Do you love the Lidgerwood Building? Do you love Red Hook Brooklyn? 

The Lidgerwood Building, located at 202 Coffey Street is slated for demolition, by the new lease-holders, UPS. This represents (typical) commercial development that doesn’t take into account historical character and threatens to destroy our beloved Red Hook fabric. The Red Hook community has a deep historical character and these buildings represent an iconic part of our neighborhood.

The warehouse, named the Lidgerwood Manufacturing Building (Iron Works) was built in 1882 by architect J.V. Beekman. The red brick length of the building abuts the north end of Valentino Pier Park and is an iconic moment in our waterfront neighborhood, where visitors come to view the Statue of Liberty, families picnic, dogs run, and a beach provides access to the water.

The area around Valentino Pier Park is beloved by film-makers, photographers, and fashion shoots as a backdrop representing Brooklyn's past, and present. The park is surrounded by several historical buildings, and the Lidgerwood Building is a critical building in defining this area, along with The German American Warehouse (1869 or earlier), the Liberty Warehouse (1873), and 185 Van Dyke Street.

We, the community of Red Hook, understand that the needs of the future UPS storage may not work with the interior layouts of the historic agglomeration of buildings.

BUT we ask that new developments, and neighbors, take into account the context, history, and community you enter into. This is a small well-knit community that loves the industrial historical fabric that has put us on the map for past decades.

We propose a compromise, UPS PLEASE HEAR US OUT -  the development should keep the building(s) facing the park to preserve the character of area. The portion along the Dikeman Street extension to the north can be rebuilt allowing for  a majority of the property to be reconfigured to meet UPS needs. This allows for history to remain alive AND UPS to find a home that works.

To learn more about Red Hook's historical buildings, read Columbia University's A Preservation Plan for Red Hook, guided by Professor Denis Ward, 2009.