Domini sugar fire1/19/2024 The Bin Structure (#12), at the northwest corner of the block, is a 130’ or so tall concrete and glass structure constructed in 1962. The Adant House (#4 on the site plan), at the corner of Kent Avenue and South 5th Street, is a four-story brick building constructed in 1884. The south block (tax block 2427, lot 1), from South 5th Street to South 3rd Street, contains three structures. The existing site is shown on the site plan, below. In addition to the properties described herein, the Domino Refinery historically included additional parcels of land on the east side of Kent Avenue these sites are not included in this survey. The American Sugar refinery site is bounded by South 5th Street to the south, Grand Street to the north, the East River to the west and Kent Avenue (formerly First Street) to the east. It is also a nationally significant site for its place in the Havemeyer family sugar trust, which by the end of the 19th century, controlled over 90% of the sugar production in the United States. The refinery is nationally significant for its industrial advances, and for the sheer scale of its operations. The Havemeyer family also developed the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal (BEDT), one of the largest pocket railroad depots in the country, which served most of the north Brooklyn waterfront, as far inland as Wythe Avenue. Their interests in the American Sugar Refining Company led to the development of the Austin, Nichols & Company Warehouse (Cass Gilbert, 1913), the largest grocery wholesaler of its time, and one of the earliest expressive uses of reinforced concrete. By the early 20th century, the Havemeyer’s controlled most of the Eastern District waterfront, from the Williamsburg Bridge to the Bushwick Inlet. The Havemeyer family’s presence in Brooklyn began on one block at this site in the 1850s. The factory was a major source of employment for residents of the Eastern District (north Brooklyn). The Domino Refinery was one of the most prominent and significant industrial operations on the Brooklyn waterfront in the 19th and 20th century. The precursor to the Domino Refinery was founded by the Havemeyer family and the refinery operated under a variety of corporate names, most significantly Havemeyers & Elder and the American Sugar Refining Co. 1930), and the concrete and glass Bin Structure (1960), with its neon “Domino Sugars” sign. These include the Rundbogenstil processing house and Adant house (both constructed in 1884) the industrial moderne raw sugar warehouse (ca. The existing complex includes architecturally and historically significant structures from the 19th and 20th centuries. The refinery continued to be a major processor of sugar into the 21st century. The existing complex includes two buildings from the refinery’s earliest period of construction, 1884, as well as a number of other significant structures from the 1920s-1930s and 1950s-1960s.Īt the time of its construction in 1884, the complex was the largest sugar refinery in the world. The complex consists of seven larger buildings and many other smaller structures, occupying a six-block site on the Williamsburg waterfront immediately north of the Williamsburg Bridge. The Domino Sugar Refinery is one of the most prominent industrial sites on the East River waterfront. Introduction and Statement of Significance has an extensive collection of articles, photos and other information surrounding the rezoning and landmark designation battles that took place between 20.] Prior to demolition, documentation of all of the buildings and systems was carried and recorded as part of the HAER documentation, was completed in 2014, and is now on file at the Library of Congress. Since then the Domino site has been rezoned and, with the exception of the main refinery structure, all of the former sugar factory buildings have been demolished (although this article maintains the present tense description from the original article). The LPC designation report includes references to the original WGPA post. Subsequent to the original WGPA post, the central refinery building of the Domino site was designated as a New York City landmark. Additional information on the history of the site and history and legacy of Havemeyer family is based on subsequent research over the past 12 years. The full report (which includes great photography by Rob Tucher) and additional images of the building over time are included in the building data entry here at Novelty Theater. This adaptation includes significant updates on the sugar refining process based on information from an Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) report, American Sugar Refining Company, Brooklyn Refinery (HAER #NY-548) to which I contributed. [Editor's Note: This article is adapted from a May, 2006 article that I wrote for the Williamsburg-Greenpoint Preservation Alliance website.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |