It was 1787, on the high ground between Brookland Ferry and Remsen’s Mill, across from the Island of Manhattan; a new place was made. “It was situated,” went a 19th-Century account, “on a point of land which presented its front to the East River, surrounded almost with water. The conveniences were manifest. A considerable country afforded the easy attainment of produce. A pure and salubrious atmosphere, excellent spring water and good society were among a host of other desirable advantages.”
The place was called Olympia.
A Brief History
The Battle of Brooklyn, the first and largest battle of the Revolutionary War took place. George Washington and his troops crossed the East River into the City of New York in Manhattan by way of the Fulton Ferry Landing overnight.
Long before the famous Fulton Ferry sparked industry and prompted a 19th-century building boom in warehouses, the village that would become known as DUMBO was established in 1787 by Joshua and Comfort Sands. To assign names to the village streets, the brothers relied on the fundamental terminology of place: Front, Main, Dock, and Water.
The Fulton Ferry Company is established, inaugurating the launch of the first commercial steamship ferry route between the City of New York in Manhattan and the Village of Brooklyn.
The Brooklyn Bridge opens and is the first fixed crossing across the East River. With a span of 1,595 feet, the Brooklyn Bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world at the time.
From the end of the 19th century and into the 20th, DUMBO remained a hub of industry and manufacturing. Robert Gair invented the cardboard box right on Main Street, where he continued to produce for the likes of Bloomingdale’s, Colgate, Pond’s, and Nabisco. Down on the waterfront was Arbuckles Coffee (now Empire Stores), the largest coffee company in the United States at the time, which roasted nearly 1 million pounds of coffee daily. Warehouses and factories lined the streets while railcars brought product in and out of DUMBO.
In 2022, Fortis Property Group will boldly complete the original vision of Olympia at 30 Front Street, a prime location in the heart of DUMBO.
In 2022, Fortis Property Group will boldly complete the original vision for Olympia at 30 Front Street, a prime location in DUMBO, reimagined as Brooklyn’s foremost new dynamic and modern residential community.
