areas within that have not changed. The zone is also transected by railroad tracks, elevated subways, and bridge arteries. The building shown above was converted into a college campus.
There are decades more photographs, but I’ll finish here for now. If you’re eager for more on this story, let me know in a comment.
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I appreciate that you took time from your day to read it through.
Til next time…
Kenneth
Great photographs. I especially like the Domino Sugar building. Just looking a little deeper I noticed the cobblestone streets, rusted metal , and many other things. Enlarging really makes a difference.