Late last year the New York City Council passed the contentious Gowanus rezoning which will upzone 82 blocks of the historically industrial Brooklyn neighborhood and add approximately 8,500 new apartments. Developers got to work immediately after the plan passed, demolishing several old buildings that formerly added to the neighborhood’s charm in order to make way for new residential units.
With his ongoing photography project Gowanus Landmarks, Brooklyn-based artist Miska Draskoczy hopes to document the glory of these storied sites. Started in 2019, Gowanus Landmarks features beautifully haunting images of industrial buildings in various states of neglect and disrepair. Some of the buildings Draskoczy photographed, like the dilapidated S.W. Bowne Grain Storehouse at 595-711 Smith Street, are already gone, while others await the wrecking ball.
The buildings featured in the series represent twenty-nine sites that the Gowanus Landmarks Coalition deemed historically, architecturally, and culturally significant. The local advocacy group, in an effort to preserve the neighborhood’s history and “authentic sense of place,” campaigned for the buildings to be granted landmark designation.
“I think it's important to document these sites because as we've already seen, some of them will not be around much longer, in which case images of them will be some of our only remaining records,” the artist says. “While the city is always changing, the past invariably influences the future and I believe it's important to capture the neighborhood in this state of transition so that people can appreciate its history. Gowanus is one of the oldest industrial areas of the country whose industries have shaped the city for almost two centuries. That industry has now wound down greatly and may eventually fade out altogether.”
Draskoczy photographed the buildings as they would have been captured when they were originally built between the 1880s and 1930s—on large format 5” x 7” dry plate glass negatives. This complex and lengthy process produces vividly detailed images of the buildings in all their fragile splendor, imparting a wistful, vintage feel.
“I love browsing through the many great image archives that are held by New York City institutions and have always been struck by the quality of scans from old glass plate negatives,” he says. “They capture a rich tonality, incredible detail, and the emulsion used in the process only responds to certain wavelengths of light, giving them an unusual palette.... I love how they are often written on by the photographer, have peeling or cracked emulsion and of course glass is an inherently fragile medium. These delicate and organic qualities seem fitting for capturing structures that are similarly aged and worn.”
While the neighborhood is home to many intriguing structures, when pressed Draskoczy admits that the Carroll Street Bridge is a personal favorite. Spanning the notoriously polluted Gowanus Canal, the bridge was built in 1889 and is the oldest of only four remaining retractable bridges in the country. It was designated a NYC Landmark in 1987, “a model for what is possible with preservation efforts,” Draskoczy notes, adding, “it is a relief to know that it will not be destroyed.”
“Although it is closed at the moment due to the ongoing dredging (part of the EPA’s current cleanup of the canal), I have walked, biked, and paddled under it countless times and it has wonderful views from its vantage points,” he muses. “It is a unique structure, being one of the few remaining and operable retractable drawbridges in the country. I am fascinated that something mechanical built in the 19th century can still serve a useful purpose today. Respect to great engineering!”
Originally from Pennsylvania, Draskoczy received his BFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University. Draskoczy has been documenting Gowanus since relocating to Brooklyn in 2008. In 2016 he published Gowanus Wild, a photo book exploring the area’s nature and urban wilderness.
Draskoczy’s goal with Gowanus Landmarks is to increase awareness of these buildings and help preserve the buildings that can be saved. “I hope that highlighting these buildings and structures can bring awareness to the efforts to preserve and landmark them, a process which requires active community involvement,” the artist says. For the buildings that cannot be saved, Draskoczy hopes to document them in a way that honors their rich history and conveys their current state of vulnerability.
For the future of his beloved Gowanus, Draskoczy hopes “that it can continue its long tradition of being a neighborhood for builders, makers and creators, whether through things like light industry or artist studios and spaces,” he says. “I believe these are critical components of cities and with the trend of pushing these spaces increasingly farther away from city centers in favor of luxury residential housing, something important is lost in that process.”
Draskoczy will be on hand at the exhibit on weekends throughout May. He will have examples of the glass plate negatives and the camera equipment he used for this series. Learn more about the artist at https://www.miskadraskoczy.com.
Gowanus Landmarks by Miska Draskoczy
Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse, 165 2nd Street, Brooklyn
May 7 – May 29, 2022 | Saturdays & Sundays (1pm – 5pm)
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 7, 6pm to 8pm