For years we've been discussing the fate of the Brooklyn Navy Yard's beloved 19th-century houses that make up Admiral's Row. Our own Jake Dobkin even risked life and limb to get inside and document the houses in their beautiful decay, as the city talked of plans for leveling them. Despite protests to salvage the Row, it looks like its destiny is destruction, and this Monday nine of the eleven structures will be cleared, with two—the Timber Shed and Quarters B—being restored "for daily use," according to the NY Times. These have now been "transferred by the federal government to the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, which manages the old 300-acre yard, now an industrial park of 275 businesses."
The Brooklyn Navy Yard just got a new museum, and soon a supermarket is set to emerge, giving thousands of locals a place to procure food, as well as creating jobs. But before that happens, let's dive into some nostalgia with a look at the Brooklyn Navy Yard back in the day... and the Commandant's House, too, which isn't owned by the city (phew).
