A Must Read Photo Essay On Gowanus Whole Foods Site

photos by Nathan Kensinger

Photographer, blogger, and friend Nathan Kensinger just published an amazing photo essay on the the Gowanus Whole Foods site. Nate not only chronicles the history of the heavily polluted site starting with its industrial use 125 years ago, but is also critical of the unrealistic, unsustainable revitalization "schemes" of the Bloomberg administration.
It is a must read.

The Whole Foods Lot by Nathan Kensinger

The story of the Whole Foods lot is one of the best examples of how New York City's recent real estate boom and subsequent collapse unfolded. Located at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and 3rd Street, this empty lot is bordered on two sides by the Gowanus Canal. In 2006, it housed an active scrapyard, but this closed when ground was broken for a planned 68,000 square Whole Foods Market, which promised "Brooklyn residents a wide array of natural and organic foods" alongside a public esplanade and community center. The idea of building this market on the banks of a toxic industrial canal struck some local residents as a far-fetched idea, but this was representative of the ambitious yet ill-conceived development projects that were common during the past decade.

Soon after the groundbreaking ceremony, construction came to a halt. Leaking "550 gallon oil drums" were discovered underneath the planned construction site, remnants from the lot's "former life as a petroleum refinery," according to the NY Daily News, "demolishing the company's forecast for a store opening" in 2006. Today, after 4 years of delays, cleanup crews have finally moved in to fulfill Whole Foods' promise to detoxify the property, although the future of their store remains uncertain.

Continue reading photo essay here

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