EMPIRE STORES
At one time the Brooklyn waterfront was full of commercial activity that supported New York as a port city. In the 19th century, the waterfront was lined with warehouses like this one. If you come to DUMBO or Brooklyn Bridge Park, you should see the Empire Stores building.
The building was constructed in 1869 with additions by the architect Thomas Stone in 1885 in the Romanesque Revival style. The entire building was used as a warehouse for coffee. The renovation was designed by Studio V Architecture along with S9 Architecture and Perkins Eastman. Completed in 2016, it’s part of the Fulton Ferry Historic district. After many attempts to renovate this building since the 1970’s, it’s now a great example of adaptive reuse and preservation
The warehouse has been adapted into an office building with varied retail on the ground level. An open air space cuts into the existing warehouse providing both the primary entrance from Water Street or the park as well as natural light into the deep office space since the building was designed to store coffee beans and not as a modern office building. There isn’t much natural light on the inside with the wide floors and relatively small windows. The public has access to a roof terrace with great views of the the lower Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. On your way up to the roof, stop by the Brooklyn Historical Society’s exhibit space and gift shop. You can learn more about this building and the waterfront here.
On weekends especially, there is a lot of activity in the park with people coming for their wedding pictures, picnic or to ride Jane’s Carousel.
Getting here is easy by subway or by NYC Ferry along the East River. If you take the trip down from the stop at East 34th Street, you’ll pass under the 3 bridges and get a spectacular view of the city.
There’s a cafe on the ground floor with outdoor seating at the stair as well as Cecconi’s restaurant facing the park on the ground level. A few blocks away, you can find Juilana’s Pizza on Old Fulton Street where there is usually a line for their tables. It’s worth the wait.
The Brooklyn Historical Society's website is here:
http://brooklynhistory.org/dumbo/
Time Out New York Market with a variety of food stalls has replaced the VHH Foods on the ground level with additional space on the roof level:
https://www.timeout.com/newyork/time-out-market
Cecconi's restaurant is on the ground floor facing the river:
Juliana's Pizza is nearby at 19 Old Fulton Street: