Nathan Kensinger Photography

Floyd Bennett Airfield

May 15th, 2008 -

Across the street from Dead Horse Bay lies Floyd Bennett Airfield, a part of the National Parks Service's neglected Gateway National Recreation Area. This abandoned airport houses decaying hangars, cracked runways, a ransacked police station, closed-off tunnels, lost boats and antique airplanes, all visible from its empty control tower. Floyd Bennett was New York City's first municipal airport and opened in 1931. Like JFK Airport, it is located on the shores of Jamaica Bay, a vast nature preserve. Its long history includes record-breaking flights by Howard Hughes, Amelia Earhart and "Wrong Way" Corrigan. Today, it hosts cricket players, a large community garden and a shiny new sports complex that has changed the quiet nature of the park.

Department of the Interior

Collapsed Interior

Swim/Nadar

Police Station

Square Windows

Flushing Town Hall

Graffiti Room

Hangar Installation

Boiler Room

Bomber

Nose Gunner

Hangar

Brooklyn Army Terminal

April 30th, 2008 -

The Brooklyn Army Terminal was built in 1919 and designed by architect Cass Gilbert. At completion, it was 5 million square feet in size and covered 97 acres of Sunset Park waterfront. It was used during WWII to ship out over 3 million troops, including Elvis. Today it is owned by New York City and used by over 70 tenants. Like Bush Terminal and the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal to the north and the Bay Ridge freight tracks directly south, the Brooklyn Army Terminal is managed by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), a corporation responsible for much of the recent redevelopment of New York City's waterfront.

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For more photo essays from Brooklyn's Sunset Park please visit Bush Terminal (2007), the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal (2009), Empire Electric (2009), S & S Machinery (2010) and the 68th Police Precinct (2011).

Bushwick Inlet

April 15th 2008 -

Bushwick Inlet is a lonely East River cove in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Bordered by the Bayside Oil Terminal and a large collection of collapsed piers, it is currently a quiet refuge for birds. Like Bush Terminal and Hunters Point South, this is one of New York City's last great pieces of fenced-off industrial wilderness. Bushwick Inlet has a long history as an industrial site, including the building and launching of the ironclad Monitor, which fought a famous naval battle in the Civil War. Today, all this is overgrown with trees, but in the near future the inlet may become a 28-acre city park. Over $100 million has been earmarked by the Parks Department for the purchase and development of the Bayside site, according to a recent report. A second park is planned at 50 Kent Avenue, just south of the inlet. For more on the proposed development of Bushwick Inlet, see Gothamist, Curbed, Brownstoner and the Gowanus Lounge.

Long Island City: Hunter's Point South

March 26, 2008 -

Across from the United Nations in Long Island City, Queens, lies one of the last empty pieces of land on the East River. This 24 acre lot boasts dramatic views of the Empire State building from 30-foot-high cliffs, rolling hills covered in wild trees, and more access to the river's edge than any other site in Queens. Currently it is an idyllic, private barbeque spot, with homemade swings and benches looking out across the water at Manhattan's midtown rush.

Work has now begun to develop this plot of land into a massive housing complex. Given the name Hunter's Point South, this site is managed by the city's Economic Development Corporation (EDC). It is an extension of Queens West, the monolithic state-owned luxury-housing development to the north. The proposed map of HP South includes at least 13 high rise residences and three new city streets. Controversy over whether any of the 5,000 proposed housing units will be "affordable" has been reported in The Daily News and The Real Deal.

The EDC is resolutely focused on developing New York's few remaining industrial waterfront areas, with other projects including multimillion dollar projects in Sunset Park, the South Bronx, Staten Island and Willett's Point.

Abandoned Pier

Homemade Swing

Bench's View

Gramercy

Road to Queens West

Cliff and Woods

Danger on the Waterfront

Brooklyn Navy Yard: Admiral's Row

March 13th, 2008 -

Admiral's Row is located in the southwest corner of the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This strip of six buildings was abandoned by the Navy in the 1970's and left to decay. Today, the interiors of several buildings are in a state of irreparable collapse. Fires and rain have destroyed roofs and floors while squatters have left mountains of debris. Vines and trees have moved indoors. Windows and walls have exploded inwards. Entire floors are missing.

However, some of the buildings are in remarkably good condition. Their staircases, light fixtures, plasterwork, shelves, mantlepieces and wood floors are only in need of polish and paint. The beauty of these architectural details, when compared to the complete devastation in other buildings, is a stunning indictment of the Navy's neglect.

These historic buildings now stand empty and quiet, though their demolition is being planned to create a new supermarket. This controversial idea has been featured in the NY Times and written about at length on Brownstoner and Curbed. Historical information about Admiral's Row can be found at www.officersrow.org. These photos were taken in conjunction with the The Kingston Lounge, and in association with Pasilalinic-Sympathetic Compass, both of which have more photos of Admiral's Row.

For more photoessays from the Brooklyn Navy Yard, click here.