Located at the northernmost tip of Brooklyn, Greenpoint is one of New York City’s most fascinating locales. The origin of its name derives from the Dutch word hoek, meaning “point, and indeed, Greenpoint is bordered on three sides by water: the East River to the West, the waterfront to the North and East, and Bushwick Creek to the South.In the 1600s, the Dutch sailing upriver would identify different areas based on their predominant color, hence the naming of Greenpoint for its lush, fertile soil. Through the ages, the ownership of this peculiar ground passed through many hands. From the peaceful hands of the Lenape Native Americans to the land-hungry Dutch, to the British Royal Navy during the American Revolution, and to dynasties of farmers whose family names still characterize its streets.
Despite all the changes that time wrought, one variable remained constant: Greenpoint’s unique topography, which kept it enticing to all interests as a strategic point of land peering directly into New York Harbor.
The significance was further recognized during the Industrial Revolution, when development of all-metal machine tools enabled technological innovations such as steam-powered ships and railways. Greenpoint became a shipbuilder’s paradise, fully utilizing the waterfront for the manufacturing of marine engines. In 1866, Greenpoint was the site of construction of The Great Republic, the largest wooden ship ever built on the beaches of Newtown Creek; it was an achievement exceeded only by the USS Monitor, the Union’s first ironclad warship constructed on West Street during the Civil War.
The area’s rapid transformation also led to vast socio-economic changes. As thousands of industrial jobs were created along the waterfront, farmers were soon replaced by waves of hard-working immigrants. From then on, the Greenpoint neighborhood slowly developed into a unique mix, with profitable businesses blanketing the waterfront and workers’ homes filling inland streets. To accommodate this social revolution, infrastructure soon blossomed, until the city’s plans finally included roads and bridges to link Greenpoint to Manhattan.
Greenpoint has since developed into a contemporary, quaint Brooklyn neighborhood, whose diverse history, rich architecture and inviting personality are impossible to miss. Some of the area's oldest historic churches are intermingled with European style bakeries, cafes, organic food markets and the thirty-six acre McCarren Park, which serves as one of the borough’s largest green oases.
The New York artist community has fallen in love with Greenpoint in recent years, owing to the historic loft buildings, open studio spaces, and its resemblance to European ambiance. New residents mostly work in advertising, film, fine arts, dance, and fashion. Its sister neighborhood, Williamsburg, has long embraced the same people. Collectively, these two neighborhoods have the highest concentration of artists in the United States.
As time passes, one could imagine their children loving and eventually residing in this neighborhood as well.
Apartment 3A, 2 Japanese Bedroom Open Loft (enlarge)