Imagine a bustling artery coursing through Brooklyn. That’s Union Street. It stretches from the Gowanus Canal to Prospect Park. Today we are exploring Union Street.
Union Street has a story to tell. It’s a story of transformation and resilience. It reflects Brooklyn’s ever-evolving spirit.
Once upon a time the Gowanus Canal wasn’t so charming. It was a natural inlet. It seeped into South Brooklyn. Narrow tributaries snaked through the area. Then Edwin Litchfield came along. He formed the Brooklyn Improvement Company in the 1850s. He straightened the creek into a canal. This canal was for tall-masted sailing ships. Later ironclad industrial vessels used it. Barges brought sandstone from New Jersey. This sandstone built brownstones. These brownstones still line Boerum Hill and Park Slope streets. Pollution became a problem. Raw sewage and factory waste flowed into the canal. By the 1880s it was foul and dark. Locals called it Lavender Lake.
A flush pump was built in the 1910s. It helped clean the canal in the 2000s. Wildlife returned but the pump broke again in 2011. The canal reverted to its fetid state. Despite this, plans arose for fancy apartments and a riverwalk.
The Union Street Drawbridge crosses the Gowanus Canal. It opened in 1905. It’s a double leaf Scherzer rolling leaf bascule bridge. It looks rickety and fragile.
Look around you at The Green Building. It stands on Union between Bond Street and the Gowanus Canal. Built in 1889 it was a brass foundry until 1987. Now it’s an event space. It hosts commercial shoots films and performances. The main room is gorgeous. It features original brick walls and exposed beam ceilings.
Notice the National Packing Box Factory. It’s on Union Street and Nevins. James H. Dykeman’s box factory occupied this building. Dykeman established his business in 1877.
Union Street has a funerary industry subgenre. Caskets come from somewhere. Brooklyn has casket manufacturers. Pontone was founded in 1931. Milso Industries acquired it. They carry coffins out of low brick buildings.
Listen to the insistent pounding. You’ve stumbled upon Keur Djembe. It is one of Brooklyn’s retailers of African drums. Senegalese-born Ibrahima Diokhane handcrafts djembes.
As Union Street enters Park Slope it changes. It shifts from manufacturing to residential. The Union Street BMT station opened in 1915.
Note the residence painted a bright robin’s egg blue. It sits between 4th and 5th on Union.
See the Max Ehrmann’s “Desiderata”. It’s written on a wall on the corner of 5th and Union. It’s next to an ice cream parlor.
Union Street ends at Grand Army Plaza. The plaza features monuments and statues. They honor Civil War dead. Brooklyn’s main library branch surrounds the space.
Union Street embodies Brooklyn’s story. From its industrial roots to its residential present it reflects resilience. It connects communities from canal to park. It’s a reminder that even the most ordinary street holds extraordinary tales.