a fun & excellent read, Williamsburg Brooklyn, it's history year by year last 25yr
nytimes.com
Then and Now: Wythe Avenue
Mara Catalan, 1994; Tony Cenicola/The New York Times, 2023
In 1994, the Wythe Diner, in a boxcar-like structure on Wythe Avenue, sat empty, with a For Sale sign in the window and bikes from New York Slick motorcycle shop parked out front. Last year, Chanel turned the old place into a pop-up shop, where it offered a menu of perfumes.
By Steven Kurutz Jan. 29, 2024
A car is moving down Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. A passenger captures the scene on video — abandoned factory buildings, vacant lots and a crumbling warehouse beneath grim skies. Twenty-five years later, that same stretch is lined with glassy apartment towers, boutique hotels and a Trader Joe’s.
For those who remember the Williamsburg of long ago, or even a decade ago, walking its streets can be disorienting, like running into an old friend who has had extensive plastic surgery. In a dramatic transformation, more than 500 condominium buildings have sprung up there since 2005, and much of the north side has become an upscale shopping district. |
