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 ›

It's unclear what the fate of 19th century rowhouses near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, originally built for high-ranking officers of the U.S. Navy, will be, as some are looking to demolish the historic but dilapidated homes while others are hoping they can be saved and preserved. Photographer Nathan Kensinger headed in for a rare look inside the homes and wrote:

This strip of six buildings was abandoned by the Navy in the 1970's and left to decay. Today, the interiors of several buildings are in a state of irreparable collapse. Fires and rain have destroyed roofs and floors while squatters have left mountains of debris. Vines and trees have moved indoors. Windows and walls have exploded inwards. Entire floors are missing.

However, some of the buildings are in remarkably good condition. Their staircases, light fixtures, plasterwork, shelves, mantlepieces and wood floors are only in need of polish and paint. The beauty of these architectural details, when compared to the complete devastation in other buildings, is a stunning indictment of the Navy's neglect.

A piece in The New York Times today shows that that the residents of 475 Kent are not prepared to go quietly after their recent eviction due to fire safety violations. Even the landlord of the owner of the nearly block-long building near the Navy Yard in Brooklyn wants his tenants back in and is cooperating with them to that end. more ›

The series of residential structures lining Flushing Ave. in Brooklyn are historic treasures, but they are a little the worse for wear and some legislators can't wait to tear them down. Officers' Row, or Admirals' Row, is a feature at the Brooklyn Navy Yard that has admittedly fallen into sad disrepair, but nonetheless has a rich history linking New York harbor to the naval industry that was a cornerstone of building the United States as an international power. more ›

Brooklyn writers are banding together to be the latest voice against Bruce Ratner's vision for Atlantic Yards. A number of local wordsmiths have contributed to Brooklyn Was Mine, an anthology consisting of short essays and stories put together by two Vogue editor to benefit Develop Don't Destroy Brooklyn (a non-profit that fights development while uniting the community). From the press release:

"Brooklyn has given birth to some of America's greatest literary voices," note the anthology's co-editors, Chris Knutsen and Valerie Steiker. "Today, a new generation of authors has grown up or resettled here, a testament to Brooklyn's unique quality of life. These writers simply want to protect a community that has provided them with so much. Fortunately, the passion they feel for the place has yielded a vibrant collection of essays—and we are delighted that, with each book sold, something will be given back to Brooklyn."

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a stabbing on 20th Ave. and the Whitestone Expressway in Queens, a slashing on Van Siclen Ave. and Linden Blvd. in Brooklyn, and three people were shot (one homicide) on Hoe Ave. in the Bronx.
• Just when you thought crime in Newark could not possibly get worse, a witness in a major drug trial was murdered before he could testify. Cops believe that his killing was facilitated by a defense lawyer, who is a former Newark prosecutor.
• The neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn is getting 72 new bike racks for cyclists.
• Marble Hill residents fought to keep their neighborhood part of Manhattan as it was being geographically separated from the island and made contiguous with the Bronx. Now a Marble Hill woman is fighting to get her Housing Court lawsuit heard in a Bronx court, which tends to be a much friendlier venue for tenant claims.
• Preservationists are grasping at straws to prevent the imminent destruction of the Brooklyn Navy Yard's Admirals Row. The federal government will have a small say in the matter.
• An apartment on 79th St. and Amsterdam Ave. on Manhattan's Upper West Side was robbed today, when two men posing as delivery workers forced their way into an apartment.
• The Week in Pictures from the Times blog City Room. That will be the last you'll hear from them until the 26th, as Gothamist staffers soldier on.
• The Mexican government was required to open a mini-consulate at JFK to deal with its citizens attempting to fly home for the holidays without proper documentation.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Austin Rd. in Queens, another bank robbery on Church Ave. in Brooklyn, and a police car vs. scaffolding in Manhattan; the scaffolding has been compromised.
• A Queens high school was locked down this afternoon for two hours after a student's 'To Do' list was found listing seven students "To kill today."
• The projected cost of restoring the separate homes that constitute Admiral's Row at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
• Alcides Moreno, who fell more than 40 stories in an accident that killed his brother, has been yawning and moving his arms and legs.
• The owner of Central Park Carriage and Horse Stables and the managers of Wicker Park Cafe and Bistro and Penang on Columbus Circle were arrested for attempting to bribe a Consumer Affairs inspector, hoping he'd overlook multiple violations.
• A $10,000 security system is being installed at the Wollman Rink in Prospect Park after thieves broke into the skating facility's concession stand last week.
• The ad sales execs at NBC are getting tricky by placing AmEx bumper spots featuring cast members of Tina Fey's "30 Rock" that segue directly from the show.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a severed limb on 55th St. in Brooklyn, a person fatally struck by a train near the East Tremont Station on the 2 line in the Bronx, and an armed robbery on Bradhurst and 147th St. in Manhattan.
• A mother brought her 15-year-old son to the hospital when she discovered him assembling what appeared to be a bomb in their home. The ER at Hoboken University Medical Center was evacuated when it was discovered she'd brought the device with her as well.
• One of Mayor Bloomberg's cars was stolen for the second time in 14 months. The 2001 Lexus, which is used by his ex-wife, was stolen out of a parking garage on East 58th and found in Inwood with a pair of parking tickets and without several bags of presents.
• The man who turned Zabar's into a food retailing phenomena, Murray Klein, died yesterday at the age of 84.
• An interesting preservationist drove his clunker BMW around Brooklyn and into Manhattan this week to publicize a meeting that concerns the possible destruction of Admiral's Row--a series of 150-year-old decrepit homes at the Navy Yard. The giant sign atop his beater Beamer reads "Mayor Moo Moo, you maroon!"
• A construction worker in the Bronx was killed today when a backhoe knocked him into a hole 10 feet deep.
• Racked estimates there were approximately 1,500 people waiting on line in the snow to get into the new Meatpacking Apple store. If you don't like lines, check out our post from yesterday that features many pictures.
• Today is the 66th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Gotham Awards gala run by the Independent Feature Project (IFP) will be held in Brooklyn for the first time tonight, after 17 years spent bouncing around between Roseland, Hammerstein Ballroom and Chelsea Piers. This year the independent film awards will take place on the soundstage of Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Among the thousand-plus guests expected to attend are Javier Bardem, Sean Penn, Laura Linney, Uma Thurman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Brooklyn’s... more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: Airmail in Brooklyn, truck vs train overpass in 31st St & 20th Ave in Queens, an amputation at Grant St & St Pauls Ave in Staten Island and a bomb scare at Broadway and Mercer (NYU) in Manhattan.
• A former deputy mayor under Rudy Giuliani is now an "ambassador" for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. But it's not that shocking, since Fran Reiter had lead the Liberal Party before joining the Giuliani administration...or is it?
• Who decides how subway posters are hung, because this is another example of great subway-poster-juxtaposition?
• A piece of the Willamette Meteorite, which is at the American Museum of Natural History, is being auctioned off. And, no, the museum is not selling it - the private meteorite collection who they traded the 28-pound piece (getting a piece of Mars in return) is behind the sale.
• One man has been arrested in the Labor Day weekend bias attack of Top Chef Season 2 contestant Josie Smith-Malave. The attack was outside a Sea Cliff, Long Island bar; Smith-Malave said that about 12 people punched and kicked her and two of her friends and that the bar's employees, who went outside to watch the attack, didn't do anything.
• The NYPD's new headquarters for the towing division are in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
• Staten Island DA Daniel Donovan is warning residents about the fake IRS "Customer Satisfaction Survey" scam because taxpayers aren't really customers anyway.
• Speaking of taxes, John Gotti Jr. may head to prison because he hasn't paid $220,00 in back taxes.
• The Eldridge Street Synagogue's rose window returns in time for Rosh Hashanah.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a shooting at Stanton and Rivington Sts. in Manhattan, a homicide on Light St. in the Bronx, and a robbery at Sutter Ave. and Powell St. in Brooklyn.
• The 72nd St. exit ramp off the West Side Highway is officially closed.
• Times Square foot and vehicular traffic is held up as an example of why the city needs congestion pricing.
• Miss New Jersey, Amy Polumbo, received another package of possibly scandalous photos, along with a threatening letter.
• Brooklyn's very own dream factory: Steiner Studios. Business Week magazine looks at the film and television studio at the Navy Yard on Wallabout Bay.
• After the loss of an intimidating but diplomatic presence on 125th St. to a heart attack, a street community finds itself off balance.
• A 27-year-old man somehow fell six stories to his death yesterday afternoon on East 85th at the corner of 2nd Ave. in Manhattan.
• Bike sharing in NYC is undergoing a five day trial out of a SoHo storefront.

This past weekend was notable for a number of shootings that left many injured and at least three dead. more ›

• On the Gothamist Newsmap: A suspicious package shut down Penn Station this morning (it was ID'd and taken care of), a two-alarm fire in Park Slope, and a missing child at the Guggenheim Museum
• That psychedelic piece of the Brooklyn skyline, the Broken Angel, will have to come down because it's "dangerous", but it may be re-built
• Interesting NY Sun article about what might happen to State Senator Malcolm Smith (D, Queens), currently the minority leader, if power shifts to the Democrats
• A 12-year-old girl walking to school was hit by a driver in Queens; her leg may need to be amputated
• Fake cop alert: A 19-year-old was arrested after he used his car's lights and sirens, plus a fake badge, to pull over a retired detective who cut him off on the Upper East Side; bonus: the kid is the son of a NY Times reporter, according to the Post
• Racked braves the crowds for Kate Moss' Topshop clothing collection at Barneys Co-op
• The city installs a sign for "Foley Square" that says "Folley Square"
• The Brooklyn Navy Yard is buzzing with tenants more ›

The Brig was built in the early 1940s and served as a naval prison. After the closing of the Brooklyn Navy Yard in 1966, the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service used the Brig as a detention center until 1984 when, faced with severe overcrowding in its prisons, New York City sought ownership of the prison. The Brig served as a minimum security prison until it was closed in December, 1994. The last occupants of the Brig were volunteer workers involved in the post-September 11th cleanup effort.

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development announced that a partnership between the Dunn Development Corporation and L&M Equity Participants Ltd., two development companies specializing in low-priced housing, would redevelop the 103,000-square-foot site between Flushing and Park Avenues with 434 housing units.

It's birdseed throwing or bubble blowing time with this weekend's NY Times wedding announcements. more ›

Why are we showing this photograph of 67-year-old Smail Tulja being led away from police officers in Montenegro? Because Tulja is suspected of being a serial killer, one of his victims a Bronx woman who was mutilated 17 years ago. Parts of Beal's body were found near the Brooklyn Navy Yard in September 1990, and over the course of two decade investigation, authorities in New York and abroad found Tulja could be involved with as many as eight murders. more ›

Mitzi, by Raymond. Tag yours "gothamist" on Flickr if you want us to use them. more ›

Yesterday morning, a worker died after falling inside a tanker at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The FDNY says that Arturo Medina lost his footing when climbing down a 50 foot ladder on the ship's hull. The only way into the hull is through an 18 inch hole, so rescue crews had to create a pulley system to lift Medina out. Medina died later at Brooklyn Hospital Center. more ›

At my window sad and lonely, by Brainware3000. more ›

Queensboro Bridge, by Pabo76. more ›

Dusk, by Paulo C. more ›

+ Following the release of the Atlantic Yards' Final Environmental Impact Statement, Empire State Development Corporation head Charles Gargano says Madison Square Garden owners Jim and Charles Dolan may end up killing the Gehry-designed project. More FEIS digesting from Curbed. more ›

You may recall the story of Brooklyn's Kent Avenue Orthodox synagogue-- it was built last month in only two weeks, at a cost of more than two million dollars. The city authorities slapped a stop-work order on the site after a worker was injured, but the Satmars ignored it, and finished the build on their own timeline. The papers said that the interior was going to take another month to finish, but if you look at the video above, the synagogue seems to already be in full use, and packed to the rafters with followers of Aaron Teitelbaum. The Brooklyn Record opines: more ›

-- And Rocketboom is still off the air-- two days after promising a comeback. more ›

FAIR: Tom of Finland Foundation is holding the 6th Annual New York City Erotic Art Fair all weekend. Thousands of works of Erotic Art by artists worldwide will be for sale, or just for looking at (pervert). This includes all media, gender & sexual orientation. There will also be life drawing workshops. The opening reception is tonight, so get the first peek. more ›

We've done a couple of posts about Corie and her Officer's Row project, but we forgot to mention her fiance Lex, and his great photoblog. Check out Lex's Folly-- it's got some more great pictures of the Navy Yard, and an assortment of other pictures of abandoned Brooklyn structures. Amazing stuff! more ›

Callallie is the queen of the Brooklyn Navy Yard! Last month we linked to some great pictures from her Officer's Row project, and this month she returned to take some shots of the terrifying Navy Hospital, at the corner of Flushing and Kent. Bravo, CL-- now tell us how we can get inside without getting arrested!
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Callalillie has posted some new pictures to her Officer's Row photoset on Flickr. Over the summer, someone posted an incredibly detailed message in painting-tape on the stone wall along Flushing Street. In part, it reads: "admirals row not death row-- a reprieve, they're innocent!" It'd be a shame to lose these buildings-- they should really be turned into a museum, or at least redeveloped into housing-- that side of Flushing Avenue is totally barren right now. Anyone know what's going on with the redevelopment plans? more ›

We've been obsessed with Con Edison's NYC steam system ever since we discovered that National Geographic diagram last month and Evan sent in that informative email. We decided to do some more research, and stumbled across this great article on steam power from the Gotham Gazette: more ›