Taking recycling to the next level, an old building on the Brooklyn Bridge Park grounds will be deconstructed, with the salvaged materials finding other uses around the park.
The vacant National Cold Storage Warehouses, located at the foot of Pier 1 and built between 1875 and 1915 by the Kings County Refrigerating Company for the storage and preservation of perishable foods, will face the wrecking ball as soon as next week.
However, the salvageable wood, bricks and ornaments will find various uses around the park.
The announcement came in a joint statement by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Development Corporation (BBPDC) and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP).
“The reuse of these historic elements respects the value of the original building while moving forward with the next step in the development of the City’s green spaces,” said OPRHP Commissioner Carol Ash.
BBPDC President Regina Myer said the deconstruction of the building incorporates the green building practices throughout Brooklyn Bridge Park.
This includes using salvaged granite from the reconstruction of the Roosevelt Island and Willis Avenue Bridges, and the use of structural fill from the East Side Access project to create topography in the park, she said.
Under the terms of the arrangement, BBPDC will repurpose over 70 percent of the historic longleaf yellow pine that composes the structural timber of the complex.
The timber will be used to construct the park’s benches, picnic tables, and cladding of all park utility and maintenance buildings.
Additionally, 10,000 bricks will be salvaged for use in the rehabilitation of the Empire Stores, or elsewhere in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Finally, the BBPDC plans to safeguard the ornamental metal stars that cover the structural tie rods through the building for possible inclusion in the new design.
Demolition work is expected to last 9 to 12 months, with scaffolding construction and mobilization getting underway next week.
The announcement comes as the first phase of park construction at Pier 1 continues, which includes over 1,300 feet of promenade along the East River, and 2.5 acres of lawn with views of the New York Harbor and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Once completed, Pier 1 will add 9.5 new acres of park to the already existing Empire Fulton Ferry State Park and the Main Street City Park.
At the same time the BBPDC is continuing to build the Pier 6 portion of the park, which will add about 7 acres of new park, including a 1.6 acre destination playground with water play areas and innovative play equipment built into the park landscape.
Three sand volley ball courts, a concession and dog run will also be constructed at Pier 6.
Both the Pier 1 and Pier 6 sections of the park are expected to open before the end of the year.
