Grain Terminal
Brooklyn, NY

 

 

 

The Red Hook Grain Terminal opened in 1922 to provide temporary storage for various Brooklyn breweries. Grain ships lined up along the canal to deposit their freight onto the terminal's elevator.

Red Hook, at the time, was not only one of the most developed areas of Brooklyn but also one of the most thriving ports in the country. Elia Kazan's film "On the Waterfront" was set here.

 

 

 

Inside the terminal, rows of silos open into the vast central hall. A few of the grain carts remain waiting on their tracks beneath the chutes. Standing directly below one of the shafts, it's possible to make out a tiny fleck of sky from the top of the structure.

 

 

Now the grain silos harbor only hordes of pigeons. The enormously long ladder leading to an upper deck is partially corroded; the floors are crumbling above a ten story drop. A fierce wind comes in from the waterfront, making the doors bang throughout the halls. When the wind lets off, the silence only emphasizes the stark beauty all around.

 

 

 

__________________________________________________

All Content © Dark Passage. Read the Fine Print