Designated June 27, 2006
The New York and Long Island Coignet Stone Company Building is a pioneering example of concrete construction in the United States. Designed by William Field and Son in 1872, it was originally part of a five-acre factory complex that extended along the Gowanus Canal and the recently constructed 4th Street Basin, from 3rd to 6th Streets. The building was conceived to showcase Beton Coignet, a type of concrete that was patented in France by Francois Coignet during the 1850s and produced at this location. Two distinct types of cast stone remain visible: pre-cast details and blocks on the upper stories, and a monolithic poured-in-place foundation.
*Excerpt from the Landmarks Preservation Commission designation report
STATUS Designated Individual Landmark
The Neighborhood
Gowanus
In its day, the Gowanus Canal was the center of industrial growth in Brooklyn and remains a spectacular piece of commercial infrastructure. It was the main reason that Brooklyn transformed from farmland to an industrial giant in the latter half of the 19th and early...
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