The Geography and Map Division of the U.S. Library of Congress holds more than 4.5 million items. A small fraction of them are available digitally online, including maps of Brooklyn. Below are details of a map from 1872. Manhattan Bridge and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway hadn’t been developed yet, so there is no Pearl Street Triangle or Cadman Plaza. In the detail of what is now known as Dumbo, there used to be a “Talman Street” (?) parellel to York and Prospect Streets, now Bridge Park 1. Other streets that no longer exist are Charles Street and Green Lane, now part of the Farragut Housing Project.

 [+larger] Map courtesy of Library of Congress, 1872

 [+larger] Map courtesy of Library of Congress, 1872 (detail)

{Brooklyn (New York) [1872?] Map, M. Dripps}

This Honda minivan isn’t as nice as the Audi’s previously shown on DumboNYC, but spotted another auto shoot on the Fulton Ferry Landing in today’s Autoblog.

Previously: {Img: Audi Photos on Fulton Ferry Landing, 13Apr2007, DumboNYC}

The approx. 2300 sq.ft. commercial space at the The Fulton Ferry condos is leased to Ignazio’s and is “arriving this fall”. Anyone have any info on what it is?

Previously: {Fulton Ferry Condominiums Progress Report 12/7/06, 07Dec2006, DumboNYC}

 (Photo from NY Times)

 (Photo from NY Times)

The NY Times updates us on Old Fulton Street:

THE Brooklyn block leading down to the Fulton Ferry Landing, a neglected little row of brick structures at 1-25 Old Fulton Street, has looked like a ghost town for years, even while a boom has swept through Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo on either side.

Now change is around the corner, as the new 85-acre Brooklyn Bridge Park moves ahead, its L shape wrapping around the waterfront from Atlantic Avenue to Jay Street, with Old Fulton Street as its apex.

This neglected row will become the gateway to one of New York’s most spectacular parks, but there is a trade-off: the plan also calls for the demolition of the art moderne Department of Purchase building, at the foot of the street.

DumboNYC previously featured 11, 13, and 15 Old Fulton Street buildings (which are still on the market). The article says “The building at No. 5 Old Fulton was a tobacco warehouse for a time, and at No. 11, Robert R. Story made saddles, harnesses and engine hoses…At No. 15, Valentine, Bergen & Company operated a wholesale grocery, which sold a fruit vinegar with a maiden on the label declaring, “I am soulfully intense.”..By 1898, No. 11 Old Fulton Street was a lodging house.”

Over the last five years Dumbo has become as expensive as Brooklyn Heights. But right next door, Old Fulton Street is still just that — old.

Most of the storefronts are empty, although pizza lovers sometimes stack up outside Grimaldi’s (formerly Patsy’s) at No. 19. The ferry dock can be crowded when New York Waterways starts ferry service — this year, that happened in late April — but generally the brick row has an old-time, melancholy air.

According to the article the Purchase building demolition will begin in the fall and the site will become open parkland. The building had been used by the city’s Office of Emergency Management and currently by the chief medical examiner.

{From Ghost Town to Park Gateway, 20May2007, NY Times}
{Three Vacant Buildings on Old Fulton Street, 18Jan2007, DumboNYC}

Not really directly related to Dumbo, but I spotted a couple of Audi’s promotional photos taken on the Fulton Ferry Landing. They must’ve done this early morning to avoid all the pedestrians and tourists in that area.

 (Click for larger)

 (Click for larger)

 (Click for larger)

{Audi A5 to get S line treatment, Autoblog.com}

The Fulton Ferry condos, located almost directly under the Brooklyn Bridge, at the corner of Water Street and Old Fulton Street in Dumbo, looks to be close to being completed. Some would consider the location to be on the border of Brooklyn Heights and Dumbo, but there’s no argument about the fantastic views overlooking Manhattan. Not to be confused with Fulton’s Landing of Jersey City, NJ, the building is literally 50 steps to the Fulton Ferry Landing and the riverfront directly across from The River Cafe and the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.

There are only 13 units in the building, and the style looks consistent with the neighborhood’s character (despite the building’s trapezoidal shape). The ground floor has 2282 square feet of commercial space and a parking space for each of the units. Maintenance/cc and taxes aren’t listed, but the average price per square feet is $746.26 and average price is $1,167,162. Not bad at all for the space and location, but looks like all units are under contract except for unit 3A, listed by Brooklyn Bridge Realty. Are there any buyers out there who knows the move-in date or what the commercial space will bring to the area?

Click on photos for larger version:

Fulton Ferry Condo (fultonlanding.com)
4 Water Street, Brooklyn, NY

Gowanus Lounge reports the starting of a New York Water Taxi service leaving Fulton Ferry Landing between Dumbo and Wall Street (Pier 11) and Midtown (East 34th Street) starting on November 27, 2006.

{ New York Water Taxi Starting Dumbo Commuter Service, Gowanus Lounge}
{nywatertaxi.com}