The 160,000 cars passing Dumbo on the BQE each day will see a new sign on top of 45 Main Street. The Dumbo sign was swapped for a new one this morning. There’s some history behind that sign area. The ad space in 1938 said: “Realty Corp. Lofts to-let” (as posted about previously).

Then the now old Dumbo sign stated “Live. Work. Play. DUMBO. Dumbo-NewYork.com”

And now: “NYC’s Creative Capital – DUMBO. TwoTreesNY.com” Always been real estate owned, but went from manufacturing to the creative ‘industry’.

The Department of Transportation sent us a notice regarding the Washington Street underpass construction that has been going on since last weekend. They are adding a “protective coating of Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Bridges”:

The New York City Department of Transportaion Division of Bridges will commence protective coating operations on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) Bridges over Washington Street. The existing protective coating will be cleaned and/or removed through abrasive blasting techniques. A new, epoxy-zinc protective coating system will be applied to all steel superstructures.

The contractor will close the northbound lane of Washington Street at the BQE, along with the adjacent sidewalk, from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily for approximately two weeks. The portion of the bike-lane in the vicinity of the bridge will also be closed. Two-way traffic will be maintained one lane in each direction, utilizing flaggers. At the end of each shift, the street will be restored to two way operation. The southbound lane and the sidewalk will remain open. After completion of the work on the northbound lane, the contactor will switch to the southbound lane. Concrete barriers, appropriate advanced signs and pavement markings will be installed to maintain the safe flow of traffic in the vicinity of the work area. Work on the BQE Bridge over Washington Street is expected to be completed on or before August 31st.

Throughout this phase of work, the contractor may also close one lane on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway in either direction, to permit the installation of paint containment units while maintaining the remaining lanes of traffic at all times. These lanes closures will occur only between the hours of 12:01 AM and 5:00 AM.

In July 2007, a new noise code went into effect in New York City. The new law establishes important rules, guidelines and standards for governing noise in NYC which include construction activities. To limit construction noise, all construction activity will be undertaken in accordance with the noise mitigation plan for this project. Additional information regarding this and any other part of this project is available by contacting Community Liaison Fred Herschkowitz at 212-839- 6307. You may also visit the NYCDOT website at www.nyc.gov/dot. You also may request information by calling the New York City Government Services and Information Hotline at 311.

Thanks to innuendo for the photo submission.

 (Photo: DumboNYC)

A NY Times article on Sunday by C.J. Hughes gave mention to Dumbo’s J Condo at 100 Jay Street. C.J. Hughes writes about the increase of E Zones in NYC. “In 2007, 16 E zones were created, involving hundreds of blocks, versus four zones in 1996.” E zoning designation, typically means that it abuts a busy nonresidential area and that developers must take extra noise-abatement steps. Both J Condo and Beacon Tower are new condo developments in Dumbo that abuts the Manhattan Bridge on opposite sides. J Condo hired soundproofing consultants, Architectural Testing to minimize the bridge noise. Beacon Tower at 85 Adams Street hired Shen Milsom Wilke, a New York-based acoustical design firm, to evaluate and measure the site noise. Their windows feature heavy panes of laminated glass separated by eight inches of air space and rubber gaskets, to dramatically reduce the sound levels. According to Shen Milsom Wilke, it was found that sound levels intermittently peaked at 96 dBA due predominantly to the train passing by every few minutes at the 5th floor level.

With the proximity to the Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge, and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, most of Dumbo is noisy, and many existing buildings have been around before zoning required extra noise-abatement steps. If you don’t live in one of the two new high-rises, you still have options for a quiet night at home or at your business. Two companies that soundproof windows in the Dumbo area are Cityproof and Citiquiet. I’ve spoken to several residents of Dumbo who have hired both to install soundproofing windows. In most cases, window frames that match the existing windows are installed in the framing or behind the exterior window, leaving alternating layers of air and thick glass. Ordering custom windows typically take 6-10 weeks for delivery, but installation takes a few hours. (Photo of installed soundproofing window above). Based on personal experience and talking with residents of J Condo, Beacon Tower and residents who soundproofed other older apartments, the windows make a huge difference. Walking into one of these apartments make one forget that there are any cars or subways outside of these apartments. One side effect of soundproofing — you notice more of your interior noise such as a noisy refrigerator and central fan while exterior street noise is kept out.

Cityproof
(718) 786-1600, Christopher Ulrich
www.cityproof.com

Citiquiet
(212) 874-5362, Marc Cohen
www.citiquiet.com

{Louder Life, Thicker Windows, 02Dec2007, NYTimes}

New York Public Library has a nice collection of old photographs of New York streets. There are some Brooklyn photos from the Dumbo and Vinegar Hill areas in the 1800′s and early 1900s. The area was known as Fulton Landing where the ferry dropped off passengers from Manhattan. Once the Brooklyn Bridge was built in the 1883, followed by the Manhattan Bridge in the 1909, Fulton Landing became a commercial area and Brooklyn Heights the residential area. To put things into historical perspective, take a look at the before and after.

For the first in the series of “Dumbo Streetscapes Then and Now”, we are looking north on Washington Street with York Street in the foreground. In the old photo, circa 1926, you’ll notice that 70 Washington Street and 81 Washington Street (Thompson Water Meter) buildings are still around, but the dark brick building on the near right corner of York and Washington is gone, to make way for the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Notice the old overpass between the Gair buildings past Front Street, no longer there. Also the electric wires have now moved underground.

1926

August 26, 2006

{New York Public Library photo of Washington Street and York Street}