Greenpoint waterfront walking tour 

Williamsburg was the home to some of the leaders of the five mafia families who ruled New York. We will visit a restaurant know as the “mob cafeteria,” once frequented by John Gotti and other mobsters.  We will see the hangout of America’s largest illegal gambling enterprise. We will visit the spot where the first mafia kiss occurred. We will visit the site of the motion lounge, theclub of legendary mobster Sonny Napolitano, featured in the film Donnie Brasco and we will visit the street where infamous Colombo mob boss Sonny Franseze was born. 

Williamsburg was the home to some of the leaders of the five mafia families who ruled New York. We will visit a restaurant know as the “mob cafeteria,” once frequented by John Gotti and other mobsters. We will see the hangout of America’s largest illegal gambling enterprise. We will visit the spot where the first mafia kiss occurred. We will visit the site of the motion lounge, theclub of legendary mobster Sonny Napolitano, featured in the film Donnie Brasco and we will visit the street where infamous Colombo mob boss Sonny Franseze was born.

The Brooklyn waterfront once refined more sugar than any other place in the world with twelve refineries producing hundreds of thousands of tons of sugar and employing thousands of men in grueling conditions.  The world’s largest sugar refinery was the Domino refinery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Domino was the crown jewel of the American Sugar Refining Company, a cartel that made the Havemeyer family multi-millionaires. We will visit many of the sites associated with this sugar empire.

This is Union Square the site of many of the most famous protest marches in American history. 

The first Labor Day Parade was held here. Striking Garment workers held protest marches here. The first May Day celebrations also occurred here as did a march to honor the victims of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Emma Goldman used Union Square in 1916 to advocate for free access to birth control, which was then banned under the Comstock Laws. Suffragists held demonstrations in the Square demanding women be given the right to vote. The Communist Party of the United States staged huge anti-unemployment protests there too. The Square also saw the first Earth Day celebrations and Black Lives Matter protests among many other important marches and protests that took place there.

McGolrick Park is perhaps Greenpoint’s most beautiful Park. Once called Winthrop Park, the urban oasis opened to the public in the 1890s. The Park features many historic statues and landmarks including a Roman pavillion, monument to the Greenpoint built Ironclad ship the U.S.S. Monitor and a stunning World War I memorial. We will also visit St. Stainslaw Kostka Church, the heart of the area’s Polish community and the site of the Mansion House, once home to the legendary local baseball team, the Eckford Club. We ‘ll explore other sites near the park related to local history. 

Greenpoint is the home of many  factories and foundaries that played a crucial role in American art history. Greenpoint was the first place in America where porcelain was produced commercially in the U.S. and today many pieces that grace American museums were made locally.  We will visit sites of former porcelain factories. We will also visit the site of a former bronze factory where many of America’s greatest bronze sculptures were cast as well as the place where the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery and the famous Bull in Manhattan’s Battery were cast. 

The Greenpoint Historic District was created in 1983 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are 363 structures in the district built in a variety of architectural styles between 1850 and 1900. Some of the prettiest blocks in Brooklyn lie in the district. The district was also home to many famous artists, writers and statesmen. The district also includes landmark factories and houses of worship, which we will explore on our tour.

Today Long Island City’s many luxury high rises form its impressive skyline, but not long ago, Long Island City was heavily industrial with sugar refineries, Oil refineries and chemical plants that employed a large immigrant workforce. LIC was governed by Tipperary born Paddy Gleason, the last mayor of an independent LIC and  one of the most colorful characters in New York CIty history. We will trace Paddy’s Long Island City legacy by visiting six sites related to his amazing reign as mayor.

Greenpoint Porcelain, Pottery and Brass tour. Greenpoint was the first place in America where porcelain was produced on an industrial scale. Many of the pieces produced locally today grace America’s finest museums. We will visit the site of the area’s first pottery which famous poet Walt Whitman described. We will visit the home and former factory site of Thomas Smith who founded the legendary Union Porcelain works. We will also visit the site of the Faience Manufacturing Company where legendary porcelain artist Edward Lycett created some of the finest pieces of Porcelain ever made in America. We will also visit the site of the Roman Bronze Works where many of America’s most famous Bronze statues were cast. Finally, we will visit the site where the massive Iwo Jima memorial and Wall Street’s iconic bull were cast