As a result, investors have paid what many saw as speculative prices for land up for rezoning. The history of a brooklyn neighborhood and its fetid canal. Curbeds series of photo essays by nathan kensinger. The fascinating, murky history of brooklyns gowanus canal. In his skillful hands, the canal provides an incisive and entirely unexpected way of understanding brooklynand, more broadly, american citiesfrom native peoples through factory owners, speculators, gangsters.
The mouth is located near 19th street on the eastern bank, or bryant street on the western bank. Dec 03, 2005 as gowanus canal curves, the streets fill in the space. A new home for items found at the bottom of the gowanus canal. Gowanus canal superfund site brooklyn, new york site number 04701. The water and much of the land along the banks of the gowanus canal have been severely polluted by combined sewer outflows csos along the canal designed to relieve sewage and storm water when the sewer treatment plant is overwhelmed, as well as by decades of industrial use and extensive coal gas manufacturing during the late 19th century. Gowanus by joseph alexiou overdrive rakuten overdrive. It is here that the gowanus canal conservancy hopes to build an education center at the hub of what it calls.
Out of the grime, in back rooms and crooked halls, the artifacts of this sizable squatter settlement remain to enlighten, amuse, and unnerve. As the need for navigational and docking facilities in the burgeoning port of new york city grew, in 1849 the new york state legislature authorized the construction of the gowanus canal completed in the late 1860s. For his gowanus waters photographs, published last year in a monograph by powerhouse books, new yorker steven hirsch brings his lens so close to the toxic surface of the heavily polluted brooklyn. It was prepared by dan wiley and rosten woo, with help f. This week, examining a new book about the gowanus canal.
The surprising history of the gowanus canal and its role in the building of. See what was found in the gowanus canal during the 4th. Steven hirschs photographs capture unexpected beauty in the waters of brooklyns gowanus canal, one of americas most polluted waterways. Historian dredges up gowanus canal s dirty history. The gowanus canal conjures up many aspects of new york city, from a celebrated revolutionary war history to a less glorious industrial past that renders itself visible in the superfund site the canal is today.
Members of the gowanus canal community advisory groups archeology committee would like the artifacts to be preserved and kept within the community. The gowanus canal s mouth is at the gowanus bay, a portion of upper new york bay bordering western brooklyn. Just west of prospect park, brooklyn one of the best nyc parks reveals this industrial, quirky neighborhood of gowanus, brooklyn along the gowanus canal. A local activist and landowner have teamed up to provide a temporary home for objects found at the bottom of the gowanus canal and as it turns out, theres a. Discover the secret history of brooklyns gowanus canal this. Oct 27, 2019 across the street is the head of the gowanus canal and the main building of the douglass street pumping station. The allure of the gowanus canal is one of the great mysteries of south brooklyn, and joseph alexiou has been pulled deeply into the powerful eddies of this diminutive 1.
Us environmental protection agency epa and the potentially responsible parties prps are working to design and coordinate dredging on average 10 of heavily contaminated sediment from the bottom of the gowanus canal and construct a multilayer cap. Gowanus, brooklyn guide to the best of the neighborhood. As far back as the 1880s the gowanus canal had become the cloaca of brooklyn, filled with industrial waste, garbage and sewer outflow. Brooklyns curious canal kindle edition by alexiou, joseph. Kayakers navigate the polluted waters of the gowanus canal in brooklyn, new york in may 20. An interview with joseph alexiou, author of gowanus history book. Overall it is like newtown creek on the brooklynqueens border, it is in a very industrial area with lots of traffic and an unimpressive housing stock nearby. Decades of industrial use along the canal contributed to the gowanus canal s environmental impacts. For more than 150 years, brooklyns gowanus canal has been called a cesspool, an industrial dumping ground. How contaminated land on the gowanus became a luxury. Gowanus canal history collection by the old stone house. The gowanus neighborhood was once a system of tidal creeks winding through a salt marsh and fed by freshwater streams.
Gowanus canal restoration could uncover shipwrecks and bodies. The new buildings and hip restaurants rising alongside it strike a stark contrast with its thick industrial waters. Uncovering the gowanus canals decades of toxic debris. Gowanus canal noaas damage assessment remediation and. Gowanus, a light industrial swath of brooklyn centered around the potentially, eventually clean gowanus canal, is picturesque, with a gritty history dating to the mid 1800s. An interview with author joseph alexiou on his forthcoming history of the gowanus.
Several plants along the upper canal took in coal and, using vast quantities of canal water, converted the coal to coke, liquids, and gases. Gowanus with its legacy native american name begins the meandering history of this iconic poster child of the industrial age. Even a brief summer shower can cause fresh human waste to spill into the gowanus canal, as anyone who lives along one of americas most polluted waterways can tell you from experience. These creeks were dammed to build tidal mills, and then dredged and channelized into a one of the busiest waterways in america, bringing goods into the growing city. The gowanus canal became one of brooklyns key locations for concentrating heavy industry, including coal gas manufacturing plants, oil refineries, machine shops, chemical plants, a cement maker, a sulfur producer, a soap maker and a tannery. Despite its relatively short twomile length, the gowanus canal soon became a hub of brooklyns maritime and commercial activity. Rezoning gowanus has been on the agenda of developers and politicians alike for a decade. Engineers reached a partial solution by 1911, when a flushing tunnel was dug from the head of the. A historical timeline of the gowanus canal, 1636 to 2009 this is a timeline of major historical events of the gowanus canal in brooklyn, ny. Gowanus green public place plan cm landers scoping comments gowanus dredgers scoping comments cb6 presentation. A historical timeline of the gowanus canal, 1636 to 2009 by. That history is the subject of a new book, gowanus.
The fascinating, murky history of brooklyns gowanus canal welcome back to camera obscura, curbeds series of photo essays by nathan kensinger. The gowanus canal, located in brooklyn, ny is one of the most heavily contaminated water bodies in the nation. Connected to gowanus bay in upper new york bay, the gowanus canal borders the neighborhoods of red ho. It continues to be used for occasional movement of goods and daily navigation of small boats, tugs and barges. May 02, 2016 just west of prospect park, brooklyn one of the best nyc parks reveals this industrial, quirky neighborhood of gowanus, brooklyn along the gowanus canal. The first published book that takes the gowanus canal as its main subject, gowanus is a work of extensive historical research that showcases the fruits of dedicated archival digging. The most detailed account of that fateful fish killing appears in john waldmans harbor history book heartbeat in the muck, excerpted after the jump.
A superfund cleanup, overseen by the environmental protection agency, may take 10 years, according to andrea parker, executive director of the nonprofit gowanus canal conservancy. Learn how the gilded age barons, with grand homes in. The primary historic industrial contamination in the gowanus canal is coal tar from three manufactured gas plants. This wellresearched, jauntily written, knowledgeable book explains a lot. Who would have thought that a history book about an industrial area would make for.
By the turn of the century, the combination of industrial pollutants and runoff from the stormwater and the new sewage system had rendered the waterway a repository of rank odors, known to residents as lavender lake. The most evocative of them is the carroll street bridge, the oldest retractile bridge in the states, constructed in 1889. Brooklyns curious canal author interview brownstoner. The psychedelic pollution floating in the gowanus canal. The dominant industries along the gowanus canal, and the main cause of its contamination, were 19thcentury coalbased industries. The gowanus canal conjures up many aspects of new york city, from a celebrated revolutionary war history to a less glorious industrial past that renders itself visible in the superfund site the. When its humid and the mists rise off the canal, the. The environmental protection agency epa s remedial investigation ri identified waste from tanneries, factories, and chemical plants that freely flowed into the canal. A boat anchor recovered from the gowanus canal paul martinka despite the storied history in new york waterways, the boats historical value as a world war ii relic is practically nil because of. Improved edge design gowanus aqua new deal dcp draft zoning proposal gbd analysis of dcp framework gowanus. Oct 15, 2015 in his newly released book, author joseph alexiou explores the colorful and polluted history of brooklyns gowanus canal.
The surprising history of the gowanus canal and its role in the building of brooklyn for more than 150 years, brooklyns gowanus canal has been called a cesspool, an industrial dumping ground, and a blemish on the face of the populous borough. A historical timeline of the gowanus canal, 1636 to 2009. Sep 21, 2015 an interview with author joseph alexiou on his forthcoming history of the gowanus. Brooklyns revival has reached the banks of the most toxic urban waterway in america. History the gowanus canal was built in the mid1800s and for many years served as as a major industrial transportation route.
Last friday, he launched the results of his yearslong infatuation, a 398page book titled gowanus. Decades of industrial and municipal use contributed to the contamination of the gowanus canal. From new york magazine a brief history of the gowanus canal 2009. A framework gowanus landmarking coalition gowanus by design dot union street vessel profile form gowanus. Brooklyns curious canal by joseph alexiou goodreads. Last friday, he launched the results of his yearslong infatuation, a 398. A block north, 4th street goes a block further, to the end of bond. A brief history of the bridges over the gowanus canal. Brooklyns gowanus canal has been called a cesspool and an industrial dumping ground, but it was one of the most important waterways in the history of new york harbor. Who would have thought that a history book about an industrial area would. For more than 150 years, brooklyns gowanus canal has been called a cesspool, an industrial dumping ground, and a blemish on the face of the populous boroughas well as one of the most important waterways in the history of new york harbor. The surprising history of the gowanus canal and its role in the building of brooklyn for more than 150 years, brooklyns gowanus canal has been called a cesspool, an industrial dumping ground, and a blemish on the face of the populous boroughas well as one of the most important waterways in the history of new york harbor.
For more than 150 years, brooklyns gowanus canal has been called a cesspool, an industrial dumping ground, and a blemish on the face of the populous borough as well as one of the most important waterways in the history of new york harbor. Its also a site of rebirth, where the emergence of offthebeaten path art galleries. Discover the secret history of brooklyns gowanus canal. Author, historian and gowanus canal community advisory group member joseph alexiou has just published a new book about the murky past of the gowanus canal. Today, the neighborhood offers the promise of waterfront property, waterrefracted light, old warehouses and factory buildings with amazing space that are full of potential for revitalization. For more than 150 years, brooklyns gowanus canal has been called a cesspoo. Once a vital cargo transportation hub, the canal has seen decreasing use since the mid20th century, parallel with the decline of domestic waterborne shipping. The canal takes a northnortheasterly course from this point, running east of smith street. May 24, 2011 a historical timeline of the gowanus canal, 1636 to 2009 this is a timeline of major historical events of the gowanus canal in brooklyn, ny.
On september 27, 20, the usepa issued a record of decision rod identifying actions to be undertaken by various parties to remediate industrial contamination in the canal. In the 1860s, manufactured gas plants became the first industries to. The once and future gowanus from 2004 to 2012, housing prices in gowanus rose 52 percent despite the presence of the polluted gowanus canal. The surprising history of the gowanus canal and its role in the building of brooklyn. Jun 29, 2016 gowanus an abandoned offshoot of the gowanus canal thats been buried under 20 feet of dirt for decades will be excavated and filled with water again, and archeologists may uncover shipwrecks. The canal was built in 1869 as a means of transportation through what was fast becoming an industrial. How contaminated land on the gowanus became a luxury housing. Gowanus canal brooklyn little known facts architectural. Today, the neighborhood offers the promise of waterfront property, waterrefracted light, old warehouses and factory buildings with amazing space that are full of. Full of easter eggs for history buffslike a cheeky description of revolutionary warera soldiers bathing in the millponds of the erstwhile gowanus creekthe book is written with an attention to narrative. Providing safe passage across everybodys favorite superfund site are five bridges, each with its own story. Across the street is the head of the gowanus canal and the main building of the douglass street pumping station. Elimination of the canal contamination and an attempt to bring forward an aesthetically pleasing water body with local fauna and flora has long been coveted by the public.
Gowanus doesnt provide traditional tour book sights, but crossing to and fro on the bridges that span the murky waters reveals the districts industrial past. Mapping the pungent history of brooklyns curious canal wnyc. The gowanus canal is a wellknown superfund site bordering a population of over 100,000. The top 12 secrets of the gowanus canal untapped cities. Joseph alexious impressive new book gowanus is an informative, funny, fantastic colloquial history everything you didnt think you wanted to know about brooklyns disgusting curious canal somehow rendered engaging, real, relatable. Alexious book is now the definitive historical account of this tiny. The gowanus canal was created in the mid1800s by enlarging an existing creek, creating a passageway nearly 2 miles long from the upper bay into brooklyn for commercial shipping. Without doubt the most noteworthy biological event within the canal s industrial history. Not long ago, a pack of teenage runaways lived the dream in gowanus infamous batcave, shacking up rentfree in an abandoned mta powerhouse on the shore of the notoriously toxic gowanus canal. Brooklyns old sewers, which continue reading gazing at the gowanus.
This boat was built in 1943 by the miami shipbuilding. The nyc gowanus canal cleanup is full of putrid and. Decades of industrial use along the canal contributed to the gowanus canals environmental impacts. Engineers reached a partial solution by 1911, when a flushing tunnel was dug from the head of the canal at butler street southwest to buttermilk channel. Engineers reached a partial solution by 1911, when. Oct 26, 2015 from its early days as an ecorich tidal estuary to its later development as a noxious industrial channel, the gowanus canal has been a topic of discussion for generations of new yorkers. Gowanus canal brooklyn little known facts architectural digest. Brooklyns gowanus canal, of course americas most polluted waterway, which. Discover the secret history of brooklyns gowanus canal this saturday. Access this ebook from one of our digital partners. Id seen this canal when going to gowanus and carroll gardens. As dark and sludgy as the waters of the gowanus canal are, joseph alexiou makes them into a brilliant mirror of urban history. Its important to the gowanus community that we have something to represent the artifacts, the history of the industrial age here and into the future, said linda mariano.