For years we've been discussing the fate of the Brooklyn Navy Yard's beloved 19th-century houses that make up Admiral's Row. Our own Jake Dobkin even risked life and limb to get inside and document the houses in their beautiful decay, as the city talked of plans for leveling them. Despite protests to salvage the Row, it looks like its destiny is destruction, and this Monday nine of the eleven structures will be cleared, with two—the Timber Shed and Quarters B—being restored "for daily use," according to the NY Times. These have now been "transferred by the federal government to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, which manages the old 300-acre yard, now an industrial park of 275 businesses." more ›

Even though the National Guard and the city agreed to preserve the Timber Shed at the deteriorating Admiral's Row in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, it turns out the structure may not stand a chance (the recent winters haven't helped it out!). WNYC has an update today that states the National Guard Bureau engineers think it can't be repaired, and should be demolished instead. However, at least one architect believes it has enough structural integrity to be saved. He explains, "The 19th-century development is solid, plume, level and square. The 20th-century development is what is falling off." more ›

While the Brooklyn Navy Yard has been closed off to the public for many years, it's now being slowly opening up (and soon you'll be able to go grocery shopping there! Sigh). Today the Daily News looks at what they call the centerpiece of the area's transformation, a museum housing relics from the 210 year history of the facility (as we noted a few years ago, it will also house a community center). It's scheduled to open in November of this year, and BNY Development Corp. president Andrew Kimball told the paper that it "will be a way for the public for the first time since 1801 to penetrate our walls and learn about our history and what we're doing now. We've worked really hard to break down that separation with the community." more ›

Here's a look at what the Brooklyn Navy Yard looked like back in the day, and here's a look at what's become of the beautiful homes of Admiral's Row, which at one time housed high-ranking officers and their families. And now Brownstoner has obtained some renderings of what the area could look like in the future... when it's home to a supermarket. The site notes that these are for the proposed redevelopment of Admiral's Row by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corp., and still contain the Timber Shed (which is supposed to be saved, according to current plans). At least the Commandant's House isn't turning in to a strip mall... yet. more ›

We've passed by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Cocktail Lounge hundreds of times on our way to the office, and often thought, "Someday we'll go in there just to face what scares us." Well, we waited too long. As several blogs and the New York Times have noticed, the sleazy old bar/lapdance joint, which first opened in 1907, is no more. This is why you should never put off til tomorrow the drinking that can be done today. EV Grieve made it out there once, and the experience was totally wasted on him: "Every few minutes Delicious or Cinnamon or Diamond walks up and asks again if you'd like a dance. No thanks!" more ›

To help finance its $125 million project, the Brooklyn Navy Yard is hoping to lure investors with the tantalizing prospect of permanent residency. The EB-5 visa can be awarded to up to 10,000 foreigners who invest $500,000 to $1 million in American businesses and projects. Once the investors can document that their investments created at least 10 jobs, they are granted green cards. Robert Lieber, deputy mayor for economic development told the Wall Street Journal, "This is a real interesting and clever way to provide financing." more ›

The Brooklyn Navy Yard wall (which the NY Post confusingly refers to as Brooklyn's version of the Berlin Wall) is coming down... well, at least enough of it to make way for the new ShopRite! Sigh. more ›

Over the past few days, dolphins have been photographed swimming in the polluted Newtown Creek and the East River. The Fire Department provided Gothamist with additional images of the aquatic mammals captured by Bill Hannon of FDNY Marine Company 6. Despite some scary police scanner dispatches about an "animal rescue" involving a dolphin near the Brooklyn Navy Yard yesterday afternoon, the Post reports the dolphin—which was last seen in the waters off of Kent Street—appears to be doing just fine. Rob DiGiovanni, director of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, told the tabloid: "At this point right now, it seems the animal is free swimming and doesn't seem to be in need of assistance." more ›

[UPDATE]: Dolphins are everywhere! The day before a dolphin was photographed in the putrid Newtown Creek, a fireboat captain says he saw two dolphins swimming in the East River. Captain Bill Hannan told the Daily News he spotted the animals near the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Urban Assembly New York Harbor School educator Roy Arezzo and a colleague were "just amazed" when they saw a 7-foot dolphin in Newtown Creek. "We just stood there in awe—shouting, telling it to go back the other way. ... This is a once-in-a-lifetime sighting." more ›

The latest Scouting NY post, where he comes upon a privately owned mansion in Vinegar Hill that used to be part of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is simply drool-worthy and envy-inducing. The home has received press here and there throughout the years, but as the Scout points out, "the fact that I was unaware of it means there’s gotta be one or two readers out there who will be as taken aback by it as I was." more ›

You've had an interesting career, first as an architect with the Port Authority, and for the last ten years as an architectural photographer— you must have seen some pretty interesting places here in New York. What are some of your favorites? Actually, I started out as a recording engineer in the late 70’s - early 80’s. Back then the city was filled with recording studios, each with a distinctive sound and atmosphere. Little sound grottos everywhere. more ›

Yesterday, the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation opened up its doors to bicyclists for Open House New York bike and bus tours. Here are just some of one reader's photographs from yesterday's tour of the shipbuilding yard-turned-industrial park (Steiner Studios is located there). more ›

For two hours a week, there's a museum off the BQE that opens its doors and fights for the preservation of Admiral's Row in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The NY Times reports on Scott Witter's cause, which is displayed on a sign in his museum; it reads: “Don’t let Pirate Mike steal our heritage.” more ›

The Brooklyn Navy Yard is getting a green makeover, to the tune of $15 million in state funds; no word on the supermarket, but part of the plan is to install what will be the state's largest solar panel there. more ›

Brooklyn Navy Yard's doomed Admiral's Row just suffered another devastating blow—but this time it was delivered by the hands of Mother Nature, not Mayor Bloomberg. Yesterday's rain storm helped in further destroying one of the former residences (known as Building C) along Flushing Avenue, which collapsed (at least partially) from water damage. Of course, the building would have been torn down at the hands of man anyway, to make way for the almighty supermarket. Curbed has some photos from the scene. more ›

The Municipal Art Society attended a meeting today at which the negotiations between the National Guard, the owner of the property, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation (BNYDC) discussed the future of the buildings at Admiral's Row. The meeting was part of the federally-mandated Section 106 process that requires federal agencies to study the impact of their actions on important historic buildings. Sadly, it seems their minds were made up, the Brooklyn Paper reports that they will save two of the historic buildings in the Brooklyn Navy Yard and destroy the others, making way for a supermarket. more ›

The latest adventure of Brooklynite Jake Bronstein raises an interesting question. To start off, he was loaned a vehicle by a car company that he custom picked the design for (it includes pink dots, a detail that is important later on in the story). Put aside any problems you may have with the corporate shilling for a moment: the car is missing! Or is it? He explains:

The police said they didn’t tow it; their automated number said they didn’t tow it; hell, even my frequent and frantic calls to all of the city’s tow-lots all turned up the same response… “the NYPD does not have this car.” I found a meter-man who said that on occasion cars get towed. And sometimes, just sometimes, they wind up in the system with the wrong plate number. When that happens, you’re pretty much screwed because the city will say they don’t have the car… and because they won’t let you walk around the lots they tow them to, that’ll pretty much be the end of it. Forever.

The Brooklyn Navy Yard contains more than the old, crumbling Admiral's Row homes that are often romanticized in photos (and likely to vanish in the near future). Recently one photographer documented Dry Dock 1, the 3rd oldest dry dock in the country, completed in 1851 and costing $2 million at the time. Last year architect Brendan Coburn noted that it was "Fashioned entirely from massive, hand-cut and hand-sanded blocks of granite excavated from a quarries in Maine, Connecticut, Staten Island and upstate New York, its size, form, and general aesthetic bring to mind a Roman ruin." more ›

Mayor Bloomberg and other city officials opened up the nation's first multi-story green industrial facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard yesterday. The Perry Avenue Building, which underwent a $25 million renovation, features the city's first wind turbines mounted on a roof; remember when Bloomberg broached the idea of harnessing wind power last year? more ›

Long have the houses on Admiral's Row in the Brooklyn Navy Yard been crumbling, and long have the preservationists fought developers who would like to tear them down and put in their place a supermarket. Crain's is now reporting that "a compromise deal between the National Guard and the Brooklyn Navy Yard's operator is set to raze all but one of the crumbling historic homes." Word comes from unnamed sources at this point, who say the plan will be revealed in late April and will salvage the structure known as the Timber Shed (which is allegedly "the oldest surviving wooden timber shed in the United States"). The supermarket will bring jobs and fresh produce to the surrounding Brooklyn neighborhoods, the developers have argued, but the preservationists have noted that all ten houses could be saved even if a supermarket moved in. Just no one tell Wal-Mart about the soon to be vacant lot. more ›

There's some amazing photographic documentation of the current state of the Brooklyn Navy Yard's Hospital Complex (known also as the Annex) over at the Kingston Lounge. more ›

This past weekend our very own Jake Dobkin infiltrated the Brooklyn Navy Yard once again, this time hitting up Admiral's Row. According to Officer’s Row, the authority on the area, the "small section of the Brooklyn Navy Yard was home to high-ranking officers and their families. The ten houses (six buildings) were built between 1864 and 1901. Surrounded by a high brick wall and iron gates, Officer's Row was a small piece of beauty amidst a bustling industrial neighborhood. It housed tennis courts, a stable-turned ice skating rink, and parade grounds. Several varieties of fruit trees and a communal vegetable garden could be found dotting the landscape." (Here are some exterior shots.) more ›

Once again, Thirteen has infiltrated a rarely seen part of New York: the Brooklyn Navy Yard (which opened up to the public briefly last year), and captured it on film. more ›

Yesterday we got a rare opportunity to take a look inside the Brooklyn Navy Yard, during the annual Brooklyn Navy Yard Arts Open Studios day. Dozens of artists opened their workspaces to the public, and in between visits, we got to snap some pictures of the southern three-quarters of the yard. With over 300 acres, many streets, and a huge number of buildings of all shapes and sizes, it's hard to get a handle on the vast size of the place-- but these pictures should start to give you an idea. If you want to check the Yard out for yourself, the Brooklyn Historic Society is set to begin their tour program in November. more ›

Could the city soon see the 300-acre Brooklyn Navy Yard up close? The NY Post points out that the former military base may soon become a tourist destination, as they are offering up bus tours starting tomorrow (tomorrow is free, coinciding with OHNY, then it'll cost $30 a head). There will also be 35 artists' studios opened at the Navy Yard tomorrow (details). Last year there was some controversy surrounding the OHNY tour, so hopefully they've worked out the kinks. more ›

The Municipal Arts Society presented some alternative ideas to the U.S. Army National Guard Bureau about the fate of Admiral's Row. The MAS hopes to show it's possible to "retain the historic buildings on the Admiral’s Row site while also allowing for the construction of a much-needed supermarket and new retail and industrial space." While six plans were presented, here's a look at how stark the visions are, by looking at renderings (created by the MAS) to see the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corpration's plan just seems like a parking lot, vs. a greener idea from MAS:

The renderings illustrate the stark differences between the concept behind one of the MAS alternatives and the BNYDC’s proposal. In the MAS alternative, the historic houses along Flushing Street are retained and are used on their ground floor as retail to encourage pedestrians to walk between the houses into a central green space. By contrast, the same viewpoint in the BNYDC’s plan simply shows the suburban-sized supermarket and acres of asphalt and concrete.