We’ve probably walked past this sign in Gowanus dozens of times without noticing, but this time we did and here it is. No Domping Here. Or Doomping either. Understood?

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[Photos courtesy of New York Public Library] These are photos of what is described as a “squatters colony” in Gowanus in and around our favorite canal taken during the 1920s and 1930s according to the photos. An interesting little bit of local historical background for sure.

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[Photo courtesy of megunski/GL Flickr Pool] Gowanus pigeons, taking flight, like, uh, poetry in motion.

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Heads up book lovers – big sale at Picture Box (121 3rd St. at Bond) down in Gowanus this weekend (Sat 11/22, Sun 11/23), noon-5pm. Everything from educational to fiction, collectible to rare, children’s to graphic novels, as well as magazines. We don’t often promote sales that stores are having, but this is a cool […]

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There are many letter being written to Marty Markowitz about the Toll Brothers proposal to build a big condo development on the Gowanus. (There’s a letter writing campaign underway both on this project and about asking for an 8-story height limit in the Gowanus rezoning.) The fact that Carroll Gardens residents are now leading the […]

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[Photo courtesy of Adrian Kinloch/Brit in Brooklyn] Our friend Adrian Kinloch, who is an extraordinary photographer and photoblogger as well as a wonderful person, has a way of capturing images that make even the most workaday old building look great. Case in point, this shot of the old Daily News Garage on Third Avenue in […]

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The Toll Brothers application to get property rezoned so they can put up their condo development on the Gowanus Canal has already been approved by Commmunity Board 6. Today, the Brooklyn Borough President will be having a hearing on the plan as part of the ULURP process. Per a community email (and there are many […]

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Carroll Gardens residents have started a letter writing campaign to Borough President Marty Markowitz asking him to support an eight-story height limit for building along the entire length of the Gowanus Canal rather than the 12 stories in the “MX Waterfront South” District (above) that the current city plan is calling for. Here is the […]

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[Photo courtesy of megunski/GL Flickr Pool] Gowanus has a special look on a cold and overcast November day. The land in question is the (maybe possible) site of the Gowanus Whole Foods.

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Planning Commission Chair Amanda Burden visited Gowanus last night to talk about the status of the city’s plans to upzone 25 blocks of Gowanus to allow buildings up to 12 stories tall, but she surprised everyone by announcing that a Carroll Gardens downzoning proposals would be ready by June, 2009. Ms. Burden claimed to want […]

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City Planning Chair Amanda Burden is comming to Gowanus tonight for a forum hosted by Commmunity Board 6. The general topic is the status of the contentious rezoning of the neighborhood to allow higher density, high-rise development. Per an emial alert: An update by Commissioner Burden on the department’s land use activities related to the […]

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Oh how we enjoy coming across interesting history about Brooklyn. Ever wonder about that big blank wall out on 3rd Avenue running between 1st and 3rd Streets? Yeah, now it surrounds a ConEd compound… but that’s a pretty damn nice looking wall for just some lame energy company’s yard. Well constructed. Sound. Ain’t nobody knocking […]

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[Photo courtesy of PMFA] The controversial Toll Brothers project that could be sunk by the firm’s shaky finances before a pile is ever driven into the ground, was endorsed by Community Board Six at a meeting in Park Slope last night. The vote was 23-10 in favor with 6 abstentions. Local blogger PMFA attended and […]

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[Photo courtesy of cathyerway/flickr] A GL Reader writes in with the tantalizing tip that there will be some kick ass food available outside shows at the Bell House in Gowanus: “As you know, the [Red Hook] vendors were at the Bell House election party and apparently did bang-up business. Just heard from an employee that […]

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Issue Project Room was recently awarded a 20-year lease for the amazing theatre space at 110 Livingston St. Problem is – they need $2.5mil to make it happen. Word has it that they’ve already raised $1mil of it, but they still have a lot more work to do and a lot more money to raise. […]

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Today (11/7), Brooklyn Artists Gym (BAG) is having its inaugural fundraiser at the Center for the Urban Environment (168 7th Ave b/w 1st St & Garfield Pl) to help raise money to award high schoolers and single parent artists with studio space to create a new body of work, and to help suppose the creative […]

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You know the city is planning to make some progress on its Gowanus rezoning proposal if City Planning Commission Chair Amanda Burden is going to be coming to the neighborhood for a “forum” with residents. Here’s the lowdown: An informational update by Commissioner Burden on the department’s land use activities related to the Gowanus Canal […]

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There was a meeting last week about the future and plans for the horrendously polluted Public Place in Gowanus that is the future location of the planned Gowanus Green development. One of the headlines is that a big warehouse that currently occupies part of the site is being demolished this month. The site was once […]

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[Photo courtesy of Nifty Pete/GL Flickr Pool] Oh, it’s just our Pathmark and Lowes shopping area as seen from across the Big G.

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[Photo courtesy of June Carter Cash Peep/GL Flickr Pool] This may be the coolest pic of our favorite bridge in NYC–the Carroll Street Bridge–we’ve ever seen.

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[Photo courtesy Brooklyn Botanic Garden] This is, per the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s photo archive the “Gowanus Canal Children’s Garden, 1920, supervised by BBG graduate, A. J. Boylan of 1914 class.” We take no credit for locating this. That goes to Brenda Becker, who produces the always engaging and wonderful A Year in the Park blog. […]

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[Photo courtesy of Max Casey] GL Correspondent Max Casey came upon the open doors of Tom Otterness’s fascinating Gowanus studio and this photo is the result. Our Max has a habit of putting the old nose where it doesn’t belong and in this case, it paid off.

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[Photo courtesy of PMFA] The Land Use Committee of Community Board Six voted overwhelmingly in favor of the zoning changes requested by Toll Brothers to build their big condo project on the shores of the Gowanus Canal. Only one committee member voted “no.” The firm has spent more than $375,000 lobbying for the zoning change […]

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Well, the Gowanus Whole Foods isn’t dead, but God only knows what’s going to happen on the polluted property that could cost a fortune to remediate and develop. Yesterday, Curbed posted an email that Whole Foods sent out late last week to local officials saying that it was looking for a development partner on the […]

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