Author Archives: marian thomas

Shaded by Cobble Hills tree-filled blocks, walking pass Brooklyn Heights enchanting brownstones and embracing some of the many cultures displayed on Park Slope streets, somewhere in between them lies a place where it’s smell tells it all.
Surrounded by Brooklyn’s most highly desired neighborhoods to live in, Gowanus tends to be the forgotten area- even amongst Born and raised Brooklynites but not for long.

Many of the residents of Gowanus are 25-34 years old and they continue to flock to the area while its housing is relatively cheap unlike the rest of Brooklyn where they have been gentrified. The median rent in 2010 was $1,389. The number of new vibrant businesses in what used to be known as South Brooklyn has risen by 44 percent since the year 2000. Most opened by young entrepreneurs in technology and media. With current efforts to reinvent themselves, Gowanus historical stench still haunts them but wont deter them.

From its beginnings in the mid-nineteenth century the Gowanus Canal dubbed the area as one of the homes of industry, where factories thrived. However, not only could one see the area’s success, one could catch a whiff of it too. A foul odor entrenched the Gowanus streets due to pollution from sewers and even human remains as rumored to be a dumping ground for the mafia at one point in time.
For the over 7,000 residents of the Gowanus neighborhood that is pre-dominantly Caucasian and Hispanics, re-establishing a name for themselves without it being associated with their slimy polluted canal has been the most important agenda. Efforts to clean up the canal are being done by groups like the Gowanus conservancy but with its extensive contamination, a revived creek may not be finished until the year 2020. Aside from the historic canal, the Carroll Street Bridge is the oldest of the four retractable bridges in the country.

On a more lighter note, Gowanus was once also a place that hosted indoor and outdoor art exhibitions by the non-profit group called Gowanus Memorial Artyard. Now the once factories and plants have been reconstructed and renovated as art and entertainment spaces as well as condominiums. The households generate incomes over $85,000 which is higher than the rates of other Brooklyn neighborhoods.

Their industrial and creative past has come to reflect the neighborhoods present and potential future, focusing on the arts, technology and culture. About 40 percent of the males and females residing in the neighborhood work in either the arts, media or design fields. Soon the homes will be reconstructed and the air much cleaner to breathe in. The neighborhood intends to indulge every one of your senses in a more pleasant and memorable way, hoping to match the status of their very own neighbors.