The Williamsburg, Brooklyn neighborhood in New York City was, at the turn of the millennium, home to countless artist residence and art studio buildings... at least until September 11, 2001 sent a wave of Manhattanites escaping the highrise lifestyle of Manhattan. Brooklyn real estate developers moved in to take control of many of the neighborhood's historic industrial buildings - in most cases, demolishing them or converting these from artist loft spaces to loft living, luxury condos with little character in common with their previous incarnations. Due to a dramatic rise in rents many of the Brooklyn artists and creative types moved.
Many of the buildings that spawned the creative community are now gone. Visual-Archaeology is a documentary photography collection of these buildings prior to condo conversion. Many of these buildings with their distinctive Williamsburg graffiti now exist only in photographs.
Visual-Archaeology is a look at the changing economy, a fundamental shift of social form and space as commerical interests change the neighborhood from a state of urban decay through the pressures of the New York real estate market.
The following collections of photos are now online:
Williamsburg Buildings, Greenpoint Market Fire, Williamsburg Waterfront. Photos are accompanied with a Williamsurg Brooklyn map to determine location.
