the red hook
Jazz by Grella: Joelle Leandre - Lifetime Rebel,
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SEPTEMBER 2024
Moving forward through conflict in Gowanus, an interview with Dr. Hildegaard Link by Oscar Fock
G NEW LAUTERBACH'S MOVIE PAGE 20
Great eats!
DOGS GALORE page 14
RED HOOK'S 20TH CENTURY PAINTER PAGE 12
owanus is a changing neighborhood. From once being an area with mostly light and heavy industries, the Gowanus Canal is now slowly becoming surrounded by residential and mixed-use buildings, a process which has significantly sped up since the rezoning of the area was approved in 2021.
nus Community Advisory Group (CAG) as well as Community Board 6 and is a long-time Gowanus advocate. She believes the rezoning and cleanup of the canal are pushing some maker businesses out, particularly those related to waterborne transport, like boat makers, welders and companies doing hardware repair.
But the changing scenery has not come without difficulties. In the past decade-and-a-half, environmental issues have become points of contention, including toxic indoor air, cleanup of the canal and, most recently, noxious odors.
“When you eliminate a light manufacturing zone you eliminate jobs, and you displace the population. The current vision of the Gowanus precludes those land uses, and it’s unfortunate because it really cuts a significant swath of the population out. Light manufacturing is actually a revenue boon for the City of New York. It creates good jobs for people who don’t want or can’t afford a college degree,” she argues.
At the heart of today’s conflicts in Gowanus is that the reshaping of the landscape is bringing the dirty history of Gowanus to the surface — both literally and figuratively. Throughout its over a century-long history as a manufacturing hub, various industries have contaminated the soil and water of the neighborhood. Now, residents and small businesses are dealing with the consequences. But the concerns are as diverse as the community, and what neighbors care about can drastically differ.
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WALKING WITH COFFEE The Movable Cubicle by R.J. Cirillo
In old black and white photos and movies, office workers were always depicted in huge rooms containing multiple desks, where they manned (or womanned) telephones and typewriters. There were no barriers between them and I’m sure while doing their assigned tasks they would interact with each other.
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“My primary concern in Gowanus is shrinking manufacturing zones, the loss of jobs for the skilled trades and unskilled labor and loss of opportunities for marine transport,” said Dr. Hildegaard Link, a Civil engineer in private practice and professor at City University of New York’s Macaulay Honor’s College. Link is a member of the GowaAt a certain point in business history, to maximize efficiency, it was decided that workers should be portioned off into separate cubicles. In the late sixties I briefly worked as a phone solicitor I one of these office cubicles. Being a card carrying citizen of the Woodstock Nation (you know, peace, love, freedom etc.), I found the experience of sitting alone in a box, mind numbing and oppressive Went out for lunch the first day and never went back. Still needing a job I wound up being one of those long haired hippie type cabdrivers you might hail back in those days…..freedom!
According to Dr. Link, the environmental conservation focus of the ca-
"At the heart of today’s conflicts in Gowanus is that the reshaping of the landscape is bringing the dirty history of Gowanus to the surface."
Dr. Hildegarde Link is an Educator and Engineer, specializing in resilient design with experience in wastewater and storm water management.
nal cleanup preclude the use of the canal for small and medium scale marine transport. The drive for conservation effectively blocks opportunities for short sea shipping—the maritime equivalent of sprinter vans and takes away an important tool in the fight to decrease the number of trucks in the area—a growing concern in places like Gowanus and Red Hook. “A significant challenge is bringing goods and services into the city and minimizing truck traffic. We want fewer trucks, and Gowanus could have functioned as a way to bring goods into South Brooklyn. But that’s not what we got. We have green space, residences and views, and we are re-
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Now, several ages later walking the streets with my 12 ounce Americano in hand, I see a kind of self imposed cubicle surrounding the passing locals. Loud Bluetooth conversations going by, oblivious to the others within earshot. In coffee bars at single tables everyone on laptops in their own private Idahos. I don’t know the long term effect these soft digital walls we’ve created will have on us. That’s – as they say – “above my pay grade.” I do know however that my life was enriched by the many random encounters and friendships that wouldn’t have hap-
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pened if I was headphoned up, and doomscrolling on my smartphone.
September 2024, Page 1