Parcel 4 – Block 2287, Lot 30

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 4 was operated by the Williamsburg Gas Light Company starting in at least 1868 and by its successor, Brooklyn Union Gas (BUG), until approximately 1935. Williamsburg Gas Light Company sold Parcel 4 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 4 directly abutted the East River with one pier for shipping and receiving materials, as well as a coal shed, four tar tanks, three gas oil tanks, purifying houses, and pump houses. There were also oil conduits and steam pipelines that traversed Parcels 3 and 4 to connect to the Pratt Oil Works on Parcels 5 and 6. From 1919 to 1921, Parcel 4 may have been used for 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. In 1935, MGP operations at Parcel 4 ceased and all structures were demolished prior to 1941. In 1947, BUG sold Parcel 4 to Havemeyer and Elder, Inc. and in 1948, Havemeyer and Elder, Inc. sold the property to Brooklyn Eastern Terminal. Sometime after 1947 when BUG sold Parcel 4, fill was added above the historic industrial surface of Parcels 2, 3, and 4 to level it for later site development. In 1958, Paragon Oil Co., Inc. acquired Parcel 4 from Brooklyn Eastern Terminal. By 1978, Parcel 4 was used for oil truck parking until approximately 1982. In 1982, Texaco, Inc. (a successor to Paragon Oil Co., Inc.) sold Parcel 4 to Bridge Lumber Co., Inc., which sold the property to the New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) a few months later. In 1984, Parcel 4 was a paved parking lot. By 1987, NYCDIA sold Parcel 4 back to Bridge Lumber Co., which then sold it to R.A.R Realty Corp. on the same day. North 12th Street Transfer Corp. operated a construction and demolition debris transfer station on the southwest corner of Parcel 4 from 1987 until at least 1991. CitiPostal aka CitiStorage acquired Parcel 4 in 1995 from R.A.R. Realty Corp. Between 1996 and 2001, Parcel 4 was developed into multiple adjoining buildings, the easternmost of which was interconnected with the warehouse on Parcel 3. In 2001, 10th Street LLC purchased Parcel 4 from CitiStorage, and then New 10th Street LLC acquired it in 2004. The buildings on Parcel 4 were used for document storage and offices until they were destroyed by fire in 2015. New York City (NYC) purchased Parcel 4 in 2017 to incorporate it into Bushwick Inlet Park. Parcel 4 is currently vacant.

Investigation / Remediation:

Environmental investigations at Parcel 4 commenced on behalf of NYC in 2006, outside of the area occupied by the buildings. The Site Investigation found both MGP and non-MGP contaminants in soil, groundwater, and sediment samples. 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 4. In 2009, site investigations began on behalf of National Grid on Parcels 1 through 6, which continue to the present. Results from these investigations were presented in draft Remedial Investigation Reports (RIR) in 2015, 2023, and 2024. Soil and groundwater samples were collected which indicated that NAPL, MGP, and non-MGP impacts were present at Parcel 4. 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 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.  A Remedial Alternatives Analysis for impacts associated with Parcels 2, 3, and 4 is currently under development.

Currently, Parcel 4 is listed under the NYSDEC State Superfund Program and is owned by NYC as part of Bushwick Inlet Park.