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info
03.4.08
Greenpoint |
You can see water from many vantage points in Greenpoint although there is almost no place where you can get to it. Metal fencing runs across the potential access points of India, Noble, and Kent Streets. The relative isolation of the neighborhood (the nearest subway is the unloved G train) and the watery margin give the sense of an enclave.
THEN
The Dutch found the Kesaechqueren Indians in residence here in 1638. After buying the land and renaming it, they farmed the area for a couple of hundred years. In the mid-1800s, industry moved in and Greenpoint became a center for what were called the five black arts — printing, pottery, petroleum refining, glassmaking, and iron making. Charles Pratt, the  founder of Pratt Institute, set up Pratt's Astral Oil, a refinery on the East River. The Continental Iron Works, once at the corner of West and Calyer Streets, is where the ironclad battleship Monitor was built in 1862. After its battle with the Merrimac, the Monitor sank near Cape Hatteras. The virtual Greenpoint Monitor Museum commemorates the event as does a monument in Monsignor McGolrick Park.
In the 1880s, one of the most visible characteristics of today's Greenpoint began when the first immigrants from Poland arrived. By the beginning of the 20th century, the Newtown Creek was, after the Mississippi, the second busiest waterway in the country. But in the latter part of the 20th century, a combination of industrial and sewage waste made it one of the most polluted. After WWII, heavy industry began to decline here and the refineries began to close, leaving behind a 17 million gallon oil spill (some estimates say even more than that).
The Greenpoint Historic District is bounded by Java, Calyer, Franklin Streets and Manhattan Avenue. The combination of funky and graceful, which typifies the neighborhood, is best seen on Java Street from Franklin to Manhattan. Many of the houses demonstrate the effectiveness of siding salesmen, but then you come upon 121 Java and three delightful Victorian row houses…Mae West and Pat Benatar are two of the area's most famous daughters… On Thursday, March 6th, 7:30pm, Kevin Walsh of Forgotten NY, gives a multimedia presentation on Forgotten Greenpoint at Word 126 Franklin [Milton] 718.383.0096.
NOW
Food: The Peruvian Restaurant and Steakhouse on Manhattan Avenue serves Zywiec beer from Poland — that's a pretty good indication of what's happening in the neighborhood. There's still a large Polish community, but it's a more mixed babka than it was, say, 10 years ago. Polam Meat Market, 952 Manhattan [India/Java] 718.349.7386, still has terrific kielbasa and the next-door Bakery Rzeszowska will meet all those babka needs. For a Polish meal, Krolewski Jadlo, 694 Manhattan [Norman] 718.383.8993, and  Christina's, 853 Manhattan [Milton/Noble] 718.383.4382, are our picks. If you'd rather eat Portland than Poland, check out the decidedly un-phoofed-up Queens Hideaway, 222 Franklin [Green/Huron] 718.383.2355, where Liza Queen (NY state native, a long spell in Oregon), cooks with bold confidence, supported by what's freshest at local markets.
Landmark: The 240-foot spire of St. Anthony of Padua Church, 862 Manhattan [Milton] is a sight marker up and down Manhattan Avenue and the red and white front of the church is best appreciated from a little ways down to Milton St. It was built by Patrick C. Keely in 1875.
Entertainment: East Coast Aliens is a non-profit facility — its 'salon' shows movies, hosts musical performances, poetry readings, debates, and the like.
Parks: It's long been noted that Greenpoint's name carries with it a certain irony as it not exactly a verdant paradise. This month, there may be a decision about the power plant proposed for the neighborhood's Bushwick Creek Inlet.  One group, the Greenpoint Waterfront Association, would rather see a park than a power plant. Those selfish b******s…On India Street, a park at the waterfront is planned; small problem: so far plans call for a concrete wall to separate the park from the water…The Bloomberg admin has rezoned the Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront, with the idea that it might look something like what is pictured here.
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