Gowanus, Brooklyn

{{Short description|Neighborhood in New York City}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox settlement | name = Gowanus | settlement_type = Neighborhood of Brooklyn | image_skyline = Gowanus, Brooklyn.jpg | imagesize = | image_alt = | image_caption = The Gowanus Canal | image =  | nickname = | motto = | anthem = | mapframe = yes | mapframe-zoom = 12 | mapframe-point = none | mapsize = | map_alt = | map_caption = Location within New York City | coordinates = {{Coord|40.6753|-73.9911|dim:2000_region:US-NY|display=inline,title}}

| subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = {{flag|United States}} | subdivision_type1 = State | subdivision_name1 = {{flag|New York}} | subdivision_type2 = City | subdivision_name2 = New York City | subdivision_type3 = County/Borough | subdivision_name3 = Brooklyn | subdivision_type4 = Community District | subdivision_name4 = Brooklyn 6<ref name="NYCPlanning">{{cite web |title=NYC Planning {{!}} Community Profiles |url=https://communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov/queens/7 |website=communityprofiles.planning.nyc.gov |publisher=New York City Department of City Planning |access-date=April 7, 2018}}</ref>

| established_title =  | established_date = | established_title1 =  | established_date1 = | founder = | named_for =  | population_footnotes = | population_total = | population_as_of = | population_est = | pop_est_as_of = | population_demonym =  | population_note =  | demographics_type1 =  | demographics1_footnotes = | demographics1_title1 = | demographics1_info1 = | demographics1_title2 = | demographics1_info2 = | demographics1_title3 = | demographics1_info3 = | demographics1_title4 = | demographics1_info4 = | demographics1_title5 = | demographics1_info5 =  | demographics_type2 =  | demographics2_footnotes =  | demographics2_title1 = | demographics2_info1 =  | timezone1 = Eastern | utc_offset1 = −5 | timezone1_DST = EDT | utc_offset1_DST = −4 | postal_code_type = ZIP Code | postal_code = 11215 | area_code_type = Area codes | area_code = 718, 347, 929, and 917 }}

'''Gowanus''' ({{IPAc-en|g|ə|ˈ|w|ɑː|n|ə|s}} {{respell|gə|WAH|nəs}}) is a neighborhood in the northwestern portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, within the area once known as South Brooklyn. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community District 6. Gowanus is bounded by Wyckoff Street on the north, Fourth Avenue on the east, the Gowanus Expressway to the south, and Bond Street to the west.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jackson |first1=Kenneth T. |title=Neighborhoods of Brooklyn |url=https://archive.org/details/neighborhoodsofb00prof |url-access=registration |date=1998 |publisher=Yale University Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/neighborhoodsofb00prof/page/137 137]}}</ref>

==History==

=== 17th to 20th centuries === In 1636, Gowanus Bay – named after Gauwane (Gouwane, {{abbr|lit.|literally}} "the sleeper"), a Canarsee Indian<ref name="Skinner1920">{{cite book|last= Bolton |first= Reginald Pelham |title= New York City in Indian possession |url=https://archive.org/stream/newyorkcityinind00bolt_0/newyorkcityinind00bolt_0_djvu.txt |year=1920 |page=135 |publisher=Museum of the American Indian|quote= {{smallcaps|Canarsee [...] Gauwane}}: The owner of the Gowanus tract in Brooklyn, which still bears his name.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=William Wallace Tooker|author2=John Jermain Memorial Library (Sag Harbor, N.Y.)|title=The Indian Place-names on Long Island and Islands Adjacent |url=https://archive.org/stream/indianplacenames00took/indianplacenames00took_djvu.txt |year=1911|publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |page=66 |quote= the land probably takes its name from the Indian who planted there, Gauwane's plantation. His name may be translated 'the sleeper,' or 'he rests.' It is cognate with the Delaware ''gauwin'', “to sleep;” Massachusett ''kouweu'', “he sleeps,” ''kouéuénin'', “a sleeper.” }}</ref> – was the site of the first settlement by Dutch farmers in what is now Brooklyn.<ref>{{cite book |last=Stiles |first=Henry R. |title=A History of the City of Brooklyn |url=https://archive.org/details/ahistorycitybro00stilgoog |access-date=July 4, 2010 |year=1867 |page=[https://archive.org/details/ahistorycitybro00stilgoog/page/n33 23]}}</ref> The ponds of Gowanus meadowlands served to drive early settlers' tide-powered gristmills which were situated along the Gowanus Creek. During the American Revolutionary War, Gowanus was the scene of fighting in the Battle of Long Island and American soldiers positioned themselves in Gowanus Heights (now Park Slope), where they had full view of the British ships as they made landfall in the Bay.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lewis |first=Charles |title=Cut Off: Colonel Jedediah Huntington's 17th Continental (Conn.) Regiment at the Battle of Long Island August 27, 1776 |page=93}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title="Battle of Long Island, New York." Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History. Ed. Harold E. Selesky. Vol. 1.|last=Schecter|first=Barnet|publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons|year=2006|pages=646–655}}</ref>

thumb|left|View of the house of Simon Aertsen De Hart, still standing on Gowanus Bay in 1867 In the 1860s, the Gowanus Creek was turned into the Gowanus Canal, and the area became a hub for manufacturing and shipping. As a result of the industry along the canal and the establishment of a combined sewer system that dumped waste water directly into a designated outflow at the head of the canal, the neighborhood came to be defined by the polluted canal.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Gowanus: Brooklyn's Curious Canal |last=Alexiou |first=Joseph |url=https://nyupress.org/9781479892945/gowanus/ |publisher=NYU Press|year=2015|isbn=9781479892945}}</ref> After World War II, the decline of shipping at the port of Red Hook and of manufacturing around New York City prompted large industry to leave and changed the vibrancy of industry in Gowanus. In the late 1940s, the neighborhood became the site of several NYCHA housing projects, which were built in part to house returning WWII veterans.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/image/52811685/?terms=gowanus%2Bhouses|title=Officials Start Work on Gowanus Houses|date=January 5, 1948|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle}}</ref>

The water and much of the land along the banks of the Gowanus Canal have been severely polluted by combined sewer outflows (CSOs) along the canal designed to relieve sewage and storm water when the sewer treatment plant is overwhelmed, as well as by decades of industrial use and extensive coal gas manufacturing during the late 19th century. The Gowanus Canal was also an alleged Mafia dumping ground.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-01-02/nyc-life/close-up-on-gowanus-brooklyn/|title=Close-Up on Gowanus, Brooklyn|last=Warshawer|first=Gabby|date=January 2, 2007|newspaper=The Village Voice|access-date=July 4, 2010|archive-date=August 5, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805051837/http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-01-02/nyc-life/close-up-on-gowanus-brooklyn/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Even so, in the early 1980s, alongside the canal, an old 19th-century munitions factory at 230 3rd Street in Gowanus became the site of the massive Gowanus Memorial Artyard, whose remains are still visible.<ref name="onceupontime">{{cite news|url=https://pardonmeforasking.blogspot.com/2007/10/once-upon-time-on-shores-of-gowan-us.html|title=Once Upon a Time on the Shores of the Gowanus: Frank Shifreen and "The Monument Redefined" Show|date=October 16, 2007|access-date=November 30, 2010}}</ref>

=== 21st century === thumb|left|alt=|Powerhouse Arts is an arts hub in Gowanus, Brooklyn, housed in a restored century-old power station. The area was historically zoned for light to mid-level manufacturing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://home2.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/gowanus/gowanus3.shtml |title=Gowanus Canal Corridor Framework |work=New York City Department of City Planning |access-date= July 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100529184514/http://home2.nyc.gov/html/dcp/html/gowanus/gowanus3.shtml |archive-date=May 29, 2010 }}</ref> In the first decade of the 21st century, residential developers were hindered by the industrial zoning and the problems of the sewage overflow through the canal water, but there had been rumors of rezoning by the New York City Department of City Planning.<ref>{{cite news |title=Close-Up on Gowanus |first=Janet |last=Kim |url=http://www.waterfrontmuseum.org/dredgers/links/voice.html |newspaper=The Village Voice |date=February 18, 2003 |access-date=July 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516073615/http://www.waterfrontmuseum.org/dredgers/links/voice.html |archive-date=May 16, 2011 }}</ref> Many residents and community groups have expressed concern over the sewage overflow that the rezoning could possibly create.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last1=Rugh |first1=Peter |date=July 1, 2019 |title=NYC's Latest Luxury Scheme Could Leave Gowanus Residents in a Foul Place |url=https://indypendent.org/2019/07/nycs-latest-luxury-scheme-could-leave-gowanus-residents-in-a-foul-place/ |website=The Indypendent |access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> From 2013{{endash}}2016, the City Planning Department, community groups, business owners, developers, arts organizations, and neighborhood residents participated in a "community planning process" called Bridging Gowanus intended to inform neighborhood rezoning processes with the intention of creating a land-use framework for the neighborhood.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bridginggowanus.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209032159/http://bridginggowanus.org/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=February 9, 2014|title=Bridging Gowanus: Executive Summary|date=September 2015|website=Bridging Gowanus|access-date=January 9, 2018}}</ref>

In 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency designated the Gowanus Canal a Superfund site, allocating $506 million for the cleanup of decades of industrial pollution and sewage contamination.<ref name=":0" /> The completion date for the cleanup was set for 2022<ref>{{cite news |last1=Attanasio |first1=Cedar |last2=Jaeger |first2=Max |date=August 13, 2018 |title=Gowanus Canal cleanup has unearthed historic treasures — covered in toxic goo |url=https://nypost.com/2018/08/13/gowanus-canal-cleanup-has-unearthed-historic-treasures-covered-in-toxic-goo |access-date=August 15, 2018 |work=New York Post}}</ref> but later pushed back to 2029.<ref>{{cite web |author=Environmental Protection Agency |date=December 2023 |title=Community Update #5: EPA Completing Another Step in Cleanup of the Gowanus Canal |url=https://gowanuscag.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Gowanus-RTA1-Dredging-Fact-Sheet-Update-5-December-2023.pdf |access-date=3 August 2024 |website=Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group}}</ref><ref name="Hu w440">{{cite web |last=Hu |first=Ray |date=August 1, 2025 |title=Gowanus is one of New York City's most ambitious redevelopment projects |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2025/08/gowanus-is-one-of-new-york-citys-most-ambitious-redevelopment-projects-and-its-most-fraught/ |access-date=August 4, 2025 |website=The Architect’s Newspaper}}</ref>

[[File:Carroll St Bridge jeh.JPG |thumb|upright|alt=The Carroll Street Bridge|The Carroll Street Bridge, a New York City landmark]] Many "coworking" spaces were formed in Gowanus in the 2010s.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150612/gowanus/co-working-spaces-booming-gowanus-as-more-workers-shun-offices |work=DNA Info |title=Co-Working Spaces Booming in Gowanus as More Workers Shun Offices |date=June 12, 2015 |access-date=June 20, 2015 |first1=Leslie |last1=Albrecht |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622043920/http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150612/gowanus/co-working-spaces-booming-gowanus-as-more-workers-shun-offices |archive-date=June 22, 2015 }}</ref> More restaurants, bars, and art galleries moved to the neighborhood, and new real estate became available.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.brickunderground.com/blog/2014/04/tk_things_you_dont_know_about_gowanus |work=Brick underground |title=Neighborhood Secrets – Gowanus, Brooklyn: The Insider's Guide to Living There|date=April 4, 2014 |access-date=April 10, 2014 |first1=Polly |last1=Mosendz}}</ref>

The area was rezoned in November 2021, allowing more residential buildings to be developed there.<ref name="Walker z067">{{cite web |last1=Walker |first1=Victoria M. |last2=Marks |first2=Katherine |date=July 9, 2025 |title=Can a Spate of New Builds Finally Revitalize Gowanus? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/realestate/gowanus-brooklyn-development.html |access-date=February 7, 2026 |website=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Brendlen |first=Kirstyn |date=November 23, 2021 |title=Council votes to approve Gowanus rezoning, ending years-long debates |url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/council-votes-to-approve-gowanus-rezoning-ending-years-long-debates/ |access-date=February 7, 2026 |website=Brooklyn Paper}}</ref> The rezoning includes 8,500 new apartments in the area, of which 3,000 are to be affordable.<ref name="Schulz f827">{{cite web |last=Schulz |first=Dana |date=August 5, 2025 |title=The rise of the next Williamsburg: How Gowanus went from eyesore to eye-popping prices |url=https://www.6sqft.com/the-next-williamsburg-gowanus-canal-development/ |access-date=February 7, 2026 |website=6sqft}}</ref> Local businesses and residents formed the Gowanus Improvement District, a business improvement district, in 2024.<ref>{{cite web | last=Brendlen | first=Kirstyn | title=As Gowanus rezoning takes shape, locals move to form BID to protect biz, longtime residents| website=Brooklyn Paper | date=November 25, 2024 | url=https://www.brooklynpaper.com/gowanusians-move-form-bid-biz-residents/ | access-date=February 7, 2026}}</ref> By the mid-2020s, numerous apartment buildings were being built in Gowanus along the canal.<ref name="Hu w440" />

==Transportation== On the New York City Subway, the {{NYCS trains|Fourth local}} on the BMT Fourth Avenue Line and the {{NYCS trains|Culver}} on the IND Culver Line run through Gowanus, with stations at Smith–Ninth Streets and Fourth Avenue/Ninth Street. The neighborhood is also served by the {{NYC bus link|B37|B57|B61|B103|prose=y}} bus routes.<ref>{{Cite NYC bus map|B}}</ref> Bike routes cross the canal on the Union Street, 3rd Street and 9th Street bridges.<ref>{{cite web |last=NYC Department of Transportation |title=List of Bicycle Lanes in Roadways |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/lane-list.shtml |work=NYC.gov |publisher=New York City |access-date=January 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130312031830/http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/lane-list.shtml |archive-date=March 12, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The elevated Gowanus Expressway runs through the southern edge of the neighborhood, crossing the canal at Hamilton Avenue. The Carroll Street Bridge, built in 1889, is the oldest of the four remaining retractable bridges in the country.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Carroll Street Bridge; Getting a Landmark in Shape for Its 100th Birthday |first=Christopher |last=Gray |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE6D6173CF932A15756C0A96F948260 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=May 21, 1989 |access-date=July 4, 2010}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{commons category-inline|Gowanus, Brooklyn}} * {{wikivoyage inline|Brooklyn/Gowanus and Red Hook|Gowanus and Red Hook}}

{{Geographic location | Northwest = Cobble Hill | North = Boerum Hill | Northeast = Fort Greene | West = Carroll Gardens | Center = Gowanus, Brooklyn | East = Park Slope | Southwest = Red Hook | South = Gowanus Bay | Southeast = Greenwood Heights }} {{Brooklyn}}

Category:Gowanus, Brooklyn Category:Neighborhoods in Brooklyn