This is the image of an apartment building that has been abandoned by its absentee-landlord and has suffered serious decline. This image is a common one in Williamsburg-Greenpoint because many tenants living in poverty have been evicted as landlords refuse to keep their apartments in living condition, and the tenants can no longer afford the rent in a neighborhood that is becoming increasingly gentrified.
These images depict McCarren Park, which separates Williamsburg-Greenpoint into its two constituent sub-neighborhoods. This park is a place where immigrants, the poor, “hipsters”, and anyone else who lives in the area can come together and congregate as one group.
The Father Popieluszko Statue in McCarren Park is a tribute to the huge Polish population of Greenpoint. It is maintained by the Polish people of the neighborhood with flowers, candles, and even a giant rosary arounds its neck. The incredible care given to this statue highlights the ethnic solidarity of the Greenpoint neighborhood.
A typical block in Greenpoint, similar to that of the residents of Norman Street.
A Polish Agency in Greenpoint which allows Polish-speaking residents of the neighborhood to obtain jobs. Establishments such as this highlight the large Polish population and Greenpoint’s association as an ethnic enclave.
This is an image of the abandoned warehouses along the waterfront in Greenpoint-Williamsburg. The neighborhood was once filled with factories and warehouses which supplied jobs to its working-class residents. The remaining abandoned warehouses memorialize the impoverishment of many Greenpoint-Williamsburg residents.
