Bushwick Is The New Whateverburg

Photo via brunocerous's flickr

In the latest played out "___ is the New ___" headline, the Brooklyn Paper declares: Bushwick is the New Williamsburg, which of course means next year's headline will read: Ridgewood is the New Bushwick. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

The report comes on the heels of Curbed noting that Chelsea art gallery Luhring Augustine has bought a 10,200-square-foot Bushwick warehouse at 25 Knickerbocker Avenue—as they boiled it down, Bushwick is the Next Chelsea. At press time we have not yet completed this puzzle to determine whether or not this means Williamsburg is the old New Chelsea. But no matter, this all points to Bushwick being the Next Promised Land.

As for that Brooklyn Paper report, they base their declarations on the census figures released this week, which basically say that Bushwick "is becoming a haven for middle and lower-class whites. That population has grown more than 15 percent in the 10 years, and its income is declining rapidly—median incomes top out in the upper $30,000s." Translation: young creatives sans trustfunds who just want to focus on their canning are now primed to take over the 'hood. One ~~two year resident~~ pioneer told them, “This is a real affordable artist community, a lot like Williamsburg used to be. Williamsburg is too freaking expensive. Here, there’s space, and artists are everywhere. It’s just got that vibe now.”

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By Jen Carlson in News on December 22, 2010 4:51 PM

Comments [rss]

MissEyre

Nice try, Brooklyn Paper. I read similar headlines way back in '06 when I first moved to the city, that Bushwick was going to be the New Williamsburg. Two dozen noise complaints, three car break-ins, and one call to 911 about unsupervised children swinging from fire escapes later, I moved to Queens.

Joe Fliel

Bushwick, like the rest of the old Eastern District, was always a haven for middle and lower class whites, with a large number of wealthy residents. What it has turned into is the result of block busting and the insertion of too many public housing projects, beginning in the late 1930s. What goes around, comes around. The "artists", galleries and trust-fund babies can collectively go to hell. They are just as responsible for the destruction of neighborhoods as are slumlords and NYCHA.

nice job

you know, it's not like there's some collective artist conspiracy to "destroy" neighborhoods--they will always live where it's cheap. however, you know who does have a conspiracy? the landlords and realtors. that's right, they're still the ones to blame. stop assigning irrational blame to people who themselves are being exploited along with those who have been living there 25+ years.

glen_glenn

Agree with your realtors destroying the neighborhood with block busting statement.

Disagree with "artists" destroying it.

Anyway, my mother grew up in Bushwick and she was very amused to hear white people were living there again.