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| photos by Justin Farrow |
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Czech mustard magnates, itinerant factory buildings, underground art parties, and now waterfront developers... So goes the story of the Old Dutch Mustard Co. building in Williamsburg. The condiment company itself, founded by Vladimir and Elsie Kedrovich, was originally set up in the early 1920s, on the Lower East Side. After expanding, they relocated the factory across the East River in 1942, where it remained for four decades. But to meet the needs of the Tri-State area’s lust for mustard, O.D.M. moved again, this time to Long Island, leaving behind a giant, empty building… just as the first artists began colonizing Billyburg in search of livable rents and big studio spaces. Up until the late 90s, the place was populated by a miscellany of proto-hipsters who would periodically host enormous parties to help pay the rent, featuring huge installations created out of the old mustard barrels. But now, the property is on the verge of sale, expected to fetch upwards of $25 million, with seven-story condominiums being the likely end result. Say goodbye to mustard.
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