01/16/13 12:58pm

As President Obama calls for action on guns today, mothers, fathers, children and concerned citizens will join the Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens Chapters of One Million Moms For Gun Control (@1MM4GC) in a symbolic march across the Brooklyn Bridge, followed by a rally in City Hall Park, to call for new gun control legislation and a sensible interpretation of the Second Amendment, on Monday, January 21, 2013. The event will begin at 9:15 a.m. at the corner of Middagh Street and Cadman Plaza West with brief remarks and a moment of silence led by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. At 9:35 a.m. the march will begin across the Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian Walkway and end at City Hall. The rally on the steps of City Hall will run from 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

WHEN: January 21, 2013

  • 9:15 a.m. – Group gathers at Cadman Plaza
  • 9:20 a.m. – Moment of Silence
  • 9:35 a.m. – March across Brooklyn Bridge begins
  • 10:30 a.m. – Rally in City Hall Park
  • 11:30 a.m. – Event ends

WHERE: Rally Begins at corner of Middagh and Cadman Plaza West (Brooklyn Heights)
Proceeds across Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian Walkway
Ends at City Hall Steps

06/05/12 10:40am

Filming: White Collar

Permit #NA: June 5 and June 6, 2012

A filming for TV series White Collar (4th season) is taking place in Dumbo Brooklyn in Dumbo Brookyn on Tuesday, June 5, and Wednesday, June 6, 2012.

A synopsis of White Collar: A white collar criminal agrees to help the FBI catch other white collar criminals using his expertise as an art and securities thief, counterfeiter and racketeer.

The TV drama series stars Matt Bomer, Tim Dekay, Willie Garson, and Tiffany Thiessen.

Filming and equipment will take place on the following streets:

  • Front Street between Washington and York Street
  • Washington Street between Front and York Street
  • Cadman Plaza West between Middagh and Clark Street

The following streets will be affected on Tuesday, June 5 only:

  • Water Street between New Dock Street and Old Fulton Street
  • Old Fulton Street between Front Street and Water Street
  • Everit Street betewen Old Fulton Street and Doughty Street

All filming posts are tagged here: DumboNYC.com/tag/filming

11/18/11 11:54am

Occupy the Brooklyn Bridge

6PM: I’m sitting in my office working hard to meet a deadline. I was already distracted during the day writing for the occupy movement I support of freelancers who aren’t represented in the labor market, so I was working late. As I’m singing to myself, I begin to hear screaming at one moment, then cheering. At first I figured my partner’s music was just loud, but the cheering continued. I then thought it was coming from a boxing match down at Gleason’s gym right under me but, they are ususlly louder that the cheering I was hearing.

Chanting

7:30PM: The screaming and cheering turns to chanting. With so much time haing passed and the noise becoming organized I realized I wasn’t hearing things and ran to the window. Sure enough right outside on the Brooklyn Bridge hoards or people were marching chanting "Outrage Outrage Outrage!" They bore flags and held up their cellphones as lighters singing "Change when do we want it, Now!"

Bridge Takeover

As the earthquake that rocked us here in Dumbo over the summer I go on Twitter (the people’s news network) to verify the march on Brooklyn Bridge. #OccupyBrooklynBridge. It was offical! I tweeted "#NYC is a big place filled with parks we’ll find another spot to #occupy."

After trying to record from the office window I realized that it wasn’t enough; I can’t tell my children I stood in a building snapping images. As an artist it is my duty to be in the mix and as a citizien my duty to participate in democracy. I ran out the office with my iPhone ready to join the movement.

Welcome to Occupy Brooklyn Occupy Dumbo

As I made it up Washington Street to join the march, the police shouted at those who weren’t on the Bridge to get away, get back & stay off the block. It seemed like Dumbo wasn’t allowed to join from the bridge walk exit. But, that didn’t stop us. Dumbo gathered on the other side of the street still under the bridge, shouting "Welcome to Occupy Brooklyn FINALLY." "Occupy Dumbo!"

It was a sight to see. Helicopters flew as low as the tenth floors near the Dumbo, Washington Street apartment buildings. News 12 plotted their plan of attack for coverage on the Brooklyn side. A man shared the view with a friend via Skype. Urban sound stage’s camera man tried to keep his camera steady and children from Dumbo waved at marchers offering them a warm welcome. Dumbo’s citizens weren’t going anywhere and the police left us alone as were cheered and chanted "Occupy".

Occupy Spirit

Some might think that Dumbo is hardly a neighborhood that needs an occupy spirit but the reality is Dumbo does need it. We have it all, in Dumbo we have small businesses about to be evicted, large global businesses taking over floors but not hiring freelance and job applicants, we have the ghetto, working class, middle class and the F’n lap of luxury all in 5-7 blocks.

Dumbo is a picture frame of NYC. We see what the occupy movement is about every single day. It is great that occupy has visited our door steps. Are we going to unite in support, Dumbo?


Post written by Danii Oliver, Interactive designer and developer. CDO of DAMN Digital Studio, an Interactive Agency in Dumbo Brooklyn.

10/21/11 5:00am


[+]

The high resolution photo, courtesy of Shorpy, from 1903 of Brooklyn Bridge is full of rich detail. The view of Brooklyn from the Manhattan side shows the Brooklyn shore between Navy Yards to Brooklyn Heights. Above is a detailed portion of the photo of what’s now Dumbo. You’ll see some Gair Buildings (one on Washington Street that says “Robert Gair: If it’s made of paper we have it”), the 167 Sands Street building, which was completed in 1902, the Tobacco Warehouse, and the two and three story wood frame buildings where 1 Main Street now sits (built in 1916). Not pictured in the above detail, but is shown in the original photo is the Eagle Warehouse building, Old Fulton Street, and the original Fulton El Terminal (which was demolished, and now is Cadman Plaza) with trolleys crossing the bridge.

For the original full res photo, go to shorpy.com/Brooklyn_Bridge_1903?size=_original. What else do you recognize?

(via @joshderr)

{Dumbo Then and Now, series, DumboNYC}

10/01/11 8:06am

2010 Live United Brooklyn Bridge Walk & Volunteer Festival

More than 3,000 participants are expected to gather in Foley Square and then walk across the Brooklyn Bridge to Cadman Plaza Park for a Volunteer Festival featuring live music, food, activities for children and youth, plus more than 60 nonprofit organizations from all five boroughs offering volunteer opportunities for New Yorkers of all ages today (Saturday, October 1, 2011).

The Volunteer Festival (at Cadman Plaza 11am-1pm) is open to the public and will feature live music from local bands; a family zone with stilt walkers, face painters, and arts and crafts; sports activities for youth and teens; interactive pavilions to learn about United Way’s work in education, income and health; and a chance to visit with more than 60 local nonprofit groups that are seeking volunteer assistance throughout the year.

Press release after the break:
(more…)

01/31/11 2:48pm

Cadman Plaza

Walking through Cadman Plaza Park, you see kids with their parents/nannys, dog walkers, joggers, and residents enjoying the green space and sports field throughout the year. It’s a welcome spot to walk through despite the busy Tillary Street to the south and the Brooklyn Bridge exit ramp to the north. Adjacent to Cadman Plaza on the east (just south of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) building), the city has been re-developing a 2.9 acre area called Walt Whitman Park which is scheduled for completion in the Spring of 2012 (prior update by McBrooklyn here and the Brooklyn Eagle article on the $4.5M renovation project). But residents of Brooklyn didn’t always have a Cadman Plaza Park. In 1883, Sands Street Terminal was completed in the area now occupied by Cadman Plaza and with Fulton El Terminal, was one of the major arteries and stations for the Brooklyn elevated trains. The Brooklyn Bridge carried passengers from Manhattan to Brooklyn on tracks and the Brooklyn Station was once a majestic elevated train station, only two blocks from Dumbo’s 70 Washington Street.

By the late 1800s and early 1900s, the station was believed to service “tens of thousands” of passengers pass through daily, according to one neighbor who’s family has lived in the area for 2 generations. (If anyone has a published reference, please comment below.) In 1908, the subway construction began, which paved the way for the removal of the elevated tracks. By 1910, the Fulton El Terminal was removed. In 1931, the decision to redevelop the station into a public space was made and thus began the dismantling of the station. Most of Sands Street Elevated Terminal was taken down in 1939. The metal and materials were reused for World War II and streets were reconfigured for the transition from trolleys and carriages to automobiles. By 1939, the park was completed and named Cadman Plaza Park and now occupies 10.384 acres of land. In total there were 21 acres of land cleared, 125 buildings razed, and cost of improvement was $4.5M or $70M in 2010 dollars.

According to the NY City Department of Parks and Recreation, the park “honors Reverend Dr. Samuel Parkes Cadman (1864-1936), a Brooklyn Congregational minister and radio preacher famed for his oratory. He was pastor of the Central Congregational Church in Brooklyn for 36 years and helped to found the Federated Council of Churches in America, which he headed from 1924-1928.” The northern end of Cadman Plaza Park houses a statue of William Jay Gaynor (1829-1913). Gaynor was mayor of New York City from 1910-1913. The southern end is a Korean War Veterans Plaza memorial.

Brooklyn Heights Blog published a nice video ‘montage’ (created by BHB’s Karl Junkersfeld) about the park history. Below are some additional historical photos. Next time you walk through Cadman Plaza park, you can see the scale of the former station and imagine what used to be the track noise above and people getting on and off the Sands Street Station.


 [+] (Photo: 1931, courtesy wired new york)


 [+] (Photo: 1898, courtesy of MCNY)


 [+] (Photo: Brooklyn Bridge Station, undated, courtesy of MCNY)


 [+] (Photo: 1943, courtesy of Gothamist. Notice the tracks ending on the right side as a result of the elevated station being discontinued)

{Dumbo Then and Now, series, DumboNYC}