Greenpoint's Waterfront Access

By the 1990's, with little waterfront access left in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, North Brooklyn neighborhoods surrounded by water, local activists initiated grassroots efforts to reclaim sites. Meetings and rallies were held to develop programs to create waterfront parks and promenades, piers and wetland areas. Today, some of these objectives have been met, while others are in progress. ©1999, 2003, The Greenpoint Video Project • www.gvproj.org

[@melek2308]

Sadly we got what we wanted, the waterfront became beautiful and then all the people who wanted Greenpoint to be beautiful and to enjoy it got kicked out, rents went crazy and the Greenpoint we once all loved is no longer the same.

[@Bolek989]

wow thanks for posting this. THIS is the greenpoint I have childhood memories of. How's it's changed. Miss the 90's and miss the rawness greenpoint used to have.

[@pco2004]

My have we really come a long way in 2023. I remember having to trespass to get to the water along the Northside. Homeless people would be fishing and living in tents over there. We had to cross dangerous foot bridges made out of wooden planks sometimes. Now you can't even smoke over there or you might get censored. haha. Tradeoffs I guess. Great work overall for those that forged the way.

[@JWFdocumentaries]

The neighborhood is really beautiful now. The community in this video played a pivotal role in that!

[@jusliving7977]

Born and raised in NYC/Greenpoint. My era was in the 70's and 80's. This video shows the Greenpoint of my youth. The Docks, Piers, West street man l miss those days. Back then Greenpoint was a small, working class, blue collar enclave. Everyone knew each other and if we didn't know someone personally we more often than not had a friend in common so really there were no strangers. Kids could play outside all hours of the day & night. We had a movie theater, roller rink, bowling alley, video game arcades, 3 nice parks, McCarran, Franklin and Winthrop parks. 2 swimming pools at Franklin and McCarran Park, a Sprinkler at Winthrop. We had a hobby shop, a great Toy Store on Manhattan Ave (it's still there), the donut shop was great too & still in operation. We had everything we needed as a kid. Now when l visit ya never see kids outside and people have their head buried in their phones. It's sad. Oh well l guess the new residents like it that way.

[@fivestarbrokerage]

Thanks for posting this. Although I did not know Greenpoint before 2014 really it is wild to see the transformation from this video.