The Brooklyn Navy Yard, in New York on the East River in Wallabout Basin, has always seemed to me to be equal parts working industrial park, living museum, and ghost town. The land was purchased by the Federal government in 1801 and it became an active U.S. Navy shipyard by 1806.
An effort is being made not to lose the history of the shipyard. A new exhibition and visitors center is now under construction in the old Building 92 and is slated to open in late 2011. The 1857 Marine Commandant’s House is also under restoration and will feature a six-gallery exhibit.
Over 100 ships were built at the yard. At its peak, during World War II, the yard employed 70,000 people. The yard was sold to the City of New York in 1966 and space is currently leased to over 200 companies employing around 5,000 people. The tenants include dry-docking and ship terminal services.
If anyone is interested in learning about a part of the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s history [which looks like it is going to be brushed aside in Bldg. 92]
please visit the web site
http://www.BrooklynSteel-BloodTenacity.com You will find
great pictures and the story of Seatrain Shipbuilding and the shipbuilders of Brooklyn who built from 1968-1978 the largest ships ever to be built in the once great yard. The reader can also
receive a good understanding why shipbuilding ended inside the Yard.
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