"WHAT ONCE WAS..."

We’re all familiar with the notion of “ghost towns”, a fixture of roadside attractions, mostly in the American West. Their history usually had a lot to do with a flurry of activity and enterprise centered around a specific natural resource or location. For some time now, I have been fascinated by the ghost town fringes of post industrial NY and other areas. In this city there will be no quaint gift shop selling souvenirs as the rapid and relentless march of gentrification has completely transformed most of these areas.  Here’s a peak at what once was...

              the Gowanus circa 2008 was a collection of abandoned small 

              industrial structures and this part now stands as a Whole Foods 

              and parking lot.

                 2009. the Gowanus with “Riv View”, now a block long collection of 
              brand new condos.

        Fort Tilden was a former military installation and is now part of the Gateway

        National Recreation Area. Many of the long abandoned old bunkers and

        buildings are favorite graffiti spots.

               Admiral’s Row, is a collection of gorgeous, Second Empire-style 

               officer homes that were located adjacent to the Brooklyn Navy Yard 

               and some dated back to the Civil War. They were owned by the 

               National Guard until recently when ownership shifted to the Brooklyn

               Navy Yard Development Corporation. There had been concerted 

               efforts to landmark and restore, but they continued to crumble and 

               sadly, I watched the last ones go down a few weeks ago. Plans are 

               on for a Wegmans supermarket to open in 2017.

                           all photos ©Ken Brown