Since Last Year, Senator Pushed for Historic Landmark Designation For Iconic Site
Brooklyn, NY – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced today that the U.S. Department of the Interior’s National Park Service is set to place the Brooklyn Navy Yard on the National Register of Historic Places. Since last year, Senator Gillibrand has urged the National Park Service to provide this federal designation for the iconic site, a key thriving and cutting-edge manufacturing hub. This federal distinction would give the Navy Yard access to historic tax credits to help upgrade facilities for new businesses, further investing in these industries, which have helped generate approximately 7,000 jobs. The federal status would also help preserve the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s historic architecture and encourage private sector investment. Last August, Senator Gillibrand toured the Navy Yard and threw her backing for the Navy Yard to be added to the national register.
The Navy Yard and its tenants have already applied for federal historic tax credits to help fund the construction of several job-creating, adaptive-reuse projects, including the Green Manufacturing Center that will soon house both New Lab and Crye Precision. Now that the Navy Yard is set to be listed on the National Register, the urban manufacturing center can access this vital funding.
“This is great news. The deep history and cultural significance of the Brooklyn Navy Yard is indisputable,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “I am thrilled that this historic site, now home to an innovative, high-tech manufacturing hub, is finally recognized. Federal designation will help protect one of the country’s most storied naval districts while reinvigorating historic structures to help grow new businesses.”
“Small businesses are the backbone of the economy and, as we see every day at this City-owned facility, they need assistance from all levels of government to nurture their growth. By placing the Brooklyn Navy Yard on the National Register of Historic Places, we will have access to tax credits that are vital to making improvements to buildings and infrastructure so these companies can focus on their day to day activities,” said David Ehrenberg, President and CEO of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation. “On behalf of the businesses benefiting from the Navy Yard’s Register status, I thank Sen. Gillibrand for her support throughout this process.”
In an August 2013 letter to Jonathan Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service, Senator Gillibrand wrote, “I write in support of the candidacy of the Brooklyn Navy Yard for placement on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places… As the largest and oldest industrial complex in New York City, the historic district is one of the Navy’s most significant shipbuilding yards and one of the six original federal shipyards… Today, the Yard is at the heart of the manufacturing renaissance in New York City… Inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places will deliver the much-deserved recognition of the Navy Yard’s role in the nation’s industrial history, a central role that continues today. I ask that you please give the Brooklyn Navy Yard’s application your full consideration.”
As one of the nation’s oldest naval installations, the 300-acre industrial park on the Brooklyn waterfront is now part of the Brooklyn Tech Triangle and home to several diverse industries including art restoration, maritime ship repair, and design and manufacturing of high-end home goods. New Lab and Crye Precision will soon be expanding operations into the Navy Yard’s Green Manufacturing Center, which is now under construction. The $46 million construction project will transform three former WWII-era Navy machine shops into a LEED-certified industrial complex, creating an estimated 300 permanent jobs and 400 construction jobs. The Green Manufacturing Center project plans to leverage historic tax credit funding and has received capital grants from the Empire State Development Corporation, New York City Council, and Brooklyn Borough President.