Empire Stores

Empire Stores is a former warehouse complex along the waterfront Brooklyn Bridge Park within the neighborhood of Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York City, in the U.S. state of New York. It hosts a food hall and market operated by Time Out New York,[1] which opened in 2019,[2] as well as an art gallery called Gallery 55.[3]

Empire Stores
The warehouse's exterior in 2007
LocationDumbo, Brooklyn, New York City, U.S.
Coordinates40.703605°N 73.991648°W / 40.703605; -73.991648
Address53-83 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Opening date2016
DeveloperMidtown Equities
Total retail floor area330,000 square feet (31,000 m2)
No. of floors5
Websiteempirestoresdumbo.com/about/

Description and history
Water Street in 2019

Empire Stores comprises seven buildings with a total of 330,000 square feet (31,000 m2) of space.[4] The building was originally completed in 1869, with additions made in 1885. It housed a number of businesses in its life as a cargo warehouse (coffee beans, sugar, molasses) for nearly a century, before being abandoned in the 1960s.[5]

In 2013, Brooklyn developer Midtown Equities was selected to redevelop the abandoned Empire Stores warehouses into a mix of commercial and office space, designed by Studio V Architecture and S9 Architecture.[6][7][8] The plan contained commercial and office space; restaurants and event areas; and a publicly accessible central passageway, courtyard, and rooftop.[9][10] Many of the original design features were retained, such as schist walls, iron hoisting wheels, and coffee chutes.[10] The ground floor was lowered several inches to integrate more smoothly with the rest of the park, but since the buildings are located directly on the waterfront, this makes them vulnerable to flooding during a storm surge. As a result, deployable flood barriers were purchased for Empire Stores, and the complex includes transformers on the seventh floor and a backup power generator.[11]

The Brooklyn Historical Society (BHS) was selected to operate a 3,200-square-foot (300 m2) museum to celebrate Brooklyn's industrial history.[9][12] Other future tenants included the area restaurant Vinegar Hill House,[13] the watchmaker Shinola,[14] a beer garden on the roof,[15] and several other eateries.[16]

Time Out Market New York, 2019

Midtown Equities originally intended to open Empire Stores in 2015.[17] The flagship West Elm store, opened in August 2016, was the first tenant to open in Empire Stores, and for a year was the only tenant within the shopping complex.[18][19] This was followed by the BHS Dumbo exhibition space in May 2017.[20] Upon the opening of other shops, Empire Stores' waterfront location quickly became a popular spot for selfies, especially those with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background.[21]

Time Out Market New York

In early 2018, it was announced that Time Out Market New York would open a food hall in Empire Stores with 20 restaurants and three bars.[22][23][24] The market opened in May 2019.[25][26]

References
  1. Geberer, Raanan (2019-03-28). "More food vendors announced for Time Out's Empire Stores food market". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  2. Vianna, Carla (2019-05-31). "Dumbo's New Food Hall With Waterfront Views Swings Open Today". Eater NY. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  3. Frost, Mary (2019-03-25). "Small art gallery nestled within Empire Stores is big springboard for Brooklyn artists". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  4. Foderaro, Lisa W. (May 22, 2012). "Deal Allows Development in Brooklyn Bridge Park". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  5. Frishberg, Hannah (August 24, 2015). "A Timeline of the History of Empire Stores, 1868 to Present". Brownstoner. Retrieved 2022-12-23.
  6. Dunlap, David (September 25, 2013). "Another Pass at Revitalizing Abandoned Warehouse Space on the Waterfront". The New York Times. Retrieved December 5, 2013.
  7. Chaban, Matt (August 25, 2013). "Local Developer Chosen to Transform Brooklyn Bridge Area". New York Daily News.
  8. "Empire Stores | BUILT". S9Architecture. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  9. "Mayor Bloomberg Breaks Ground on New Home for St. Ann's Warehouse at BBP". brooklynbridgepark.org (Press release). October 31, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  10. Dunlap, David W. (September 25, 2013). "Another Pass at Revitalizing Abandoned Warehouse Space on the Waterfront". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  11. Dunlap, David W. (March 2, 2017). "Flood Barrier in Brooklyn: A 7-Foot Wall, Erected in Hours". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  12. Venugopal, Nikhita (December 21, 2015). "Empire Stores New Museum Space Awarded $300K for 'Waterfront' Exhibit". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  13. Ferst, Devra (February 24, 2015). "Vinegar Hill House and London's Pizza East Coming to Empire Stores in Dumbo". Eater NY. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  14. Geiger, Daniel (March 26, 2015). "Watchmaker Shinola to open first Brooklyn store in old coffee warehouse". Crain's New York Business. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  15. Perlman, Matthew (May 30, 2014). "Suds over Dumbo! Beer garden headed for Empire Stores development". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  16. Croghan, Lore (February 26, 2015). "New restaurant tenants for iconic Empire Stores". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  17. Lutz, Jaime (September 5, 2013). "Brooklyn Bridge Park warehouse redevelopment will bring offices, retail, and even new park space". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  18. Gill, Lauren (August 22, 2016). "Warehoused! First shop opens in Empire Stores — don't expect the rest until 2017". Brooklyn Paper. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  19. Novellino, Teresa (August 18, 2016). "West Elm flagship, HQ calls historic Dumbo warehouse home". New York Business Journal. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  20. Plitt, Amy (May 19, 2017). "Brooklyn Historical Society embraces Dumbo's maritime past at Empire Stores". Curbed NY. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  21. Croghan, Lore (May 30, 2017). "Empire State of Mind: Empire Stores is a new hot spot for selfie-snappers". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  22. Croghan, Lore (May 29, 2018). "Come see Empire Stores, Brooklyn Bridge Park's crown jewel". Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  23. Baird-Remba, Rebecca (March 29, 2018). "Time Out-Branded Food Hall Lands at Empire Stores". Commercial Observer. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  24. Levy, Nicole (March 28, 2018). "Time Out is opening a food hall on the DUMBO waterfront". am New York. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  25. Vianna, Carla (May 31, 2019). "Dumbo's New Food Hall With Waterfront Views Swings Open Today". Eater NY. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  26. "Time Out New York Brings Brand New Food Court To Brooklyn". CBS New York. May 31, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
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