Misplaced Pages

#618381

48-1041: West Elm was founded in April 2002 with the launch of a catalog, with the concept of "great design at affordable price points". followed by the first store in the Dumbo district of Brooklyn , New York later that year. The first West Elm stores outside the United States were opened in Canada . The Toronto King Liberty store opened in October 2008, Vancouver on the South Granville strip in September 2012, and Montreal at 995 Rue Wellington in June 2013, Calgary ’s Mount Royal Village shopping centre Summer 2015. In Mexico, El Puerto de Liverpool retail group operates

96-795: A Civil War era coffee warehouse. It was converted to mixed-use retail and office space, and it includes West Elm's global flagship store. Other retailers in Empire Stores include Detroit-based watchmaker Shinola and the café and accessories store, FEED Projects . In May 2017, the Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) opened a new branch in Empire Stores (its main location is in Brooklyn Heights ). BHS features exhibits and artifacts relating to DUMBO's industrial past. In May 2019, Time Out Market opened in Empire Stores. The food hall features 21 local vendors, including

144-454: A clear demonstration of the lost relation with the waterfront. The area began a revitalization in the 1970s when an ethnically diverse group of newcomers, many of whom were artists, came to the area attracted by the views and proximity of Manhattan. These residents brought back the name Vinegar Hill for the area and helped preserve the Belgian block streets. The City of New York, petitioned by

192-660: A cluster of for-profit art galleries such as the Klompching Gallery, and such not-for-profit institutions as the St. Ann's Warehouse the A.I.R. Gallery and the first post-COVID-19 performance venue to open in the area The Rat NYC (May 2024). Chef Jacques Torres opened a chocolate factory in Dumbo in December 2000. Other culinary businesses in the area include Grimaldi's , Ample Hills Creamery , Almondine Bakery, and

240-552: A manufacturing district, with warehouses and factories that made machinery, paper boxes, spices and Brillo soap pads. The cardboard box was invented in the Robert Gair building on Washington Street by Robert Gair , a Scottish emigrant; because of Gair's fame, the area was known as Gairsville for a long time. The Gair building is now home to Etsy . The Jay Street Connecting Railroad ran through Dumbo's waterfront from circa 1904–1906 through 1957. It ran from rail yards beneath

288-783: A six block area. Before the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in the 1950s, Vinegar Hill's area was significantly larger, extending south to Tillary Street, including what is now known as Bridge Plaza . The neighborhood also includes the New York City Housing Authority 's Farragut Houses . Most of Vinegar Hill consists of 19th-century Federal Style and Greek Revival style homes mixed with industrial buildings. Hudson Avenue and Plymouth, Water and Front Streets are made of Belgian Blocks , although residents mistakenly refer to them as cobblestones. Vinegar Hill has been described as

336-546: A summer retreat for New Yorkers because of its hilly topography, plentiful water, and refreshing breezes. However, the Sandses' lots that are located within the historic district were not developed residentially until the mid-1830s to the early 1850s. In the 1800s and 1810s, the area started developing faster. In the late 1830s and early 1840s, the heirs of John Jackson sold off their estate's remaining lots on Hudson Avenue, which were developed individually or in small groups in

384-613: A very quiet neighborhood where its residents know one another. According to a New York Times article published in 1999, some residents of Vinegar Hill are opposed to making any changes to the small neighborhood. The Vinegar Hill area includes the Vinegar Hill Historic District and is home to the Con Edison Hudson Avenue Generating station. The station is not very productive as of 2017 and there are many debates as to what

432-819: Is a neighborhood in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City on the East River Waterfront between Dumbo and the Brooklyn Navy Yard . The neighborhood is locally governed by Brooklyn Community Board 2 and is policed by the New York City Police Department 's 84th Precinct. The large Irish-American population in Vinegar Hill made it one of several New York City neighborhoods once known colloquially as Irishtown . Vinegar Hill gets its name from

480-611: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Dumbo, Brooklyn Dumbo (or DUMBO , an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass ) is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn . It encompasses two sections: one situated between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges , which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River , and another extending eastward from

528-644: Is a 7,800 square foot outdoor climbing gym located in the Main Street section of Brooklyn Bridge Park, and is the largest outdoor bouldering gym in North America. The building at 200 Water Street, which the Brillo Manufacturing Co. once occupied, is being renovated as a high-end condo building. The DUMBO Archway is a popular location for film shoots, art exhibitions, live music, large-scale events, and watch parties for events like

SECTION 10

#1732787899619

576-609: The Battle of Vinegar Hill , an engagement near Enniscorthy during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 . Vinegar Hill was commonly known as "Irishtown" in the 19th century, one of several places in the New York area with that moniker because of its sizable population of Irish immigrants . Vinegar Hill stretches from the East River waterfront to Front Street and from the Brooklyn Navy Yard to Bridge Street, roughly comprising

624-696: The Farragut Houses , a group of ten towers managed by the New York City Housing Authority . New York City Subway stations are located at York Street ( F and <F> ​ trains) on the IND Sixth Avenue Line , and High Street ( A and ​ C trains) on the IND Eighth Avenue Line . New York City Bus service is provided by the B25 , B67 , B69 . Ramps and staircases connect

672-744: The River Café , all clustered in Fulton Landing, also home to Bargemusic , a floating venue for classical music. John Fluevog , a Canadian shoe designer, opened a store on Main Street in November 2017. The first public space in the neighborhood was Fulton Ferry , followed by Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park . The first six acres of Brooklyn Bridge Park , a joint state/city venture under development, were opened in March 2010. The Cliffs at DUMBO

720-486: The Wickford (sic) Mountains were never firmer in their sympathy with the makers of "potheen" than were these denizens of ancient "Irishtown." The wary intruder who passed that way had good reason to avoid suspicion of being a spy. The least intimation that he was inquisitively included would bring a rabble at his heels and insure him a cracked crown if not more grievous injuries."— New York Times , March 18, 1894 Some of

768-823: The World Cup . The trailer for Joker , the 2019 film by Todd Phillips, features actor Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker running through the archway. The Archway also hosts the Brooklyn Flea every Sunday from April to October. The outdoor market features 80 vendors, and the products range from secondhand goods to custom-made jewelry. Gleason's Gym , located on Water Street, is the oldest boxing gym in New York. Many champions have trained there, including Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson . The gym has been located in DUMBO since

816-474: The 1840s and 1850s with houses that have Greek Revival and Italianate characteristics because of the associations with Athenian democracy . Classic Greek architectural forms were reinterpreted by the architects and builders of the new Republic in their designs for buildings both large and small, whether State Capitol or small row house. Further residential construction occurred on a few remaining vacant lots on Hudson Avenue, Water Street, and Front Street in

864-484: The 1980s. It moved from 77 Front Street to its current location at 130 Water Street in 2016. The legendary boxing coach Hector Roca still teaches at the Water Street location. In addition to boxing champions, Roca has trained many actors, including Wesley Snipes , Hilary Swank , Jennifer Lopez , and John Leguizamo . The renovation of Empire Stores on Water Street was completed in 2017. Previously, it had been

912-499: The Battle of Vinegar Hill, the last battle of an Irish-English conflict, with the hope of attracting Irish immigrants to the area, although Germans, Norwegians and Poles also settled there. The Sands family, who had amassed a fortune as merchants and speculators, laid out their land, located west of Jackson's property, into blocks and lots for a community to be called "Olympia” as early as 1787. The brothers expected Olympia to become

960-850: The Breads Bakery and DUMBO's renowned pizzeria, Juliana's . Dumbo has New York City's highest concentration of technology firms by neighborhood. Dumbo is home to 25 percent of New York City-based tech firms. Within a 10-block radius are 500 tech and creative firms that employ over 10,000 people. It also contains the corporate headquarters for e-commerce retailer Etsy and home furnishing stores company West Elm. The City of New York, in conjunction with New York University , installed an incubator in Dumbo to support development of tech start-ups. Dumbo's average office rent of US$ 25 per square foot ($ 269/m ) made it (as of 2013) more attractive to start-ups than Manhattan, where rents averaged $ 40 per square foot ($ 431/m ) in 2013. The neighborhood contains

1008-827: The Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan Bridge walkways to Dumbo. In June 2011, NY Waterway started service to points along the East River. On May 1, 2017, that route became part of the NYC Ferry 's East River route, which runs between Pier 11/Wall Street in Manhattan's Financial District and the East 34th Street Ferry Landing in Murray Hill, Manhattan , with five intermediate stops in Brooklyn and Queens. One of

SECTION 20

#1732787899619

1056-617: The Brooklyn Tech Triangle" thanks to its thriving community of tech startups. This designation coincided with its rise to become Brooklyn's most affluent neighborhood and the fourth-wealthiest community in New York City; this is owing in part to its large concentration of technology startups , its close proximity to Manhattan, and its large number of former industrial buildings that have been converted into spacious luxury residential lofts . The neighborhood contains

1104-569: The East River Ferry's stops is at Fulton Ferry in Dumbo. The Brooklyn Public Library (BPL)'s Adams Street branch is located at 9 Adams Street, between John and Plymouth Streets. The 6,000-square-foot (560 m ) Adams Street branch, designed by WORKac, occupies a former factory. The branch started construction in 2020 and cost $ 7 million to build. It opened in October 2021 and was the first BPL branch to open in Brooklyn since 1983. Vinegar Hill, Brooklyn Vinegar Hill

1152-479: The East River by the imposing anchorage of the Manhattan Bridge. A large number of the buildings in Dumbo were bought by developer David Walentas and his company Two Trees Management in the late 20th century, and remade into an upscale residential and commercial community—first becoming a haven for art galleries , and currently a center for technology startups . Dumbo earned the nickname "the center of

1200-604: The Manhattan Bridge to the Vinegar Hill area. The neighborhood is bounded by Brooklyn Bridge Park to the north, the Brooklyn Bridge to the west, Brooklyn Heights to the south, and Vinegar Hill to the east. Dumbo is part of Brooklyn Community Board 2 . Dumbo has historically been known by several names, including Gairville, Rapailie, Olympia, and Walentasville. The area was originally a ferry landing, characterized by 19th- and early 20th-century industrial and warehouse buildings, Belgian block streets, and its location on

1248-508: The Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges to buildings near the waterfront in Dumbo and Vinegar Hill. At the height of operations, it had spurs into several buildings, a car float bridge on Bridge Street, and a yard with capacity of 120 cars. The tracks were abandoned in 1959, though the railroad's tracks are still visible on streets in Dumbo. In 1968, there was a proposal to relocate the Fort Greene Meat Market to Dumbo, though

1296-537: The West Elm stores there, which number 10 as of January 2024. In 2010, Jim Brett began as president and sought to "humanize" the products which he characterized as machine made and "soulless" to be more creative. A growing concern was sustainability, such that by 2020 60% of the products were supporting one of the company's sustainability initiatives. During 2019-20 West Elm was Williams-Sonoma's fastest growing brand. This United States retail business article

1344-564: The area continued into the 1960s. In the shops on Hudson Avenue, the language spoken was Lithuanian. These immigrants brought their strong Roman Catholic religious beliefs with them and built a church on York Street, St. George R.C. Church. It was believed that the Lithuanians were not received by the two Irish churches, (St. Ann & St. Edwards) which is what led to the construction of the St. George R.C. Church. The neighborhood of Vinegar Hill

1392-400: The buildings in Vinegar Hill were originally warehouses, which since the early 2000s have been turned into loft buildings or office spaces. One building being repurposed is the fire house on 227 Front Street, which was turned into a loft building. When the Manhattan Bridge was being constructed in the 1900s, the main areas within Vinegar Hill had to be destroyed. The industrial growth caused

1440-436: The corporate headquarters for e-commerce retailer Etsy and home furnishing stores company West Elm . The name is an acronym of "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass". The area has been known variously as Rapailie, Olympia, and Walentasville; the developer who began its current gentrification is Two Trees Management, led at the time by David Walentas. The "Olympia" name came from Comfort and Joshua Sands , who bought

1488-456: The costly American Civil War , would send in Army veterans to raid the neighborhood and destroy the stills. On one occasion, in 1869, the Army destroyed stills that were capable of churning out 250 barrels of alcohol each day—a volume worth $ 5,000 in unpaid taxes (equivalent to $ 120,474 in 2023). The battles between the government and the neighborhood became known as the "Whisky Wars" and left

West Elm - Misplaced Pages Continue

1536-639: The earliest large-scale reinforced concrete factory buildings in America. On December 18, 2007, the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission voted unanimously to designate Dumbo as the city's 90th historic district. The Dumbo historic district consists of properties bounded by John Street to the north, York Street to the south, Main Street to the west, and Bridge Street to the east. The area has emerged as one of New York City's premier arts districts, with

1584-531: The end of the 20th century, as property became more and more expensive in Manhattan, Dumbo became increasingly gentrified . Even so, the acronym "Dumbo" was largely unknown as late as 1997, and the area itself was very inclusive, serving mainly as an enclave for artists located along the East River and under the Manhattan Bridge . At this stage there were still many air conditioner repair shops, auto shops, and "seedy back alleys and wharves"; and, because

1632-704: The first inhabitants of what is now western Brooklyn. The Canarsee were members of the Algonquian who occupied the Atlantic seaboard from Canada to North Carolina . They were an autonomous band of the Delaware (Leni Lenape) Indians. They established their villages close to the water including the higher ground near the Wallabout Bay that they called Rinnegokonck. They lived communally in several settlements in western Brooklyn , including one located on

1680-567: The high ground near the present-day Vinegar Hill Historic District, called Rinnegokonc. In the seventeenth century, European explorers arrived on the land and started doing business with Native Americans. Dutch settlers began arriving in 1637 along the waterfront area up, up to Fulton Street . When the Dutch settlers arrived in the early seventeenth century, the Canarsee, already weakened by disease, hunger, and warfare, began to sell their land to

1728-470: The land from Joris Jansen Rapalje and sold the area of Gold Street to Comfort and Joshua Sands in 1784. The Sandses were planning to develop the land as a summer place for New Yorkers. They built a lot of blocks for a community that was called "Olympia" in 1787. In the late eighteenth century, John Jackson bought 100 acres around of the waterfront area near the Wallabout Bay from Remsen estate and built there his own shipyard . He also built houses for

1776-469: The land in 1787 and were planning to develop the land as a summer place for New Yorkers. Through the 18th and 19th centuries, the area now known as Dumbo was considered part of Vinegar Hill . In the 1890s, the western portion of the neighborhood was known as Fulton Landing , after the ferry stop that connected it to Manhattan before the Brooklyn Bridge opened. At that time, it was primarily

1824-670: The last of what could be considered a true arts community in New York." The DUMBO Historic District, a historic industrial complex and national historic district in Dumbo, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. It consists of 95 contributing buildings; the manufacturing concerns located in this district included Benjamin Moore & Co. (paint), Arbuckle Brothers (coffee and sugar), J.W. Masury & Son (paint), Robert Gair (paper boxes), E.W. Bliss (machinery), and Brillo (soap pads). The district includes

1872-460: The market was ultimately moved to Sunset Park instead. With the deindustrialization of New York City, Dumbo began to become primarily residential; artists and other young homesteaders seeking relatively large and inexpensive loft apartment spaces for studios and homes began moving there in the late 1970s. The acronym "Dumbo" arose in 1978, when new residents coined it in the belief such an unattractive name would help deter developers. Near

1920-709: The neighborhood was still gentrifying from its industrial past, it lacked even a bookstore, coffee shop, or laundromat . The efforts of Joy Glidden , the Founding Director of the Dumbo Arts Center (DAC) and co-founder of the Dumbo Art Under the Bridge Festival, achieved successful development in Dumbo, which is now a model for similar waterfront developments around the world. Glidden stated of Dumbo's gentrification, "It may be one of

1968-550: The replacement of many houses by factories and warehouses. A vital moment was the construction of a large power plant on the East River waterfront in the 1920s by the Consolidated Edison Company. These major changes happened until 1961. The shutdown of the Navy Yard in 1966 ended up being a result of New York’s shift from an industrial economy to a more service-oriented economy. It was a sign of decline and

West Elm - Misplaced Pages Continue

2016-496: The residents of Vinegar Hill suspicious of outsiders. An 1894 article in The New York Times recalled those days: "The extent of the moonshine traffic was never fully known to outsiders. The whole neighborhood was a unit in defense of the stills . While from scores of cellars the smoke of illegal and surreptitious manufacture ascended, access was not easy and proof of guilt was difficult to obtain. The peasantry of

2064-508: The residents of Vinegar Hill, declared the area a Historical District in the late 1990s. Many Irish immigrants lived in Vinegar Hill and worked in the Navy Yard in 1798. Before and following the First World War and the great migration of people from Eastern Europe to the United States, Vinegar Hill became predominantly a neighborhood of Lithuanian immigrants, reaching 75% by the 1930 Census . The Lithuanian immigrant population of

2112-540: The route spanning the East River . In 1674, the English subjects, under the rule of King Charles II , took control over the land during the events of the Third Anglo-Dutch War . Then, Kings County consisted of six regions: Brooklyn , Bushwick , Flatbush , Flatlands , Gravesend, New Utrecht . The Vinegar Hill district was part of the region of Brooklyn. Commissioners of Forfeiture took hold of

2160-480: The settlers and commenced on a long westward migration that would take them as far as Illinois territory. The land was sold by the Indians to Joris Jansen Rapalje . Rapelje acquired the land for farming purposes; it was renamed to Breuckelen circa 1646. The first ferry began operating from the northern point of Fulton street few years earlier in 1642. It connected the land of Breuckelen with Manhattan ,

2208-450: The shipyard workers. The historical reminder of the Sands family and Jackson are still seen on the maps as names of the streets in the Vinegar Hill area. In the first years of the nineteenth century, Jackson sold 40 acres (16 ha) to the United States government for the Brooklyn Navy Yard , and then built additional housing for Navy Yard personnel. Jackson named the area in honor of

2256-661: The station should be converted to. On the corner of Evans and Little Streets is Quarters A (the Commandant's House), a Federal Style mansion next to the Navy Yard which was once home to Commodore Matthew C. Perry . This house was built in 1805. 91 Hudson Avenue in Vinegar Hill is the location of the former first burial place and monument of the Prison Ship Martyrs of the American Revolutionary War . The Canarsee Indians were

2304-598: The years following the Civil War . In the mid-19th century, the area became home to illegal distilleries producing moonshine known as "potheen" (from Irish poitín , "little pot"). Alcohol was legal but heavily taxed, and the moonshining trade pumped significant cash to the working-class neighborhood. In Vinegar Hill, the potheen business was operated largely by a quartet consisting of John Devlin, John Whiteford, "Ginger" Farrell, and "Ned" Brady. The Bureau of Internal Revenue , created in 1862 and desperate for funds after

#618381