Just steps from her beloved carousel, a corner of Dumbo now bears the name of Jane Walentas, the woman who helped transform the once-gritty Brooklyn waterfront into the cultural hub it is today.
On May 6, friends, family and community leaders gathered at the corner of Old Dock Street and Water Street to unveil “Jane Walentas Way,” honoring the late artist and philanthropist on what would have been her 81st birthday.
“Jane was the best,” said her husband, David Walentas, founder of Two Trees Management. “She made me what I am. There would be no Dumbo without Jane.”
An accomplished artist and former creative director, Walentas was a driving force behind the neighborhood’s artistic revival for more than 30 years. Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, she built a career in art and design before marrying David and helping shape Dumbo through both real estate and culture.
She championed local artists, launched arts programs, and restored the 1922 carousel — a “labor of love” that became her most iconic contribution to the Brooklyn waterfront.
Tuesday’s renaming ceremony took place outside St. Ann’s Warehouse, just steps from Jane’s Carousel, the century-old amusement ride Walentas spent 27 years restoring and relocating to Dumbo. The attraction now sits in a glass pavilion designed by architect Jean Nouvel, drawing thousands of visitors each year with its hand-carved horses and sweeping river views.
Council Member Lincoln Restler, who led the effort to co-name the street, described Walentas as “an artist and a community builder who believed every child deserved to experience the magnificent carousel on our stunning waterfront.”
“Jane understood just how central the arts were to this community,” Restler said. “As Two Trees worked to build the neighborhood, Jane really understood the art of the building.”
He added that her “greatest legacy” is the neighborhood’s iconic carousel.
“I don’t think there are many art projects that people spend 27 years of their life creating, but that’s what Jane did,” Restler said. “She chipped the paint off layer by layer herself, she named every one of those 48 horses. It was a labor of love… not about a piece of art to sit in a museum, but a piece of art for generations of children to love and enjoy.”
A former art director at Clinique and a printmaker by trade, Walentas helped guide the aesthetic redevelopment of Dumbo’s once-derelict warehouses, and expanded arts access through exhibitions and student programs. She died in 2020 at the age of 76.
“Jane Walentas Way” now leads directly to Jane’s Carousel and is surrounded by landmarks like Brooklyn Bridge Park, the Empire Stores and 60 Water Street — reminders of the revitalization she and her family spearheaded.
Her son, Jed Walentas, CEO of Two Trees, reflected on the added significance of the tribute taking place on his mother’s birthday.
“Street signs are, certainly as a New Yorker, a big part of your growing up,” he said, adding that, as a kid, he would ask his mom who the people were on the street signs. “To now have her be part of that lore and legacy and have little kids going, ‘Who was that?’ — some people will know and some people won’t know, but it’s incredibly meaningful to be honored in this way.”
In closing, Restler urged the community to continue her legacy.
“It’s on all of us to keep the things that she cared about going,” he said.
Additional reporting by Paul Frangipane
