DUMBO, Brooklyn
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- For the 1941 film, see Dumbo.
DUMBO (an acronym for "Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass") is the popular name of a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It encompasses two sections; one located between the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, which connect Brooklyn to Manhattan across the East River, and another which continues east from the Manhattan Bridge and borders the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Vinegar Hill area, and the hotly contested mansions of Commodore's Row. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 2.
DUMBO was known as an artists' haven, as many of the expansive warehouses in the neighborhood have been renovated into loft space. However, in recent years, as property has become more and more valuable in Manhattan, this neighborhood has also increasingly gentrified, pricing out many of the artists.
Celebrity chef Jacques Torres opened a chocolate factory in December 2000 in DUMBO. Other famous culinary institutions in the area include Fulton Ferry, Bargemusic, Grimaldi's Pizzeria, the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, and the River Café.
The neighborhood gets an honorable mention in Fiona Avery's Araña comic series, as the home of Accela, which hosts 'the best underground hip-hop in the world'.
One of DUMBO's main attractions is its excellent views of the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge and Lower Manhattan. There are several public places where these views can be enjoyed. These include Fulton Ferry, Empire-Fulton State Park and the newly constructed Brooklyn Bridge Park. Brooklyn Bridge Park is currently planned for further expansion within a few years potentially expanding the waterfront park area even more.
Ferry transportation to the neighborhood is provided by the New York Water Taxi company from the Fulton Ferry. New York City Subway stations are located at Clark Street (2 3 (1234)) on the IRT Broadway-Seventh Avenue Line, York Street (F) on the IND Sixth Avenue Line and High Street-Brooklyn Bridge (A C (1234)) on the IND Eighth Avenue Line. Bus service is provided by the B25, B67, B69, and B75
[edit] Name
The names of places in New York City change, either due to the influence of land developers, the City government, or because a name no longer suits a neighborhood's character. A name never changes, though, unless the residents of the city collectively adopt it, which usually takes years and is an informal process whereby most people begin to refer to an area by its new name. A recent new name that took root is "DUMBO", whereas referring to Hell's Kitchen as "Clinton" has largely been eschewed. Similarly, New York residents rarely refer to Sixth Avenue as Avenue of the Americas. A new neighborhood name may be controversial, as may be its perceived boundaries. Until the 1990s, the western portion of neighborhood was known as Fulton Landing, after the water ferry stop that connected the neighborhood to Manhattan before the Brooklyn Bridge opened.
[edit] External links
- History of Dumbo, from Two Trees Management development company
- DumboNYC.com - DUMBO Neighborhood blog
- DUMBO-NewYork.com - DUMBO housing website
[edit] Photos
- NYCfoto.com - Photos of DUMBO and Vinegar Hill
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