The Gowanus Canal
The Gowanus Canal, also known as the Gowanus Creek, is a canal in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The canal is geographically located on the westernmost portion of Long island. The Gowanus neighborhood currently lies between the neighborhood of Red Hook, Caroll Gardens and Park Slope. Since the 1800’s the Gowanus has been a toxic wasteland. The developers, environmentalists, industrialists, artists, and residents who have lived there for years are trying to figure out the greater good for the Gowanus Neighborhood. There are many view points in the Gowanus neighborhood. There are environmentalists who want to declare the Gowanus Canal a Superfund site. There are factory owners and workers who want to keep their jobs and provide service to the neighborhoods by bringing industry back to the neighborhood. The artists do not want the Gowanus neighborhood to change because they feel the character will change. Also, they feel the Gowanus area will not still hold beauty. Real estate agents and Mayor Bloomberg do not want the Gowanus Canal declared a super fund site and want to construct condos and brownstones all over the neighborhood.
In December 2009 the three Brooklyn History Classes of Research walked through the Gowanus Areas. We thought that the canal had a oddish greenish color. Students also thought that the canal had a lot of history. It can be said that the opinions of the canal vary but one thing we all agree on is that the canal needs to be cleaned up. The rest is to be determined.