Con Ed Admits Brooklyn Power PlantIS Being Demolished

BMT Power Plant interior gantry crane by Gerald Weinstein, courtesy of www.archiveofindustry.com

Just a month after categorically denying the landmark 1905 Brooklyn Rapid Transit Power Plant was being prepped for demolition, the same Con Edison spokesman has admitted the structure is being torn down. In a March 12th post, we broke the story, speculating as much - but quoting Con Ed's explicit denial.

Friday morning's AM New York print edition ran an article headlined "Plant powers down", in which Chris Olert from the utility's Press Office "confirmed that the building was being demolished". In March, the same Chris Olert told imnotsayin "we're just doing some spring cleaning," and insisting we "don't go spinning this into exotica...we're just cleaning up."

We can't say we're surprised that the plant is being razed, but utility's brazen denial to this blog, followed so soon by a 180-degree change in their story - with no followup to us - is frustrating.

The AM New York piece goes on to quote our friend Mary Habstritt of the Society for Industrial Architecture Archaeology, who says "We are losing a lot of power plants, but this is probably the most stunning. It tells the whole story of our subway system."

The article also mentions the fact that the city's Landmarks Preservation Committee passed over the building for consideration (the article erroneously implies Landmarks considered and "rejected" it - in fact as reported earlier here, they actually declined to consider the property). According to the piece, Landmarks spokeswoman Lisi de Bourbon "said it could be reconsidered at a later date."

Unfortunately, "a later date" will almost certainly be too late to save the historic structure.

Community Shocked as Plug Pulled on Historic Power Plant [amny.com]

Kent Avenue Power Plant: Are Renovations Prelude to Demolition? [imnotsayin]

Con Ed: Give Power Plant to Navy Yard [imnotsayin]