WGPA

View north on West Street towards Kent Street.
Recently, the Department of Buildings issued a demolition permit for a portion of the historic Eberhard Faber pencil factory site. The permit covers a site that includes three buildings, all of which were once part of the pencil factory complex. It is not clear from the permit if the demolition is for all three buildings, or only one. In the past week or two, scaffolding has gone up around the building at the corner of Kent Street and West Street (the three story pink building at the left center of the photo above, and at the far left in the photo below). While this building is not the most distinctive or historic in the Faber complex, it shares a lot with an older two-story structure that is very characteristic of the Eberhard Faber buildings. That building (seen at the far left in the photo above) has the characteristic pedimented cornice with a yellow terra-cotta star at the center of the parapet, a motif that is also seen at 59 Kent Street in the photo below).

UPDATE:

Curbed did a little sleuthing to find out what is in store for the site. Based on the rendering they found, the 2-story Faber building on West Street is history too. WPA showed this site to Landmarks almost a year ago, but so far no action.

For immediate release.

The Waterfront Preservation Alliance of Greenpoint & Williamsburg has submitted over 1,500 signatures requesting that the Landmarks Preservation Commission hold hearings to designate the Domino Sugar refinery building and Adant house as City Landmarks.

These signatures came from online petitions, street petitions and postcard campaigns launched by WPA over the past few months, and show a broad base of support for the preservation of this important part of Williamsburg's industrial heritage. Over 90% of the supporters of designation are New York City residents, and two thirds of the supporters are Brooklyn residents. More than one in ten supporters live on Williamsburg's Southside, and thus are Domino's neighbors. Almost a third of the supporters live in the North Brooklyn neighborhoods of Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick. The 1,525 names do not include the hundreds of postcards and emails that have been directly to Landmarks Chair Robert Tierney.

In 1852, Havemeyers & Elder opened the first sugar refinery on the Brooklyn waterfront. Within 20 years, they were joined by at least a dozen other refineries, as sugar became one of Williamsburg's predominant industries. The original Havemeyers refinery was destroyed by fire in 1882, and in 1883 the current refinery building, power house and Adant (sugar cube) house were constructed.

The site continued to operate as a sugar refinery until 2004, when Domino closed down their Brooklyn operations. The site has since been sold to a consortium that includes CPC Resources (the for-profit arm of the Community Preservation Corporation) and Brooklyn developer Isaac Katan. To date, the new developers have not committed to any preservation on the site.

WPA believes that these three surviving 19th century structures are an important part of Williamsburg's industrial history. These architecturally distinguished buildings, which make up less than a quarter of the seven-block Domino development site, should be designated as New York City landmarks and incorporated into the future development plans for the site. The main refinery is 12-stories tall, and the Adant house is four stories tall. Both buildings have had stories removed - stories that could be reinstated as part of a Landmarks-approved rehabilitation.

In submitting the petitions, WPA spokesperson Alice Rich said "the response to our petitions shows that there is very strong support within the community for a redevelopment project that includes historic preservation. WPA has tried very hard to work with the developer to put together a project that does exactly that, but to date we have not seen any plans. The Landmarks Commission has been looking at this site for well over a year, and we think it is time for the Commission to act."

The Domino site was part of the Preservation League of New York State's "7 to Save" endangered list of 2006. In addition to the Preservation League, designation is supported by the Municipal Art Society and Historic Districts Council.

An update on our earlier post - here is fresh photographic evidence of the scaffolded West Street Buildings. This view is looking north towards the corner of Kent Street and West Street.

Some good news on the Engine 212 front. After considerable pressure from Councilmember David Yassky, Community Board 1 and other activists, the Bloomberg administration has agreed to create a task force to look at the reuse of closed fire houses citywide. Yassky and Community Board 1, as well as Borough President Marty Markowitz, have been united in insisting that 212 not be sold to the highest bidder, but instead remain a community asset. Among the options under consideration are affordable housing, preservation, a community facility, or a mix of all three. For its part, WPA supports Councilmember Yassky and the Community Board, and continues to push Landmarks to designate the building.

Task Force to Examine Plans for Old Firehouses (NY Sun)
Formerly Engine 212 by Triborough

I'm Not Sayin' just posted this fantastic picture of Kent Avenue from the 1953 movie Pickup on South Street. The view is looking south from just past North 6th Street towards the (un)landmark Austin, Nichols & Co. Warehouse. The former cooperage, still standing on Kent between North 4th and North 5th, is visible on the left center of the photo.

And to answer INSIJS's question, George's Restaurant on the left appears to be in the building that now houses a marble works, two buildings north of North 6th Street. The brick building to the right (north of ANCW) was demolished some time ago, replaced by the corrugated shacks that served the Nekboh waste transfer station.

Some more information on the Eberhard Faber demolition site. Justinyc notes that the developer of the Kent and West Street site is none other than Isaac Katan. Katan, who has a rep in South Brooklyn [warning: very slow link], also wants to demolish the Domino Sugar factory. In the case of these Eberhard buildings, he already has the demo permits, and the scaffolding is up.

Meanwhile, no word from Landmarks on the designation of an Eberhard Faber historic district.

The Historic Districts Council will hold its 13th annual preservation conference this weekend. The title of the conference is "Preserving the Past, Planning for the Future".

The conference includes a screening of the Atlantic Yards documentary "Brooklyn Matters" this evening (7 March). The main conference will be held this Saturday (10 March) at Hunter College's Harold Lewis Auditorium (129 East 79th Street). The three conference panels are: "The Greening of Preservation," "Smart(?) Growth: Brooklyn in the 21st Century" and "The Future of New York: With Preservation or Without?". There will also be a series of walking tours city-wide Sunday morning.

WPA is a one of the many neighborhood preservation organizations that make up the Historic Districts Council.

While not North Brooklyn related, the petition to save Ward's Bakery and other historic buildings within the Atlantic Yards footprint does have a familiar theme - the threat to Brooklyn's once-proud industrial heritage.

Brooklyn Speaks has more information, or go directly to the online petition.

Domino Sugar Workers, 1930s
(Via: Worklore)

The Brooklyn Historical Society and the Brooklyn Public Library have teamed up to create Worklore, an exhibition that "explores the work lives of Brooklynites as they made, and continue to make, their living in the borough". The site includes a number of fantastic pictures - including those seen here - that document the working lives of women, immigrants and African-Americans, among others.

The Sugar Refinery Packing Room, 1894
(Via: Worklore)

70 years on, all of the buildings in Berenice Abbott's photo of Graham and Metropolitan remain, but the view sure has changed. Amazingly, there is still a lot of architecture left behind many of our faux-clad buildings. Here, though, the cornices and tower have been lost.

Besides the massing of the buildings themselves, about the only constant is the signage on the corner building.

Williamsburg and Greenpoint have a rich and colorful history of faux siding, which unfortunately continues to this day.

Case in point - this building at the corner of Berry & North 7th Streets. A fine Italianate flat house that had an intact pressed brick facade is now covered over in styrofoam and stucco. The detail is still there, but smudged over and barely legible.

Regrettably, this cheesy "California stucco" applique has become the faux siding of choice for the 21st century. Like its predecessors - asphalt, aluminum and vinyl - this system is a band aid when it comes to "weatherproofing". But unlike those other systems, "California stucco" is very difficult to undo. In this case, for instance, the styrofoam is glued directly to 130-year-old brick.

Yet another reason why North Brooklyn needs the Landmarks Preservation Commission to take some action.

PS - If anyone has a picture of this building before the owner began work, please email it to us.

The Waterfront Preservation Alliance of Greenpoint and Williamsburg and the City Reliquary are co-sponsoring a "Don’t Demo Domino Bake Sale and Q & A" on Saturday, March 24th from 7-9pm at the City Reliquary, 370 Metropolitan Avenue in Williamsburg.

The perfect opportunity to eat baked treats made with Brooklyn’s own Domino Sugar, AND LEARN SOMETHING NEW ABOUT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD!!!

Members of the Waterfront Preservation Alliance of Greenpoint & Williamsburg will give informal yet informative talks on the history and the future of the Domino Sugar Factory, and answer community questions.

The amazing collection of the City Reliquary will be on view free of charge!

Baked goods and drinks will be available for purchase at affordable prices.

Proceeds to benefi t the City Reliquary and the Waterfront Preservation Alliance.

CPCR and Isaac Katan have promised to share their plans for Domino Sugar with the community. It looks like this sharing might happen soon - from amNY today:

Domino Sugar Factory: The Greenpoint-Williamsburg may have been a sweet deal for housing along the waterfront, but it does have its sticking points, including the preservation of a historic building in the neighborhood.

Built in 1884 and shuttered in 2004, the Domino Sugar factory remains an icon in Williamsburg for its illuminated curlicue sign. But because of its historical significance, the building has spawned a housing battle as its current owner, CPC Resources, determines how to turn the former factory into a residential development.

While some advocates want CPC Resources to build the maximum amount of affordable housing, others want the developer to preserve the factory as much as possible.

"We're trying to develop something that's responsible in terms of affordable housing and in terms of preservation," said Richard Edmonds, a spokesman for the CPC Resources, a subsidiary of Community Preservation Corp., an affordable housing developer.

Edmonds said the developer will unveil its plans in the coming weeks.

However, he did say that more than 20% of the development's units will be affordable housing.

More here .