In her papers “‘From the Frying Pan to the Oven” and “In Defense of Old Industrial Spaces: Manufacturing, Creativity and Innovation in Williamsburg, Brooklyn,” Winifred Curran explains how the manufacturing industry plays a big role in the New York City economy and how gentrification led to the displacement of these manufacturers. In the former paper, she details how workers flocked to neighborhoods like Williamsburg because the manufacturers there were offering jobs. Now, loft buildings are being rezoned into residential housing and the manufacturers that were once there now need to find new places to operate. In her other article, Curran explains how, even though the deindustrialization of the city and industry displacement has occurred, some small businesses and manufacturers that have stayed in the city still manage to survive by using their creativity, flexibility, and innovation. After reading these articles, I wanted to see where some manufacturers were moving to in response to gentrification and how they are using their creativity, flexibility, and innovation to survive. In doing so, I found the growing manufacturing hub of the Brooklyn Army Terminal.
The Brooklyn Army Terminal was the United States’ largest military supply base. Now, the city is renovating the terminal to turn it into a manufacturing hub, having just finished a $115 million renovation of part of the complex in May. The business owners setting up shop in the Brooklyn Army Terminal exemplify what Curran means when she says, “The importance of an urban location is the result of the historical development of business and social networks, as well as more recent market developments and population shifts. Even the rise of the ‘creative class’ can prove to be a boon to manufacturers, creating demand for high-end products manufactured in the city” (In Defense of Old Industrial Spaces, 871). Curran speaks of a “geographic story” in Williamsburg that has made the area both hip for its grittiness and industrial authenticity and attractive for businesses. Businesses in the Brooklyn Army Terminal seem to recognize a similar vibe to the complex in Sunset Park. In regards to considering locating his business outside of NYC, Gerard Masci, founder of Lowercase which produces glasses at the Terminal, said, ““It would lose the essence of made in New York City… I was born here, and that’s part of the whole aura of the story.”
The Brooklyn Army Terminal specifically wants to house manufacturing businesses rather than renewing leases for tenants that primarily use the terminal for warehousing and distributing goods. In doing so, the Terminal supports companies that create jobs for New Yorkers. So far, renovations for the terminal are almost done and the Brooklyn Army Terminal continues to grow as New York City’s next manufacturing hub.
- How are these businesses at the Brooklyn Army Terminal utilizing their creativity, flexibility, and innovation as Curran says?
- Will the Brooklyn Army Terminal eventually become another Williamsburg, a site of industrial displacement? How can we prevent this?
- What are other areas in NYC where we are seeing similar manufacturing companies set up shop?
