Dumbo Past, Present, and Future

In 1999, Place in History launched an initiative to explore the history and landscape of the Fulton Ferry / DUMBO / Vinegar Hill area, Brooklyn's first port neighborhood.


Development Boxes

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In the summer of 1999, Place in History installed ten viewing boxes at Brooklyn's Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, as part of the Intervistas/Between the Bridges exhibit, sponsored by the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition. 

Each box housed new images exploring the planning, development, and redevelopment of Fulton Ferry/DUMBO/Vinegar Hill area since its emergence as Brooklyn's chief port in the mid-1600s. 

Place in History kicked off the project by drawing up a timeline history of DUMBO, and by organizing a community workshop, at which local residents, activists, urbanists, artists, historians and developers met to discuss neighborhood history and current development plans.


Click here to learn more about the community workshop

Community Workshop

On June 10, 1999, as a first step towards examining the history of the area, Place in History conducted a community workshop to bring together local residents, historians, urbanists and artists to discuss the social, physical and economic history of the area.