[Photo courtesy of Chris Curen]
A Red Hook correspondent with a view of the Ikea site in Red Hook emails this photo of the fast-vanishing historic Graving Dock, along with word that about three-fourths has already been filled. The Municipal Art Society had filed a lawsuit to prevent Ikea from filling the dock. No matter, Ikea has clearly been busy for quite a while bringing in fill by barge to Red Hook. He writes:
The fill comes in from the barge at right on a conveyor belt...the grading slopes downward as one heads towards the bulkheads. Thus, while the photo seems to show mostly an empty bottom, in fact heavy machinery can roll in and out of the graving dock on a slope from the Beard St. end. In short, the near end of the dock, which is difficult to photograph from my place - is completely full...Ikea will pave over the fill and use it for parking. Activists had been trying to save the Civil War-era Graving Dock as a working facility.
· Lawsuit Filed to Save Red Hook Graving Dock [Curbed]
· Constructoporn: Swedish Red Hook Ikea Edition [Curbed]