Dumbo NYC

A tipster sent us an email about the entrance to the 202 Plymouth Street building, which is located within the Dumbo Historic District and features rail tracks entering the building.

Walked down Plymouth St btwn Jay & Bridge the other day to find a massive hole in the ground in front of Gutman/GUMA garage/loading dock @ 202 Plymouth St. The sidewalk there has always been horrible, but their big dumpster trucks finally destroyed the street. They filled it in with sand making quite a mess and then tore up the sidewalk & cobble stones w/ a backhoe and have now poured concrete into it.

See pictures. Unfortunately I didn’t get a pic of the hole, but it was at least a foot wide and a foot or two deep.

I called 311 and they looked up if there was any approved work w/ DOT on the cobble stones or the street and they found none so i entered a complaint. I know the 311 complaint will do nothing, but this was done in complete disregard for the Landmarks designation we are in. Any possible ramifications or will Gutman keep doing as he wishes?

Also now that we are designated a residential neighborhood are there not laws that restrict loud trucks late night, because GUMA runs their dumpsters at all hours of the night…

We walked over early today on our way to work and while it’s not clear in the photos, cement was poured over the area on and around the tracks. We also called 311 to find out more, but did not get details. Nothing on the Dept of Buildings property records for 202 Plymouth indicate work being done there (DOB BIS listing link).

According to the Landmark Designation report, the building was built in 1903 and was a one story brick foundry for the E. W. Bliss Company with gable end facing street and peaked roof (they manufactured machines, tools, presses, dies, and sheet metal), later sold to the Brillo Company (which invented “Brillo” by combining steel wool and a reddish soap to clean metal utensils in what we now know as Dumbo). Bliss invented a machine for stamping out sheet-metal cans which were initially used for kerosene and paint.

If anyone has more info, please let us know or comment below.

The Dumbo Improvement District (BID) has emailed a thorough update on the street reconstruction project on Water Street from Adams Street to Old Fulton Street and Washington Street from York Street to Plymouth Street. We took the above photos to document the process.

While the street work is being done, the Belgian blocks are being taken away and being stored in a secure location until they are reinstalled in the roadbed. The BID has been very involved with monitoring and ensuring the work is being done according to plans.

After the jump, read the New York City Department of Design and Construction (NYCDDC) and Dumbo Improvement District’s report on the work in progress, work completed, and what’s coming ahead in 2010. The project commenced in the Summer of 2009 and is scheduled to be completed in the Summer of 2011.

Information about the project can be found on the NYC.gov DDC site: (PDF download)

{Belgian Block Reconstruction to Begin, 04May2009}
Read the rest of this entry »

What: Art Show Opening @ Zakka: FUTR WRLD – Book release party
When: Friday, July 3, 2009, 6-8pm
Where: Zakka NYC, 155 Plymouth Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Live performance by Shinya Sugimoto (Electric Sound Music) starts at 7:00pm. More info at anti-motion.com and www.monkhaus.com.

Zakka Corp.
155 Plymouth Street, Dumbo Brooklyn
www.zakkacorp.com

Also see reviews of Zakka on Yelp.

We walked by these double doors on the 135 Plymouth Street building. The NYC Buildings records for 135 Plymouth Street (NYC DOB) show that an application for exterior renovation was filed in late April 2009, but there is no mention of ‘change of use, egress, or occupancy.’ Does anyone know what this will be? New double door entrance to the building? A new neighborhood pub? Movie prop?

[UPDATE: Our friends at i'm not sayin, i'm just sayin point out that this is a movie prop for "The Resident". Their photo below shows the details of the finished doorway.]

Previously:
{Red Door to Nowhere @ 135 Plymouth}
{Dumbo Then and Now: Plymouth Street West of Pearl Street}

Alternate-side parking regulations are suspended today in NYC due to the snowstorm. The City Council passed a bill to make the practice law yesterday, just in time for the storm today. Also, there have been a few parking changes in the past day or two in Dumbo and Vinegar Hill. In addition to some of the changes made on Front Street in late November, the following streets have updated parking regulations:

• Plymouth between Jay and Bridge used to be No Parking M-F 8am-6pm and now is No Parking Friday 8-6pm (on the South side of the street).
• Plymouth between Bridge and Gold used to have No Parking signs (unlimited parking) and now is No Parking Friday 8am-6pm (on the South side of the street).
• Jay Street between Front and York Street used to have No Parking M-F 8am-6pm and has become a No Standing Anytime block on the West (or J Condo) side.

There may be other changes being made by the Department of Transportation based on the Community Board 2 vote in October. If there are others, please let us know.

(Plymouth Street between Jay and Bridge Streets)

Zakka NYC is a design and art bookstore based in Dumbo. They not only stock unique art, photography, design, and architecture books, but also graphic t-shirts, Japanese magazines, and collectibles. The store is an otaku’s dream. We covered the opening of their Dumbo location in October 2007. They also host shows for underground art culture, artists, and music. This Saturday, December 13, 2008, there’s a book signing for Ryan McGinness, author of “No Sin / No Future”.

“The book is a collaged collection of snapshots, sketched, and scans, culled from the artist’s studio archives. Sketchbook notes collide with photos of painting-in-progress and combine with vectors and bitmaps creating a dense site-specific visual mash-up that provides insight into the mind and process of the artist.” Check out the show from 6-9pm.

What: Ryan McGinness Book Signing Show
When: Saturday, December 13, 2008, 6-9pm
Where: Zakka, 155 Plymouth Street, Dumbo Brooklyn

Previously: {Zakka Opens on Plymouth St. in Dumbo, 02Oct2007}

The “YOU GO GiRL“s have been showing up lately. This went up in Aug on Plymouth Street:

From Daily Candy:

“DUMBO, where an industrial shop becomes 2,000 square feet of office, bookstore, and event space. Socially/politically/religiously hefty titles are cranked out in the back; high-designy finished products are stacked on wooden tables and spinning bookshelves that hide spines during parties. (Indie event producers are encouraged to inquire.)

Already in the works: ten-minute lunchtime talks and unconventional author readings. For tomorrow’s opening, linguist Elizabeth Little explores dead words, made-up words, and words lost in translation.

Can they keep the neighborhood all aboard?

We think they can.”

Store opens Saturday at noon. Opening party, Saturday, 6 p.m.
Melville House, 145 Plymouth Street, at Pearl Street, Dumbo
(718-722-9204 or mhpbooks.com)

{Book Publisher Melville House Plans Move To 145 Plymouth Street, 28Dec2007}

 (135 Plymouth Street building; rear of building on corner of John and Adams Street) Is this part of an old patio?

According to a Publisher’s Weekly article, independent book publisher Melville House is moving to 145 Plymouth Street in Dumbo Brooklyn where it will house not only the publisher’s offices, but a bookstore and event space. They join the other independent publisher with retail space, PowerHouse Books in Dumbo. According to the article, “Melville plans to host readings, panel discussions, and book events for their own authors and other indie presses. To begin with, the bookstore will only sell Melville titles, but Johnson said they may stock other publishers’ books in conjunction with events in the future.” Dennis Loy Johnson runs the press with his wife Valerie Merians.

Two Trees confirmed that they have signed a lease for the 1,983 square ft space in the space on the corner of Pearl and Plymouth Street also known as the 20 Jay Street building. This is the last of the retail spaces in 20 Jay, which includes GalleryQB, Zakka, Cheeky Dog, Neighborhoodies, and Aswoon/Susan Woods.

{Melville House Moves to Brooklyn, Publisher’s Weekly}