DUMBO Historic District

DUMBO is an acronym for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. Once a center of industry and warehousing it also supported a largely African American neighborhood called "Irishtown". It has long been cut off from the uphill Brooklyn neighborhoods by the BQE and is hemmed in at the North by the Brooklyn Navy Yard. When seen up close the immense scale of bridge piers and anchorages are dramatically juxtaposed against the finer scale and detail of the streets and building fabric. One also experiences intimate framed views of the Manhattan skyline and East River. In 1980 its intact grittiness made the area ideal 1920's backdrop for Sergio Leone's film "Once Upon a Time in America". Both Dumbo and residential enclaves are designated as Landmark Districts. Jean Nouvel had planned a hotel situated between the bridges and stridently cantilevered into the East River.