The Domino Sugar Refinery, located in Brooklyn, New York, was constructed in 1882 by Theodore A. Havemeyer, Thomas Winslow, and J.E. Thomas. Settled on the Williamsburg waterfront, this sugar refinery was the largest plant by the late 19th century. A quarter of a century after its opening, the Domino Sugar Refinery was producing more than half of the nation's sugar. The American Sugar Refinery Company and the Domino Refinery grew to control most of the U.S. sugar industry. However, after WW2, a two-year-long worker's strike, and lack of demand, the Domino Sugar Refinery finally closed its doors in 2004. Declared a city landmark in 2007, the sugar refinery is no longer standing, completely demolished by the end of 2014. Although the factory itself no longer exists, the expansive Domino Park continues to display equipment that was salvaged from the refinery.
The non-profit Williamsburg Art & Historical Center (WAH) was founded in 1996 by Japanese artist Yuko Nii. WAH is housed in the former Kings County Savings Bank, which was built between 1860 and 1867 in a French Second Empire style. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was a nexus of financial activity in the early twentieth century. Nii purchased the building to fulfill her vision, referred to as the Bridge Concept, to create a space that would bridge diverse artists of all disciplines from all parts of the globe. In Japanese, “WAH” means peach, harmony or unity. WAH serves as a diverse hub of arts and cultures.
Brooklyn's Williamsburgh Savings Bank was built between 1870 and 1875. Designed by George B. Post, the striking building was immediately seen as a Brooklyn landmark. Post would go on to design such important buildings as the New York Stock Exchange. The WSB, easily recognizable because of its great dome, was the center of Brooklyn's commercial life for many years, but by the late twentieth century, the building had fallen into disrepair, in spite of being a landmark. Since 2010, the building has undergone an extensive restoration and now functions as an event space.
The brick and sandstone church building at 185 S. 9th St. in the Williamsburg neighborhood was built in the early 1850s for the New England Congregational Church. Thomas Kinnecut Beecher was the New England preacher who became the church's first pastor. Beecher was the brother of abolitionist preacher Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of the book Uncle Tom's Cabin. The Italianate style structure became an Assemblies of God Pentecostal church in 1955. The church building became a New York City landmark in 1981. The church building and its adjacent rectory, built in 1868, were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The church is now known as Light of the World Pentecostal Church.
The brick building at 240 Broadway in the Williamsburg neighborhood was added to the National Register in 2021. The five-story brick building with a cast iron front was built as a new factory and store in 1891 for Louis Zechiel's fur business, which closed in 1898. Three stores occupied the ground floor by 1904, with a sweater manufacturer and tailor on the second and third floors. The upper floors were converted into 24 apartments which are now condominiums. The ground floor commercial spaces hold a lighting fixtures business and a nail salon.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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Here's a simple stroll through downtown Williamsburg starting from the Marcy Ave. subway stop. Head west and explore historic buildings south of the Williamsburg Bridge, ending at the waterfront.
