Dumbo’s Tobacco Warehouse, the beautiful, roofless, 1870s ruin that sits between Water Street and the actual water (and the under-renovation waterfront park) is used only sporadically for special events and performances, but Brooklyn Bridge Development Corp. recently solicited proposals to refurbish and develop the site into something that can be used year-round. The results of that open call, all two of them, were revealed Monday night…
The crazy one, at top and above, would include a large golden pyramid inside the warehouse’s walls. It was pitched by Prospect Heights-based performing arts collective LAVA, hence, perhaps, the vaguely volcanic design. Though it’s unlikely either of these designs will get the go-ahead, this one’s an especially long long shot.
Somewhat more feasible is a proposal from St. Ann’s Warehouse, the 30-years-old performance producer and presenter currently based in a sprawling industrial warehouse right across the street, which has staged shows in the Tobacco Warehouse before. Their plan (pictured above and below) would also keep part of the Civil War-era structure open as a triangular courtyard, and turn its main space into an enclosed, not-too-conspicuous building featuring two performance spaces.
Brooklyn Heights Blog was at the meeting where the two plans were unveiled, and the reactions weren’t terribly enthusiastic. No timetable for approving one of these proposals, or soliciting more, has been announced. In the meantime, you can download the project presentations from the Brooklyn Bridge Park website. (Brownstoner)