Brooklynites to Borough President:

Prevent Demolition of Historic Gowanus Station

Nov. 16, 2017

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GOWANUS - A group of Brooklyn residents called on Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams today to stop
the proposed demolition of the historic Gowanus Station building. The City Department of Environmental
Protection's current plan to build a Combined Sewer Overflow tank at the head of the Gowanus Canal calls for
demolition of the historic structure at the corner of Butler and Nevins Streets. Residents seek to prevent the
unnecessary demolition of an iconic building imbued with neighborhood character.

"This magnificent building is over 100 years old," said Linda Mariano of Friends and Residents of Greater
Gowanus. "Its design and sculptural elements tie directly into the history of the Gowanus neighborhood's
relationship with water. It can and should be saved."

While the residents support the DEP effort to build a CSO tank as part of the EPA's Gowanus Canal superfund
cleanup, they do not see that the Gowanus Station building needs to be demolished to build the tank. The
Gowanus Station structure occupies a very small corner of the larger planned site and could be incorporated into
the overall site design.

"We're calling on the Borough President to do the right thing -," said Peter Reich, a long time Gowanus
resident. "I can accept the necessity of an 8 million gallon CSO tank being buried next door, but NOT at the
expense of this irreplaceable Architectural landmark. Preservation and progress can easily coexist on that
corner!

The Borough President will hold a public hearing on November 27th regarding the DEP proposal.

Finally, the concerned residents noted that the State Historic Preservation Office called on the EPA to preserve
the building in an October 19, 2017 letter to EPA project manager Christos Tsiamis:

"Based on our review of the project details to date, it appears feasible to retain and incorporate the
historic former Gowanus Station building (234 Butler Street) into the project. This building, which has a
prominent street presence at the corner (and very edge of) the citys preferred site, has overarching
significance for the National Register eligible Gowanus Historic District. Its demolition would adversely
affect both the building and the National Register eligible Gowanus Canal Historic District. To destroy
this intact, architecturally distinctive example of Brooklyns civic and industrial heritage would be a
disservice to the Gowanus neighborhood and to the city as a whole."

"This unique building should be incorporated into the tank site design," said Gowanus resident Brad Vogel.
"We all want distinctive neighborhoods: here is a chance for the Borough President to help us achieve that in
Gowanus by refusing to sign off on a site design that calls for demolition."

The Gowanus residents also have the backing of a citywide preservation group.

This building, with its terra cotta and brick facade is the only building in the Gowanus neighborhood that bears
the neighborhood's name in masonry: Gowanus, said Kelly Carroll of the Historic Districts Council. Losing
this edifice because of a lack of a creative alternative will reflect poorly on all parties involved and will be a
serious loss to the built environment of this historic, industrial neighborhood.

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