Tobacco Warehouse at Brooklyn Bridge Park

Tobacco Warehouse - Saint Ann's Warehouse

Tobacco Warehouse - Saint Ann's Warehouse

Interior of Saint Ann's Warehouse

Neighborhood: Dumbo
Address: 45 Water Street

The former tobacco warehouse, (ca. 1855) sitting in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, recently reopened as the theater space for Saint Ann’s Warehouse. The story of this building almost had a different ending. Although it was included in the Fulton Ferry Historic District in 1977, in 1999 the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation announced that the building would be demolished due to safety concerns after being damaged by a tropical storm.[1] I cannot find the reason for its survival but my guess is that the city, neighborhood or both protested its demolition. Like its proposed demolition, the building’s restoration was also uncertain. There were initially two competing theater groups interested in utilizing the space. After Saint Ann’s won the bid to occupy the old warehouse, neighborhood organizations sued to keep the building completely within the public domain. At one point it looked as though Saint Ann’s would not be moving in but eventually a comprise was struck and the building now houses the Theater.[2] A more detailed account of Saint Ann’s battle is well documented in Curbed’s archived blog posts if you’re interested (the related Curbed posts have since been removed). The theater is 25,000 square feet with a capacity for 300 to 700 people. In addition, the building hosts a multi-use artists' studio and an exterior courtyard (incomplete as of this post) that will be open to the public during park hours.[3]

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References:

1. Holt, Dennis "Old Tobacco Warehouse on B'klyn Waterfront, Relic of the 1850s, To Face Wrecker's Ball" Brooklyn Daily Eagle 23 September, 1999
2. "Tobacco Warehouse" Curbed
3. "Saint Ann's Warehouse at the Tobacco Warehouse" NYC The Official Guide

Red Hook's Waterfront Museum Barge

Waterfront Museum Barge

Waterfront Museum Barge

Red Hook has many unusual and obscure places that help define the neighborhood’s character and make it a fascinating place to explore. One such semi-obscure point of interest is the Waterfront Museum barge near Fairway.

Performance of Moby Dick Inside Barge

Red Hook’s Waterfront Museum is housed in a 101 year-old historic Leigh Valley railroad barge. The historic vessel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[1][2] The barge was originally used to ferry cargo like dates, nuts and olive oil through New York Harbor.[3] Before the barge was purchased by the museum’s president David Sharps in 1985, it had been run aground off New Jersey's Hudson River shoreline. After purchasing the vessel for a dollar, Sharps restored it for use as a cultural and educational space. Then, in 1986 he founded the Waterfront Museum.[1][4] The museum relocated to Red Hook ca. 1994.[5] The barge has hosted music performances, circus acts, art exhibits and theater productions among others.[1] In addition, the museum promotes the barge as a “floating classroom” to school groups for learning about geography, history, social studies and science.[4] On a recent Friday evening I went to see a theatrical adaptation of Moby Dick at the Waterfront Museum. The museum made excellent use of their space as a minimalist set and the actors did a great job bringing the story to life. David Sharps was once a performer himself. He began his career as a clown and juggler aboard Carnival Cruise Ships, so this sort of entertainment is familiar territory for him.[3]

Waterfront Museum Barge

If you are in the area during the museum’s limited hours on Thursday and Saturday I recommend checking it out. Or, you could check out one of the performances at the barge. If you find yourself in Red Hook with some free time, I also highly recommend a walk along the waterfront. There are several interesting places to explore. I have visited and blogged about the Grain Elevator, Fairway’s abandoned Trolley and now the Barge Museum, however, there is still a lot more to see.

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References:

1. Karp, Daria “Red Hook Performance Barge-Museum Receives More Than $50,000 in Grants” Brooklyn Daily Eagle 1 May, 2003
2. Curtis, Lisa J. “Save the Barge” The Brooklyn Papers 13, May 2002
3. Kennedy, Randy “A Return to Its Maritime Roots” New York Times 26 July, 2005
4. Museum History WaterfrontBargeMuseum.org
5. The Waterfront Museum and Showboat Barge NewYorkMag.com