Monday, August 20, 2012

domino sugar factory: change on the brooklyn waterfront

A few years ago, I wrote a cultural landscape research paper on the Domino Sugar Factory located on the Williamsburg waterfront. The site, overlooking the Williamsburg Bridge and East River, with spectacular views to Manhattan, is a long sought after piece of real estate. I just learned from an article by the New York Daily News that the site was bought by a new developer (different from the ownership when I wrote my paper). 

I'm intrigued to see how the process unfolds. I'm certain that the controversy of the site will only intensify as development becomes a more concrete reality. Between the "promise" of affordable housing and maintaining the identity of the historical buildings and iconic "Domino Sugar" sign, there's a strong set of supporters both for and against the future plans. 

Keep checking back here for more updates. Depending on what happens over the next months/ year I may bring my research paper back to life and try to submit to a peer reviewed journal.

Would love to hear any of your initial thoughts on the site, the importance of waterfront development, what it means to Manhattan, to Brooklyn and specifically, to the changing character of Williamsburg. 

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