Down on the Gowanus, a hot tip lead us to a rare NYC ‘abando treat: Ferrara Bros Abandoned Concrete Plant.
At the intersection of Hoyt and 5th streets, Ferrera Brothers were busy vacating a plant they built and operated here for forty years. Amazingly, the city took over this property via eminent domain shortly after it began operations in the 1970s, and leased it back to Ferrera ever since.
The original plan was for Ferrera to vacate this property and relocate to a new plant in Sunset Park on property controlled by the NYC EDC. This property just so happened to be the former Moore McCormack shipping facility. Long abandoned, the old buildings here were demolished in 2016 to make way for this project.
Oh look it’s Clint Mario
Shortly before the DNA Info article announcing this project, Ferrera was bought out by U.S. Concrete, a texas based corporation that has been buying it’s way into the formerly mafia controlled NYC concrete market. U.S. Concrete also bought out the ever shady nearby Greco Ready Mix (located just down the canal next to the BQE). By combining assets and spreading the workload across the newly combined locations, U.S. Concrete has been able to maintain supply even with the loss of this location.
Construction of the new facility at third avenue is still apparently going to take place. New permits and plans were filed with the city government this summer, showing a new plant with an office along the south side of the 3rd avenue property, right where the old Moore McCormack warehouse was located.
When we first learned of the Ferrara Bros abandoned concrete plant’s pending demolition, we went and checked it out immediately. We were surprised to find just how quickly the demolition work was proceeding, and how completely unguarded the property had become. There was no fence. No signs warning away trespassers (thus making it actually legal to be on the property unless told to vacate), and no security guards. All of the buildings and structures were left wide open, and without electricity, none of the security cameras worked.
We knew something had to happen here. Click through for Part Two…
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