DUMBO Industrial District
National Register of Historic Places

DUMBO Industrial District

Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
Listed
September 21, 2000
Type
District
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
00001151

About this property

Dumbo (or DUMBO, an acronym for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections: one situated between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another extending eastward from the Manhattan Bridge to the Vinegar Hill area. The neighborhood is bounded by Brooklyn Bridge Park to the north, the Brooklyn Bridge to the west, Brooklyn Heights to the south, and Vinegar Hill to the east. Dumbo is part of Brooklyn Community Board 2. Dumbo has historically been known by several names, including Gairville, Rapailie, Olympia, and Walentasville. The area was originally a ferry landing, characterized by 19th- and early 20th-century industrial and warehouse buildings, Belgian block streets, and its location on the East River by the imposing anchorage of the Manhattan Bridge. A large number of the buildings in Dumbo were bought by developer David Walentas and his company Two Trees Management in the late 20th century, and remade into an upscale residential and commercial community—first becoming a haven for art galleries, and currently a center for technology startups. Dumbo earned the nickname "the center of the Brooklyn Tech Triangle" thanks to its thriving community of tech startups. This designation coincided with its rise to become Brooklyn's most affluent neighborhood and the fourth-wealthiest community in New York City; this is owing in part to its large concentration of technology startups, its close proximity to Manhattan, and its large number of former industrial buildings that have been converted into spacious luxury residential lofts. The neighborhood contains the corporate headquarters for e-commerce retailer Etsy and home furnishing stores company West Elm.

Location

Brooklyn, Kings County, New York
40.70356, -73.98751

Categories

ARCHITECTUREINDUSTRY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Public School 7
Industrial
0.2 mi
Fulton Ferry District
Listed
0.2 mi
Quarters A
Industrial
0.4 mi
Manhattan Bridge
Industrial
0.4 mi
Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims
Industrial
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was DUMBO Industrial District listed on the National Register?

DUMBO Industrial District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 21, 2000.

What type of historic resource is DUMBO Industrial District?

DUMBO Industrial District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for DUMBO Industrial District?

The period of significance for DUMBO Industrial District is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near DUMBO Industrial District?

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