Maspeth Holders
PREMONITION: THE MASPETH HOLDERS MEMORIAL
INSTALLED: July 15, 2003
LOCATION: PULASKI BRIDGE PEDESTRIAL PATH
At 7 AM on July 15, 2001 the Maspeth Holders twin tanks that
made up the North Brooklyn skyline imploded in a planned demolition
commissioned by Keyspan Energy Delivery. Built in 1927 and
1948 to ensure constant residential gas line pressure, the
Holders had outlived their usefulness.
The event became a minor attraction for those who had become
attached to tanks. Small groups assembled on rooftops, on
local streets, and on bridges to bear witness to the final
hours of these familiar giants.
At the time, the fascination of the fall thrilled us. The
instant change of landscape, in stark contrast to the slow
pace of urban decay and renewal, felt liberating.
Thinking back, it's hard not to view the falling tanks as
a horrific premonition, a scale model of events which, less
than two months later, would transform the skyline over your
right shoulder. Thinking back, it's hard not to feel ashamed
at our fascination.
Boxes by Place in History
Industrial Engineering by Adam Levinson
Photos and Text by Paul Parkhill
Thanks to: NYC DOT, Division of Bridges; Keyspan Energy; TEN63;
Rachel Urkowitz; Leslie Davol; Katherine Gray; Tina Chiu;
Julia Solis; Rosten Woo.
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