West Street between Greenpoint Avenue and Calyer Street
c. 1890s

Originally home to the American Manufacturing Company, the largest nationwide manufacturer of maritime rope in its time, this complex of 16 buildings was once Brooklyn’s second largest industrial enterprise. As industry moved out of the area in the 1980’s, the buildings fell into disrepair, and by the 1990’s, became overrun with squatters and wildlife, gaining the moniker “Forgotten City.” Much of the complex was destroyed in 2006 by one of the worst fires in the city’s recent history, with 350 firemen called to contain it. The surviving buildings were repurposed as artists’ studios, office space, and start-up businesses. Along West Street, note the wooden block pavers – a once ubiquitous paving material rarely seen in the city today.