A map of the original settlement of Olympia.
The Fulton Ferry revolutionized travel between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Arbuckles Coffee Warehouse—now Empire Stores—and the Robert Gair Clocktower Building.
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
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 revolutionized travel between Manhattan and Brooklyn.
The construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.
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.
Arbuckles Coffee Warehouse—now Empire Stores—and the Robert Gair Clocktower Building.
