Manhattan is one of the world’s epicenters of cool. Not just hip beautiful people but incredibly talented shakers and movers are stuffed into every corner of this dense menagerie. And finding a place to hang your hat or make your art is part and parcel of the New York Hustle.
In the mid 80’s soaring rents forced those looking for alternative live and workspace to the historically formidable outpost of Williamsburg Brooklyn. A tough neighborhood dominated by Jews, Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and working class eastern Europeans.
All through the 90’s, Williamsburg and in turn neighboring Greenpoint morphed into the new bohemian outpost for artists. The familiar ambience chasers opened bars, boutiques and venues and before you know it Williamsburg had become a destination.
But the post 9-11 boom period would usher in changes for both Williamsburg and Greenpoint unimagined by the old-timers. In 2007, buildings are shooting up with a reckless tenacity rivaled only by Shanghai. To say that the Williamsburg Greenpoint corridor is a residential boomtown is an understatement.
But what VBS didn’t realize was that under all of this development, this rush for space and cool places, was an environment heavily damaged by 200 years of industrial excesses. And not only our office mates, but an ever younger and expanding population was tripping along blissfully unaware of the residual toxicity of a place becoming increasingly known solely for sleek modern condos, booming art galleries, great bars and restaurants.
Join VBS’ Derrick Beckles as he tours the high and low points of Brooklyn’s boom: Williamsburg’s Radiac, the faded glory of Newtown Creek, brownfields and superfund sites, shady developers building on unhealthy ground at every turn plus the surreal majesty of Greenpoint’s sewage treatment and garbage transfer stations plus the largest environmental disaster in the history of New York City, the Greenpoint Oil Spill.
Toxic Brooklyn: The Story of the Williamsburg Greenpoint Corridor is the story of people coping with Industrial Era leftovers. A tale filled with villains, suspicious maestros and buckets and buckets of toxic goop. Produced and Directed by Trace Crutchfield
Click here to see Toxic Brooklyn - Part 1 of 7
Click here to see Toxic Brooklyn - Part 2 of 7
Click here to see Toxic Brooklyn - Part 3 of 7
Click here to see Toxic Brooklyn - Part 4 of 7
Click here to see Toxic Brooklyn - Part 5 of 7
Click here to see Toxic Brooklyn - Part 6 of 7
Click here to see Toxic Brooklyn - Conclusion