The warehouse building at 158 2nd Street bordered the shoreline at the dock for the Gowanus Dredgers and was like an old friend.
The building’s wall along 2nd Street was a long narrow canvas with graffiti and images of people, all smiling and happy. I never knew who any of the people were, whether real local residents or just unknown grabs from some stock photography collection. The wall had a character and a beauty that won’t be forgotten.
The warehouse was behind Movers, Not Shakers so it was doomed from the start. We all knew this was coming. Movers, Not Shakers relocated to Red Hook. In its stead on the banks of the canal will rise a 22-story residential building with 301 rental units, commercial space, 45 enclosed parking spaces, and a 26-foot-long rear yard.
Look at the renderings. It’s the end of the world as we know it.
The amount of graffiti and murals lost to gentrification is mind boggling. I give eulogies to some of my favorites in Graffiti Gone…The Destruction of Gowanus on southbrooklyn.com, my publishing website.
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