There are few things that I love more than going through old buildings. Today Bob Balder, the Executive Director of the AAP program in NYC, took a group of us on a last minute tour of the former Domino Sugar Plant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He got Mitchell Korbey, the land use attorney for the developer of the sugar plant, to talk to us about the oncoming renovation project. This visit was the last time that we would be able to see this site before they begin demolition.
As we headed to the sugar factory Bob told us some history about the neighborhood and building. The factory was in its hay day when New York was one of the biggest providers of refined sugar to the United States. As demand declined the need for the building diminished. The factory closed after 150 years of service.
The site is going to be renovated to be a residential and retail building with a park facing the water. We got to walk through the site after Mitchell talked to us about the future development. One of the coolest things about the site are these two bridges that connect one building to the other. The bridges are at different angles, connecting two different levels and made of corrugated medal. The bridges are falling apart now and I can’t imagine them ever having been structurally sound. Nonetheless, the shadows they create between the two buildings are incredible. 