Welcome to Brooklyn!

Project: Waterfront Warehouse Rehab, Episode 1, Part 1



Bob begins a project in Brooklyn, New York, in an area known as "DUMBO", or Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass. With beautiful downtown Manhattan in the background, Bob delivers a brief history of Brooklyn's waterfront area. Next, he joins his son, Chris Vila, who is manager of the project, to discuss what's in store. Slated for three floors of residential space, the building will reserve its ground floor for commercial use. Jared Della Valle and Andrew Bernheimer chat with Chris about possible floor plans, while Bob talks with Jacker Beyer, of Beyer Blinder Belle, about restoring the façade.
Part 1: Welcome to Brooklyn!
Standing in front of the world-famous Brooklyn Bridge, completed in 1883, Bob gives a brief history of the bridge's construction, and its subsequent impact on the surrounding neighborhoods along the waterfront, specifically DUMBO.

After World War II, the neighborhood went into decline as warehouses and factories sat empty, before pioneer urban developers in the 1980s started converting vacant commercial space into upscale residential.

Once a pepper mill, the project building was abandoned in the mid-20th century and sat empty for several decades. Chris Vila, Bob's eldest son, serves as project manager for the rehab.
Part 2: Architectural Plans for Warehouse Conversion
Part 3: Architects' Design for Warehouse Rehab

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