Gowanus Canal Gowanus Canal

Self Guided Waterfront Bicycle Tour

"It is not possible to describe how this bay swarms with fish, both large and small, whales, tunnies and porpoises, whole schools of innumerable other fish, which the eagles and other birds of prey swiftly seize in their talons when the fish come up to the surface, and hauling them out of the water, fly with them to the nearest wood or beach, as we saw." - Gowanus Bay © Journal of Jasper Danckaerts 1679-1680

  1. Borough Hall – Take a deep breath – To dredge Gowanus, we need to start here with the political forces who will eventually finance the effort!

  2. DUMBO – Head north from here for the North Brooklyn Bicycle Tour on another day

  3. Brooklyn Bridge – home of BargeMusic and the River Café – commercial uses will remain in the park plans

  4. The Brooklyn Bridge Park ends at Atlantic Avenue yet our waterfront greenway bicycle trail continues. The Gowanus Expressway drops into a ditch and divides these neighborhoods

  5. Seaman's Building at DeGraw St. – A Maritime Exhibit Center / Community Room is being discussed here

  6. The Red Hook Containerport 1 million sq. ft in full operation – it handles 65,000 containers annually

  7. Louis Valentino Pier Park in honor of a firefighter who perished in the line of duty – this is where Red Hook gets its name as the land used to "hook" into Buttermilk Channel – The Dutch established the village of Red Hook (Roode Hoek) in 1636. Red Hook was one of the earliest areas in Brooklyn to be settled. The area was named for its red clay soil and the hook shape of its peninsular corner of Brooklyn that projects into the East River. A map from the 1760s shows a developed village at a time when there was little else in Brooklyn. In the 1850s the Atlantic Basin opened and Red Hook became one of the busiest ports in the country.

  8. The Waterfront Museum is a land-mark barge that runs maritime education programs, summer festivals including Circus Sundays and Sunset Music shows. It is considered one of NY’s best venues and it is available for rent with stunning harbor views www.waterfrontmuseum.org

  9. Beard Street Warehouse Pier houses restored Civil War Era buildings used by small manufacturers

  10. Todd Shipyards are operational as a working dock – the Monitor was repaired here.

  11. Erie Basin developed in 1825-1850s as the largest east coast harbor now used for fishing

  12. Recreational Area includes 70 acres of fields and a Robert Moses pool. Unfortunately, Moses is also responsible for the 1946 Gowanus Expressway construction 1950 opening of the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel cutting the neighborhood off from the rest of the borough and Red Hook is only now starting to recover.

  13. Hamilton Avenue Bridge - View of Gowanus Bay - Barges carry trash from a building that will be retrofitted saving Red Hook from more trash. The drawbridge opens for the Gowanus Trader and tugs bringing fuel oil up the canal once a month. www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dot/html/bridges/bridges/hamilton.html Imagine the Dutch Settlers who arrived to find native Americans enjoying oysters, the size of a dinner plate, in this bay.

  14. Lowes Site – This bridge operates like an elevator and is below the Smith/9th Stop on the "F/G" MTA’s highest station affords stunning views of the harbor. On the southeast bank, a Lowes Department Store has recently been completed including a waterfront esplanade. www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dot/html/bridges/history/oldninth.html and www.nycsubway.org/ind/crosstown/

  15. Dennett Place Mews is a narrow street off Smith Street between Luquer and Nelson Streets with unique homes once occupied by workers on the Canal

  16. "Public Place" is a large vacant City-owned lot at 5th Street. Once polluted by KEYSPAN Gas, it is now being studied for remediation. It has been a blight for twenty years while residents argue its future.

  17. Third Street Bridge wasn’t here when Washington fled (in "The Battle of Brooklyn") from British Redcoats and 300 Marylander’s paid the ultimate sacrifice when Gowanus was a creek. They are buried in a mass grave nearby and one may hear a musket shot on a foggy morning. The Old Stone House (at 3rd / 3rd ) JJ Byrne Park runs programs to preserve and promote this history www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dot/html/bridges/history/3rdst.html

  18. 2nd Street Canoe Launch and Garden is run by over thirty volunteers. The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club strives for Canal cleaning and will give you a ride! 718.243-0849 www.waterfrontmuseum.org/dredgers

  19. Carroll Street Bridge is a landmark cable bridge that slides into the inlet to the southeast shore of the canal. www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dot/html/bridges/history/carroll.html Concrete silos are now art gallery spaces. In 1849 NYS constructed the canal, shipped in granite and brownstone Brooklyn flourished with sewage and all.

  20. Union Street Bridge is home to Bayside Fuel Oil - the last vestige of industry and the pumping station to the north. It opened in 1911 and operated until 1961 heralding the end of a working Gowanus waterfront but unfortunately, it was broken until 1999 when a new pump was installed www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dot/html/bridges/bridges/union.html

  21. The Pumping Station / Douglas St. is a landmark brick building which sat idle for almost forty years as elected officials stumbled along attempting repair. In 1999 it was finally reactivated pumping 200 million gallons of water daily and is credited for the rebirth of Gowanus wildlife. Now more than ever, the canal must be dredged and cleaned. The Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club is generating support by encouraging environmental restoration through recreation.

  22. Artists have discovered Gowanus and host an annual open studio tour starting at 295 Douglas St.

  23. The Old Stone House is a landmark structure with public programs. Their hotline is 718 768 3195.
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