Abandoned Domino Sugar Factory - Brooklyn, New York
The Domino Sugar Refinery is a
former refinery in the neighborhood of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, New York City
was the original refinery of the American Sugar Refining Company, which
produced Domino brand sugar. The derelict Domino Sugar Refinery remains one of
the most recognized monuments of Brooklyn’s rapidly disappearing industrial
past. The current complex dates from 1882, when it was the largest sugar
refinery in the world
In 1917, while producing sugar for
the Allies, an explosion destroyed part of the plant, killing several workers.
A crowd of more than 15,000 people gathered to watch the plant burn. There was
serious concern that the explosion was the work of German agents.
The refinery was the site of one of
New York City's longest labor strikes in history. The strike occurred in 2000,
with over 250 workers protesting wages and working conditions for twenty
months.
Refining operations stopped in 2004, and as of 2012
the property is slated for multi-use development. Several of the buildings in
the complex were given landmark status in 2007, new plans for a modern, mixed
use mega complex which may put an end to the decaying colossus
that was once the largest refinery in the world, marking the final passage of a
working-class Williamsburg.
