Gowanus

How's that for social distancing? Untapped New York has just announced the relaunch of its in-person tour series, and they've got some seriously cool new offerings, including a Victorian Flatbush walking tour and a tour of the Gowanus Canal that takes place via canoe. The team has implemented significant health and safety measures, from reduced capacity to a state-of-the-art radio system that allows for social distancing. In addition to these new tours, Untapped is bringing back many favorites, including "Hidden Gems of Governors Island," "Remnants of Dutch New Amsterdam," and "Public Art Tour of Lower Manhattan."
More info here

Events & Things To Do

Gowanus Canal cleanup will officially kick off this year

Photo by bobistraveling on Flickr

January 29, 2020

Gowanus Canal cleanup will officially kick off this year

The long-awaited cleanup of the Gowanus Canal officially has a start date. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday issued an administrative order requiring the start of the first phase of the project, 10 years after the agency declared it a Superfund site. Expected to begin in September and take 30 months to complete, the $125 million project covers the cleanup of the upper canal and the 1st Street turning basin and involves "full-scale dredging," according to the agency.
Get the details

Policy

950-unit ‘Gowanus Green’ development met with skepticism by local residents who hoped for a park

Photo by Danny Navaro via Flickr cc

December 4, 2019

950-unit ‘Gowanus Green’ development met with skepticism by local residents who hoped for a park

By Alexandra Alexa

During a Brooklyn Community Board 6 meeting on Monday night, architects, developers, and city officials revealed preliminary plans for Gowanus Green, a multi-building development on a 5.8-acre site at the corner of Smith and Fifth Streets. Once home to a gas plant, the city-owned site has been vacant for decades and was designated as a "public place" in 1974. As the Brooklyn Daily Eagle first reported, Carroll Gardens and Gowanus residents who were expecting that the site would become a park widely panned the new proposal for a series of buildings ranging from a five-story school to a 28-story residential tower.
More details

Ahead of proposed rezoning, Gowanus gains five individual landmarks

Photos courtesy of LPC

October 29, 2019

Ahead of proposed rezoning, Gowanus gains five individual landmarks

The city's Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday designated five properties in Gowanus as individual landmarks ahead of the neighborhood's impending rezoning. The buildings are architecturally significant examples of Brooklyn's industrial past with relationships to the Canal, according to the commission. "These buildings stand out in the neighborhood as tangible reminders of the rich history of the neighborhood and the Gowanus Canal," LPC Chair Sarah Carroll said. "They are all inherently connected to the manufacturing industries and institutions that developed around the canal in the late-19th and early-20th century."
Learn more

Policy

City’s Gowanus Canal cleanup plan gets squashed by Trump’s EPA

Photo by Danny Navarro / Flickr cc

September 25, 2019

City’s Gowanus Canal cleanup plan gets squashed by Trump’s EPA

Photo by Danny Navarro / Flickr cc Since taking office, Donald Trump and his administration have been proposing cuts to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that would decrease funding for the cleanup of the Gowanus Canal. Declared a federal Superfund site in 2010, the Canal has a major issue with combined sewer overflow (CSO), which occurs when heavy rainfall overtaxes the sewer system and causes stormwater runoff and wastewater to empty into the waterway. As Brooklyn Eagle reports, the city's proposal to mitigate this issue was to "replace two [CSO] retention tanks holding 8 and 4 million gallons with a 16 million-gallon CSO tunnel running beneath the upper portion of the canal." However, in a letter obtained by the Eagle, Trump EPA appointee Pete Lopez said that they would instead install two large retention tanks along the Canal walls.
What next?

Policy

$2.7M Gowanus townhouse is an architect-designed modern gem

Photos by Rise Media and Devon Banks, courtesy of The Corcoran Group.

September 6, 2019

$2.7M Gowanus townhouse is an architect-designed modern gem

Photos by Rise Media and Devon Banks, courtesy of The Corcoran Group. Gowanus was until recently brownstone Brooklyn’s best kept secret for loft-industrial living in the midst of a historic neighborhood. Though the secret’s out, homes like this one at 467 Carroll Street embody the neighborhood's creative spirit and mix of old and new. Built from the ground up and designed by designer/architect Ted Kane in collaboration with the owner, also a designer, this 1,616-square-foot single-family home takes advantage of Brooklyn townhouse living, modern comforts included. Asking $2.7 million, the home is energy-efficient as well as luxury-filled, and the garden is a dream for outdoor living.
Take the townhouse tour

Distinctive Homes

Gowanus’ historic Coignet Stone Building is for sale asking $6.5M

Photos by Vanessa DeGarcia, courtesy of The Corcoran Group

August 28, 2019

Gowanus’ historic Coignet Stone Building is for sale asking $6.5M

If there's one building that has come to represent the preservation movement in Gowanus, it very well might be the Coignet Stone Building. Built in 1873 as a showroom and physical advertisement for Francois Coignet's concrete construction company, it was the first documented concrete building in the city. Whole Foods purchased the property in 2005 and built its new supermarket next door, and the following year, the Coignet Buiding was landmarked. After years of neglect, Whole Foods completed a $1.3 million restoration in 2016, listing the property shortly thereafter for $6 million. It's now back for a hair more, and though a gut interior renovation is definitely required, it's being sold as a residential townhouse that has incredible potential.
See inside

Five properties in Gowanus may be landmarked ahead of proposed rezoning

Via LPC

June 25, 2019

Five properties in Gowanus may be landmarked ahead of proposed rezoning

Five properties in Gowanus may be landmarked as the Brooklyn neighborhood prepares to be rezoned. The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to calendar eight buildings across five properties in the neighborhood, describing them as both architecturally significant, as well as closely associated with the history of the Gowanus Canal. The decision to calendar the sites comes after the city released in January its rezoning draft for Gowanus, which includes enabling more residential buildings and access to the waterfront.
More info here

Policy

May 10, 2019

A designer couple transformed this $3.2M Gowanus townhouse into a practical two-family home

By Alexandra Alexa

A few years ago designers Merrill Lyons and Charles Brill started the full renovation of their Gowanus townhouse, which involved "gutting it down to the brick facade, beams, and stair railings" and adding a deck in the back. The results—worthy of a feature in Dwell Magazine—mix the historic townhouse bones with modern lines and pops of color. With three bedrooms, space to spread out outdoors, and an inviting ambiance throughout, the residence is very family-friendly. The garden level is currently an income-generating rental unit, but it could be incorporated into the upper floors to create a larger single-family residence. Originally built in 1901, this completely transformed property is now on the market for $3,195,000.
Look inside

Distinctive Homes

City releases Gowanus rezoning draft with a focus on waterfront resiliency

Via NYC Planning

January 30, 2019

City releases Gowanus rezoning draft with a focus on waterfront resiliency

The Department of City Planning on Wednesday released a draft of its plan to rezone Gowanus as a way to bring more affordable housing, jobs, and community resources to the Brooklyn neighborhood. In the works for nearly three years, the proposal includes a waterfront access plan that creates public walkways centered around the canal, as well as builds a more resilient shoreline.
See the proposal

Policy

January 29, 2019

$2M Gowanus home has curb appeal and amazing historic details

By Alexandra Alexa

A charming and full-of-potential home at 240 11th Street in Gowanus (near the Park Slope border) just hit the market for a cool $1,995,000. To match its historic rowhouse facade, the home offers loads of stunning original details, but it may benefit from some modern upgrades to really let those bones sing. It features four bedrooms and a flexible layout over three floors, with plenty of options for its future owner.
READ MORE

Distinctive Homes

Bjarke Ingels is tapped for his first residential project in Brooklyn

Courtesy of LIVWRK; Photo of Ingels via Wikimedia

September 28, 2018

Bjarke Ingels is tapped for his first residential project in Brooklyn

By Emily Nonko

Bjarke Ingels' architectural dominance of New York City is growing -- the Danish starchitect has got his first commission in Brooklyn, reports Crain's. Developer Aby Rosen tapped Ingels' firm Bjarke Ingels Group to draft plans for a large new apartment project on the banks of the Gowanus Canal. The site in question -- at 175-225 3rd Street, pictured in the aerial shot above -- is currently a parking lot.
Read more details

Architecture And Design

City’s Gowanus rezoning draft calls for more public space, residential development

The banks of the Gowanus. Image courtesy of Department of City Planning

June 6, 2018

City’s Gowanus rezoning draft calls for more public space, residential development

Attempts to rezone the area surrounding the Gowanus Canal, a neighborhood both affluent and in transition, have been in the works for over a decade. Now, Brownstoner reports, the long-anticipated Draft Planning and Land Use Framework of Gowanus has just been released by the Department of City Planning (DCP). The 188-page report is the result of 100 hours of outreach since the launch of the Gowanus PLACES Study in 2016 as well as information contained in a previous Bridging Gowanus Study released in 2014.
Find out more

Architecture And Design

May 24, 2018

Proposal revealed for new public park on the Gowanus Canal’s Salt Lot

The Salt Lot is a triangular piece of land just south of the point at which all three branches of the Gowanus Canal meet. The city-owned site hosts a NYC Compost Project facility, as well as the Gowanus Canal Conservancy's nursery and educational facilities. However, the EPA has mandated a new four-million-gallon retention tank be placed there to manage combined sewer overflow. Gowanus by Design (GbD) saw this new infrastructure requirement as a catalyst for sparking conversation about much needed public urban space in the area. They've therefore created a conceptual proposal for the Gowanus Salt Lot Public Park, which includes three buildings constructed with materials that reference the Canal's industrial history, along with sloping hills and wetlands.
More details and renderings ahead

Architecture And Design

March 16, 2018

The Urban Lens: Artist Janice McDonnell captures Brooklyn’s waterfront with her paintings

By Hannah Frishberg

6sqft’s series The Urban Lens invites artists to share work exploring a theme or a place within New York City. In this installment, Janice McDonnell shares some of her paintings of the Brooklyn waterfront. Are you an artist who’d like to see your work featured on The Urban Lens? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. In a city as bustling and overbuilt as New York, it's easy to forget this metropolis' roots as a port city, and that all boroughs but the Bronx are islands. The timeless beauty of NYC's watery surroundings are not lost on artist Janice McDonnell, who has produced a series of paintings of the Brooklyn waterfront. "It started out as just documenting to enjoy myself," McDonell said. That's how it started, but the more she got into it from her Dumbo studio, the more the combination of buildings near the broad harbor and their contrast to the sky began to resonate with her. Ahead, see Janice's paintings and hear all about her inspiration and process.
Dive in

October 19, 2017

LAST CHANCE! Win 2 tickets to the Municipal Art Society’s architectural tour of Gowanus

By 6sqft

With cleanup efforts underway along the notoriously polluted Canal and a slew of new developments rising, Gowanus is undoubtedly one of the top neighborhoods to watch. But we can't talk about its future without also looking back at its history. On October 28th, the Municipal Art Society is hosting a walking tour of Gowanus led by architectural historian Matt Postal that will explore the area's past as an industrial shipping center and its transformation into a trendy, artistic enclave. Not only will the two-hour tour take you to the city's oldest concrete structure and oldest retractile bridge, but it'll make stops at the new residential and commercial spaces. Interested in attending for free? MAS is giving away two tickets to "Gowanus Grows in Brooklyn," but today is the last day to enter!
Find out how to enter here

Events & Things To Do

Artist’s triplex inside an 1888 ink and brush factory asks $3.95M in Gowanus

Image via BHS

August 9, 2017

Artist’s triplex inside an 1888 ink and brush factory asks $3.95M in Gowanus

By Annie Doge

This renovation of a former ink and brush factory in the heart of Gowanus hits all the right notes, hearkening back the neighborhood's industrial roots and channeling the current artsy vibe that permeates the blocks. Located at 459 Carroll Street, the residence occupies three floors of a massive brick structure built back in 1888, stretching more than 4,600 square feet of live/work space across three stories built atop a 25-foot by 100-foot lot. The super-sized property also comes with three generously proportioned artists studios and a beautiful 900-square-foot planted terrace engulfed by views of neighboring gardens and the cityscape. If you're on the market for unpretentious luxury and lots of space to sprawl out in or wield a paintbrush, all of this can be yours for $3.95M.
see more inside

Distinctive Homes

Rendering courtesy of SCAPE Landscape Architecture

June 19, 2017

Gowanus Canal Conservancy unveils renderings for SCAPE-designed Gowanus Lowlands

The Gowanus Canal Conservancy (GCC) has announced the launch of Gowanus Lowlands, a new comprehensive vision for the transformation of Brooklyn’s Gowanus neighborhood and a 'blueprint for NYC’s next great park.' As 6sqft has previously reported, between developers eyeing the pricey parcel of southwest Brooklyn land as Paris on the Gowanus and the city's ambitions to transform the long-embattled area into "Little Venice," all eyes have been on the neighborhood and the once-toxic, steadily improving Superfund canal that anchors it. With an important rezoning on the horizon–the process kicked off last October with meetings to gauge community opinion–passions are running high. The conservancy has identified SCAPE landscape architecture studio to guide the Lowlands vision toward reality.
Find out more

April 21, 2017

For $1.8M this pint-sized Park Slope townhouse sets the standard for renovated rustic chic

At a mere 15 feet wide and two stories high, this compact townhouse at 629 President Street is priced to compete with–and beat–many a smaller condo at $1.825 million. Hiding in plain sight on a street of similarly cute and compact brick townhomes at the spot where Park Slope meets Gowanus (making it also home to just about every amazing amenity in Brooklyn) this otherwise nondescript 1900s home becomes a surprise of a sweet, spacious and bright farmhouse once you step inside. It's a pretty neat trick.
Have a look

Distinctive Homes

‘Paris-on-the-Gowanus’ rental launches affordable housing lottery, units from $833/month

363 Bond Street, via Lightstone Group

March 20, 2017

‘Paris-on-the-Gowanus’ rental launches affordable housing lottery, units from $833/month

When the Lightstone Group revealed their two-building, 700-unit, $350 million rental project at 363-365 Bond Street, right on the banks of the notoriously toxic Gowanus Canal, president Mitchell Hochberg said it was inspired by a residential project in the Canal Saint-Martin neighborhood in Paris that helped create a “newly hip atmosphere” near a similarly polluted waterway. Despite the area's Superfund status, the promise of living in a trendy, up-and-coming area surely appealed to many; when the lottery opened for the 86 affordable units at #365, nearly 60,000 people applied. Now, the lottery is opening for the 54 below-market rate apartments at the under-construction #363, ranging from $833/month studios to $1,082/two-bedrooms, available to those earning 60 percent of the area median income.
Find out if you qualify

Affordable Housing

Herzog & de Meuron will turn Gowanus’ graffiti-covered ‘Batcave’ into an art production factory

Rendering of Powerhouse Workshop via Herzog & de Meuron

March 7, 2017

Herzog & de Meuron will turn Gowanus’ graffiti-covered ‘Batcave’ into an art production factory

Despite its Superfund status, the Gowanus Canal has ushered in a Whole Foods, an artisanal ice cream factory, and more than one high-end residential development, but one vestige of its gritty, industrial days has remained--the so-called Batcave. Build in 1904 as the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company's Central Power Station, the warehouse was taken out of service in the '50s, becoming in the 2000s a home for squatters, venue for impromptu dance parties, and unofficial street art display. But it looks like the former warehouse will now join the ranks of its Brooklyn-esque neighbors, as the Times reports that Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron will transform the space into an art production factory and exhibition space to be called the Powerhouse Workshop, though it will preserve the iconic graffiti
Get the whole scoop

February 15, 2017

This brick townhouse with romantic backyard and guest house asks $1.495M in Gowanus

By Emily Nonko

Valentine's Day may have just passed but the backyard of this Gowanus townhouse looks romantic for any day of the year. Decked out with greenery, tea lights and a mini guest house, it's a nice perk to the historic brick three-bedroom, two-bathroom triplex townhouse at 112 14th Street. The $1.495 million pad is plenty charming inside, too, with exposed brick walls, four fireplaces and high ceilings throughout.
Take a peek inside

Distinctive Homes

January 17, 2017

Department of Health says it’s okay to eat Gowanus Canal fish in moderation and kayak in the water

The real estate community has been looking closely at Gowanus as of late thanks to rezoning plans that will likely spur high-end development and proposals for a public esplanade. To some, this waterfront vision seems a bit off due to the toxicity of the Canal and its history as a Superfund site, but naysayers may be changing their tune as a new report from the New York State Department of Health tells us that "limited direct contact with the canal's waters, through boating or fishing" doesn't increase the risk of cancer and other diseases, according to Gothamist. It's still not safe to swim in the water, but, believe it or not, men and women of certain ages can even eat some of the Canal's fish.
Find out more

Uncategorized

Renderings via Loci Architecture

January 10, 2017

Gowanus Alliance reveals plans to bring Kentile Floors sign to new park

Two summers ago, the Gowanus Alliance teamed up with Gowanus by Design on their vision to transform the land underneath the elevated subway tracks on 10th Street between Second and Third Avenues into a public park that would serve as a home for the iconic but dismantled Kentile Floors sign. Now that the MTA has completed its repairs on the tracks above, Brooklyn Paper reports that the group has tapped Loci Architecture for preliminary renderings of what this space, dubbed Under the Tracks Playground, could look like.
Find out more this way

Architecture And Design

December 29, 2016

City eyes Gowanus Canal as the next ‘Little Venice’