Domino Sugar Refinery

  East River Park 
  Originally uploaded by fredwilson.

I was riding in the east river park this morning and came across this scene which struck me as evidence of urban renewal and the challenges it presents.

A beautiful green baseball and soccer field looking out over the east river. What a nice gift from the parks department.

In the background is the shuttered Domino Sugar Refinery which was built by the Havemeyer family in 1880. It operated consistently until it was shut in 2004. When the refinery was built, New York refined over 60 percent of the nation's sugar. How times change.

According to Curbed, the Domino site is the subject of a landmark fight between the preservationists on one side and the developers on the other. Nothing new there. That's life in NYC in the early 21st century.

Although these fights can get contentious and nasty, I think New York is doing a decent job at balancing the competing interests. We need new parks, ballfields, and other improvements to a decaying infrastructure. But we also need to maintain images that define New York. And I think this is one of them.

Comments

[jackson]

I disagree, tear it down. U G L Y, and potentially dangerous - kids find their way into these things and bad stuff happens, maybe keep the sign, but think of whar can be done with that land.

[John Pritchard]

I agree that it's iconic, but we've lost icons before.

While I'm generally conservative of this life, I think that the pressing needs for urban renewal and evolution are far greater. This case included.

More generally, there's far too much poorly used real estate in NYC.

Like the (3) power plant stacks, in so many movie frames. I wouldn't cry over them if they were to go.

There's better icons that are truly worth preserving. Take the classics like the Chrysler building, the old City Bank building (featured in Spike Lee's bank robbery film), and of course -- the grandaddy of them all -- the Empire State building.

[cfw]

The US food bill (mis-named the farm bill) subsidizing corn growing, for high fructose corn syrup, probably made the Domino refinery uneconomic.

I like the idea of having persons of all ages able to vote re land use (with guardians voting for those under 12 or so).

Assuming we had that sort of one person one vote system, the Domino refinery might be converted to gyms or ice rinks or other indoor sports facilities.

Disney and Frank Gehry have done good work re-purposing old buildings (including a nice ice rink for Disney). That said, this Domino place looks pretty butt ugly, and subject to flooding with global warming lifting the water level by 16 feet or so.

NYC needs to avoid eyesores like the NJ Turnpike used to be.

[P-Air]

I grew up in NYC's east side, and I'd hardly call the Domino Sugar refinery a defining image of NY. Just because it was there since before the turn of the century doesn't make it relevant to the vibrancy of the city, and afterall, it's just a corporate symbol, not like they're emblematic of a social good.

[Evan Solomon]

I'm usually on the side of preserving landmarks whenever it's feasible. I live in New York and I enjoy seeing things that remind me it's a real city with a real history as much as anyone. The Domino factory seems totally unnecessary to me though. First, it just doesn't evoke any strong New York thoughts in my mind. I think a couple of the other comments echo that sentiment. Second, it could be used for much more productive things. The ball field in your post is a great example.

I think it undermines some of the legitimacy in saving real New York landmarks if stuff like this gets preserved as well.

[Trent]

So buy it. That goes for all the landmark debates. If it is so culturally important as to preclude other uses it should be little trouble raising the funds to save it. If not, perhaps too many marginal things are trying to be "saved" using OPM in the interests of some other goal - such as maintaining the high rents and property values because nothing new can get built.

[Kate Black]

Having the Domino Sugar Plant around keeps the rent high? Either you jest or you haven't seen the luxury high rises sprouting up like weeds along the waterfront. The developers aren't putting up public-use buildings, nor are they putting up affordable housing. They're shitting the place up with exorbitantly priced hideous, glass & steel condos that look like human terrariums. And they're so tall they block out the sunlight for blocks around.

If it comes to living in a neighborhood where there's an abandoned historic sugar plant or an ugly, obscenely tall human terrarium eclipsing out the sunlight, I'll take the sugar plant. I guarantee the landlords around here aren't dropping the rent either way.

[jake]

some new pictures from inside the domino complex: at Bluejake

[been watching this unfold]

These so called preservationists were more than happy to have the complex torn down until the developer suggested including 50% affordable housing. The hypocrite racist white kids pushing the spanish community out of the Southside are using their landmark preservation crys to hide there true racist agenda, which is make the conversion of the site too expensive to include affordable housing. Oh yeah, we were supposed to believe that all the structures on the site (even the refinery buildings that had no reuse potential) were so importenat to save. My ass.

[BRENDA MILLER]

Dear Sirs: I am writing to you on behalf of the Freedom Mission in Locksport, Louisiana which houses mostly teenagers who are try-
ing to get their lives back on track after being on drugs, etc. It is a selfsupporting facility that depends on donations only; clothes, food etc. After eating just beans and rice for a period of time Tyson donated a truckload of chicken so they had a change in menu. They are raising most of their own vegetables but the only way they are able to get sugar is if they get money from home
and pitch in for just enough to have an occasional glass of kool-aid but it is used very sparingly. This is a great facility but a poor one but it has turned out some good rehabilited kids that leave there after at least six months. They are not only given the tools to get back into society but they are ministered to by a Baptist Minister who works really hard to keep the facility going, feeding their souls as well as their bodies. I have a son in this facility and by the grace of God it looks like he may join the ministry himself when he gets out in a few months. He works in the kitchen (he's a good cook) and would like to serve sweetened kool-aid and tea and perhaps make an occasional birthday cake for the residents there. Some of them have never had a birthday cake and I believe that even this small gesture could mean a lot to some of these kids. I guess you've guessed by now that I am writing to you to ask for a donation of sugar to this facility. Any amount I'm sure would be greatly appreciated by all. We pray that you will give this request consideration.
You may contact me at my email address here at City Hall in Jennings, Louisiana. God Bless You!! (bfmiller@cityofjennings.com)

[Holly Brunette]

To whom it may concern, I was disappointed when I recently saw your scenic views of New England sugar packets. I noticed that you only included 7 "scenic views" and only 1 horizontal image among these. Now I am wondering why you selected only 7 and chose to make 1 horizontal. I find the disproportionate selection frustrating. I am suggesting you include more horizontal images and a greater variety of New Englands beauty. Please respond with your plans to reconsile this situation.
Sincerely,
Holly Brunette

[Chrstine]

Keep the place going but fix it up
Turn it into something NY needs a DAY care for children and a NURSING home for the elderly Call it 'SUGAR AND SPICE" Keep the DOMINO box but make it safe.
It is too sweet to knock it down.
Just because it is old does not mean it is UGLY. Make it shine

[chris h]

To update the story a little bit, just noticed that Free Williamsburg is linking to the story that the Domino Sugar Factory received landmark status.