Old Fulton Street

 Three historic buildings on Brooklyn's Old Fulton Street are facing the possibility of demolition. Numbers 11, 13 and 15 Old Fulton Street were built in the late 1830s when this was a busy commercial district around the Fulton Ferry landing at the river's edge. They predate the Brooklyn Bridge by nearly 50 years.

The three properties have been under vacate orders for months because their rear wall is in danger of collapse.
One reason the buildings are unstable is because they are built on poor fill, and the ground has settled over time. Another reason appears to be owner neglect. The good news: the owners recently removed tons of debris to lighten the loads within the buildings, and are now in negotiations with the city to avoid demolition.

The Fulton Ferry Historic District was designated by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in 1977. It's a small district and with these three buildings lost, it would certainly lose some integrity. With the increased development of DUMBO and Brooklyn Bridge Park this area is seeing much more attention and it would be great to see these buildings restored. The neglect these buildings have suffered is a shame. It would be sadder still to lose them altogether.

 Photo via National Park Service

Above you can see what the north side of Old Fulton Street looked like in 1974 when the Fulton Ferry National Register district was designated. The buildings at 11-15 Old Fulton are to the right of the gap in the buildings.

For more info:
Brooklyn Paper, "Historic Building Could Be Destroyed on Old Fulton Street"
DumboNYC.Com "Update on 11-15 Old Fulton Street Demolition"
Fulton Ferry Landing Association "11-15 Old Fulton Update"

All color photos by The Preservator.