WALLABOUT WEEK: NAVY YARD

The northern end of Wallabout is where the Brooklyn Navy Yard lies. Doesn't the Navy Yard seem extremely mysterious? Steiner Studios is there now (and any time now, the amenities of the area will need to catch up to meet the needs of studio employees -- I'm sure the Hasidic-diner-in-a-trailor on Flushing won't be enough). The studios seem pretty cool, but aside from The Producers, has anything been filmed there? I wish there'd be more action there. The studio website details plans for a screening room and catering services. Wouldn't it be cool to have events open to the neighborhood there?

And speaking of open, it annoys me that a regular pedestrian can't just walk into the Navy Yard. It would be great if the area was open for small shops and such. There are artists working there, and they occasionally open their spaces during the annual SONYA stroll. It would be wonderful to revitalize the entire area.

A controversial aspect of the Navy Yard's future lies with Officer's Row, a collection of crumbling buildings that once housed high-ranking navy offcials and their families. There has been discussion of demolishing these homes to make room for a "big box" grocery store, and some have deemed the homes structurally unsound for revitalization/renovation.

Brooklyn bloggers and historians Corie Trancho-Robie and her husband, Alexis, have started their own Officer's Row project with the aim to document and preserve its history. Read about their project here, and some history of Officer's Row here.

The Fort Greene Association is also pushing for the preservation of the area. Read about their efforts here.

(I think we should do an entire week on the Navy Yard! Too much for one post.)