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February 21, 2004 17:41:21
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History of Greenpoint
The northernmost point in the borough, across from Manhattan, it was named for the greenery that covered the land. It lies on Newtown Creek and was originally a meadow-like area. This area was bought by the Dutch in 1638 and saw rapid development in the mid-1800s. Two ferry lines opened in the 1850s, providing access to Manhattan's East Side. In 1855, the area was incorporated into the City of Brooklyn, and served as a center of shipbuilding and trade. Street names like Java and India are reminiscent of the burgeoning spice and coffee trade. The Union warship, Monitor, was built and launched from Greenpoint in 1862 where it engaged in battle with the Confederate ship, Merrimac in what was the first contest of ironclad ships.
In the 1880s many immigrants worked in the factories and warehouses along Kent Avenue. Greenpoint houses the only licensed storage depot for radioactive materials, as well as the largest sewage treatment plant in the northeast. Today Greenpoint is a modest working class community.
Served by Community District 1
Zip Code: 11222
Claims to Fame:
St. Stanislaus Kostka Church (Driggs Ave) is over 100 years old.
The Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Transfiguration of our Lord (228 North 12 Street) built in 1920
The entire block length on Franklin Street, from Java to India Streets, represents what was once affordable and pleasant housing for the middle class. These homes were built in 1886 in the Queen Anne Style, but today are almost unrecognizable due to modifications to their structure.
Greenpoint Historic District, designated as such in 1982.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard was the nation's first Navy shipyard. Purchased by the Navy in 1801, it employed over 70,000 people during World War II. After the war, attentions at the Yard turned to production of aircraft carriers, where ongoing innovations and creations influenced carrier design.
The Commandant's house that stands in the Brooklyn Navy Yard is a classic example of Colonial architecture.
The rakish Mae West hailed from Greenpoint.
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