Parcel 1 – Block 2288, Lot 1

Historic Operations:

Parcels 1, 2, 3, and 4 were historically associated with the Williamsburg Works Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP), with each parcel having a different ownership history and being used for different operations. The Williamsburg Gas Light Company was incorporated in 1850 and is the first known operator of the Williamsburg MGP. Parcel 1 was operated by the Williamsburg Gas Light Company starting in at least 1888 and by its successor, Brooklyn Union Gas (BUG), until approximately 1948. Williamsburg Gas Light Company sold Parcel 1 to BUG in 1895. BUG was acquired by National Grid in 2007. The MGP used coal and other petroleum products to create a flammable gas that was transported through surrounding neighborhoods via a pipeline network. The manufactured gas produced at the MGP was used for cooking, heating, and lighting much like natural gas is used today. By the 1890s, the MGP produced gas via the coal gas production process before converting to water gas production.

During the MGP’s operations, Parcel 1 had one gas holder with a capacity of over 1 million cubic feet, one gas oil tank, a coal bin, and a storage shed. From 1919 to 1921, Parcel 1 had five tanks associated with the toluol manufacturing plant owned by the U.S. War Department and operated by BUG on behalf of the federal government on Parcels 1 through 3 and possibly Parcel 4. In 1935, MGP operations at Parcel 1 ceased, however, remnants of tank infrastructure were visible on a 1941 Sanborn Map. From 1943 to 1946, Parcel 1 was owned by BUG and leased to the U.S. Navy for use as a firefighting training school. From 1946 to 1948, BUG owned and operated Parcel 1 before it was sold to Jerome Zirinsky. By 1951, Mr. Zirinsky developed Parcel 1 into a beverage warehouse and garage with one gasoline storage tank. In 1979, Mr. Zirinsky sold Parcel 1 to the New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA). NYCIDA leased the property to Colonial Mirror and Glass Corp., which occupied the warehouse beginning in 1979 until 1996, when Colonial Mirror and Glass Corp. acquired the parcel. In 2002, Parcel 1 was sold to George and Abe Weiner, who sold it to North 12th Associates, LLC in 2006 which remains its present owner. In 2013, Amazon opened a photography studio at Parcel 1, which is presently in use.

Investigation / Remediation:

In 2007, National Grid entered into an Order on Consent with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to evaluate the extent of the environmental contamination at multiple sites, including the former Williamsburg Works MGP site partially located on Parcel 1. Environmental investigations on Parcel 1 commenced on behalf of National Grid in 2009, which continued through 2012. Results from this investigation were presented in Remedial Investigation Reports (RIR) in 2015, 2023, and 2024. Soil and groundwater samples were collected which indicated that there were NAPL, MGP, and non-MGP impacts present at Parcel 1. In 2021, National Grid entered into a second Order on Consent with NYSDEC that applied to Parcels 1 through 4. As part of this Order, an Interim Site Management Plan (ISMP) was prepared, requiring that National Grid maintain an institutional control of Parcel 1, which is zoned for industrial use. National Grid was also required to maintain a site access agreement with the property owner, conduct annual inspections of the soil cover system, prepare and record environmental easements, and continue the NAPL gauging and recovery.

Currently, Parcel 1 is listed under the NYSDEC State Superfund Program and is owned by North 12th Associates, LLC. Parcel 1 currently has a warehouse that is used as a photography studio.