The Williamsburg Gas Light Company was incorporated in 1850 and was the first known operator of the Williamsburg Works MGP.  The earliest known gas holders at the Williamsburg Works site were constructed circa 1863 and 1868.  In 1895, the Williamsburg Gas Light Company and several other Brooklyn gas manufacturing companies were acquired by The Brooklyn Union Gas Company, now d/b/a National Grid.  During World War I, the United States government, acting through the Ordnance Department of the War Department, constructed a briefly-used toluol manufacturing plant within the Williamsburg Works site.  Gas production at Williamsburg Works declined significantly in the late 1920s, and by 1935 the MGP was used for standby only.  By 1941, the Williamsburg Works MGP had ceased operation and the MGP structures had been dismantled.

The Williamsburg Works site was subdivided and sold to third parties in the years following decommissioning and is now comprised of four properties (Parcels 1 through 4) that encompass approximately 5.7 acres.  Three of the four properties (Parcels 2, 3, and 4) are contiguous and collectively they are bordered by the East River, North 11th and North 12th Streets and Kent Avenue.  These properties are to be developed as part of Bushwick Inlet Park. The fourth Parcel (Parcel 1) is located on the southeast side of Kent Avenue between North 11th and North 12th Streets.  Parcel IDs have been assigned for ease of reference and are shown in the above figure.  The Parcel IDs, addresses, and tax map information for these properties are listed below. 

Parcel ID	Address	Current Owner	Block	Lot
Within Williamsburg Works MGP Footprint (Site)
Parcel 1	35 Kent Avenue Brooklyn, NY	North 12TH Associates	2288	1
Parcel 2	21 North 12th Street (50 Kent Avenue), Brooklyn, NY	NYC Parks Dept	2287	1
Parcel 3	20 North 12th Street Brooklyn, NY	NYC Parks Dept	2287	16
Parcel 4	2 North 11th Street Brooklyn, NY	NYC Parks Dept	2287	30
Outside Williamsburg Works MGP Footprint
Parcel 5	16 North 11th Street Brooklyn, NY	NYC Parks Dept	2294	1
	33 North 10th Street Brooklyn, NY	NYC Parks Dept	2294	5
Parcel 6	1-26 North 12th Street Brooklyn, NY	NYC Parks Dept	2277	1
	Portions of 1 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY	NYC Parks Dept	2590	100
Source:  New York City Oasis Map http://www.oasisnyc.net/map.aspx accessed 10/25/2023

The site is located within a dense urban area of mixed commercial, industrial, and residential land use.  Parcels 5 and 6, as well as 25 Kent Avenue, which are located adjacent to the former MGP footprint, to the south and north, respectively, have a long history of industrial activity including oil refining, storage, and distribution.