Welcome to Brooklyn!
Bob recounts history of the Brooklyn Bridge, and of the borough itself. He also talks about DUMBO, the neighborhood location for this project. Once an operating pepper mill, the warehouse building to be rehabbed has stood vacant for several decades.
Clip Summary
Standing in front of the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, Bob gives a brief history of the bridge's construction, and its subsequent impact on the surrounding neighborhoods along the waterfront, specifically DUMBO.After World War II, the neighborhood went into decline as warehouses and factories sat empty, before pioneer urban developers in the 1980s started converting vacant commercial space into upscale residential.
Once a pepper mill, the project building was abandoned in the mid-20th century and sat empty for several decades. Chris Vila, Bob's eldest son, serves as project manager for the rehab.
