Next for the Building Grinder: National Sawdust?

By all appearances, the latest Northside Williamsburg icon slated for demolition is the old National Sawdust complex at the corner of Wythe Avenue and North 6th Street.

The cluster of old buildings are perhaps best-known for the twin milling towers that loom high above North 6th. Those, along with a pair of cargo containers stacked in the lot next door, give passersby a real feeling of the neighborhood's industrial heritage. The milling section, at 67 North 6th, also provides the streetfront wall best-known for last winter's Faile versus the Splasher street art war. And their location directly across from Galapagos means thousands of visitors to the block have pondered them over a cigarette during the past few years.

A recent demolition permit pre-filing, along with windows covered by moving blankets and the inevitable hard-core exterminator postings all seem to point toward the imminent razing of the corner properties - almost certainly in preparation for a new-build residential development. In fact, during the past week, workers have been seen doing (pre-permit?) demolition cleaning inside the property.

While the National Sawdust business moved upstate years ago, and the buildings themselves are quite ratty, we'll sorely miss the character and history they brought to our ever-changing neighborhood.

National Sawdust Photoset [Flickr]