Landnaxke Procexvation Conmicsion Sertenber 23, 1975, Number 2 Brockiya eet 2 foot of 3x si Sooklyn, Dudit 1840-1851. DRE DOCK #1 & Navy Yara, Bovough of © Landmark Site: Rorough of Brooklyn Tax Map Block 2023, Lot 3 on duly 22, 1975, the Landmarks Preservation commission held a public hearing on the propesed designation az a Landmark of ‘the Dry Dock #1, Brooklyn Wavy Yard and the proposed desiens~ tion of the related Landmark Site (Item No. 2), the hearing vad been duly aévartised in accordance with the provisions o£ jaw. wo witnesses spoke in favor of designation, ‘There were RO speakers in opposition to designation. DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS Dry docks are great chambers below water level used for the xepair and conetruction of ships, A ship can be brought In from the adjoining body of water ones the chamber has been filled with water. The chember is then drained, allowing the ship to rest on wooden blocks so that werk on the ahip may proceed. acter the work ig completed, the chenber is Slleded to outside water Jevel, the gate is opened, and the ship can dep: The construction of Dry Dock #1 in the Brooklyn Navy vara Was one of the grant foats of American angineering in the first half of the 1Sth century. construction began in 1849 and was not finished until 151; by that time over two million dollars hed been spent on the project. the dry dock was the firet por wranent one in the Hew York area and its construction, after great Cifficulties vere overcome, as the then Dicoctor of the Bureau of Yards end Dock wrote, put the Hew youk Yard: "on a par, in grect measure, in point of advantage and eccomodation, with those at Boston and Kory: Flons Ser a ry dock at the Sew York Navy Yard in Brooklyn were fixst projected in 1826, at that tine, it was decided by the Navy to build three ary docke at Boston, New York, and Norfolk, Virginia. Lack of adequate fands prevented the commence- ment of the New York gaciiity until the completion of the other two in 1836. The area was then surveyed ky Loam Baldwin, in 1937-26, and on October 1, 1641, excavation started under che direction of award H. Courtonay, Profesecr of Civil Bngineer= ing et West Point; however, funds ran out the next year, and work was Kaltea. This vee followed by a two-year hiatus in construction, caused by uncertainties about the Novy Xexd's future location. The opening of the Croton Aqueduct in 1842 would have made it desirable to have the Dry Dock in Manhattan, vhere it could easily De flooded with water from the Aqueduct. me i. - ing on the Brooklyn eite made the move to Hansateas eek ose desirable, but no suitable site on Manhattan could be found, and it was decided to romain in Brocklya. the possibility of Dallas ing @ floating dry dock, which would have been cheaper, was then explored, but eleo rejected. Finally, excavation work vas resumed on October 10, 1844, with General willian Gikbs McNeill as chie? engineer. He was succeeded in April, 1845 by W.P.s. Sensex. Ihe JOE veae Millio J. tchipine assumed responsibility for the pro-ote ta Newburch and Yo goha & rarboaga le Coasteaction of Heilvcsos end canale- which Se pecans enief agineer i* 1546, ons his Cust majer project, ve rauaited there anti ao and subsequently desigved and built the Chicago and Albany veces works. He was ckate Bnvinees of New vork in 1052-34, and a8 (- fuad comiesionor in 1845-87. in constructine the Third Avenue aridge ovor the Anclon River in 1960. (now ver cera], he Bec the first person in the Hosth to apply tha systen of cimking co avon cylindess iste geavel Ey nease ef compesrsed air reverhing that had previously heen dons on eaty two cocaeiuns, both ia the south. A list of his projesss during the poss uivel war peeice includes among other itene, che Ohio & Misoivesppt Ral! Roce, the Tehauentopec ttsmeeatic Nallway in lessee, brides over the Missouri, Siagare, and Hazlen divers. the vahot mwply systems Of Montreal, Woxfosk, Philauoiphia, Sau fsencinco, ‘Toronto, and Gloser to hone, Szaten Teland, as vel ce a syaten for bringing water from the Remayo River co New York, ile acy desigaed the foundations for the State Gm tol in Albany ané a project fo an 'Aroage" euilway un As the Meycioredt smertena Bogragtts acted: "fer thirty years fev great pusliv works 2 dipiovens.t unde wakes in the United seater rovarding waich Mis iivice “ne aot soeeie fox, at least ta Bureps," one of the eexliest menbers of the American Society oF Civil Engineers, hn served as ite president in 1860 and wa the first anerican elected to the institute of Civil mgineers of Great Britain, sagage? p. me BeookL Ab the New York Dry Dock, McRipine wae primarity responsible for solving the maesiva pxchs site. The first of these was the cofferdam, built acro: Of Mo ey Buck aves in order te hosp water out during excavation, vie vsigina: dam con sited of woud piles Faisty fect log pieced tea vaee opm, held kugetber by planks ond Lrox bolts and fase! st gnis s00n proved inadequate, and 2 second, simicas lu vas DoLit an side the first one, However, on Jaly 3, 1845, the dams besacned, filling the excavation vith water and deiayitg work for for’ four daye. aruther breach occurred on Suptonies 17, ané it wus decided to buitd a cow dam cuteld: thy G2 one, ‘Bis sno mde of piler forty fost long and firteen inches square, usung gravel as the fill, hela The next problem that McAlpine had te contend with vae the problen of underground springs that constantly f.ooed the exca- vation. In addition, those springs spewed out eand which tondad to undesnine the foun?stions. In 2 manuscript History cf the_ » attached to his uyvial Report a7 1950, nov Once the eycaystions were firiched, NoNipine proceeded to lay the foundations fox Use Axuokiyn Oxy Dock, making use of his backlog of experience as dexcribed above, Tests indicated the presencs of quick sand here extending tc a deth of about seventy-tive feet. fix cacu- sand five hundxed and thirty-nine piles, thirty-two and a half fect Jong and fourseen inches in diameter were driven, set 24 Zect art. In addition, there were one thousend seven hundsed and forty four tongue and groove shest piles, fiftesn and = quarter fect long and five inches thick, The space between the piles was then excavated two and a half fest in depth and filled in with concrete masonry form ing a pile cap. ‘ke piles vere then sawed of£ eo that the tops were all level, and were copped by yellow pine timber, twelve by fifteen inches running at right angles to the axis of the dock, and bolted to the piles. The space in between these was then filied in with con crete. hove this layer, there were another tvo layers oF pine timber and conerste £111 with timbers breaking joints, The maconry superstructure consists of 2ome twenty-three thousand evbic yards of faciag stone vhich is granite from the Frankfozt and Sullivan quarries in Maine and from the Millstone quarzy in Cotinec- flout, ‘the back-up interior stonework case fron Staten tsland and Highland Quarry, Nev Yox%. The stone at the Lottom of the dry dock is laid in the orn of a grest inverted arch to withstend the vo- 1igting forces. The fleor of the dock is Zint, except for a central groove one foot wide. Tt is thirty feet wide and made of blocks roughly two feet wide and three feet deep. The sides of the dock are stepped. fhe lowest five steps rise sbout one foot each, and axe laid with alteraating stepe of headers and stretchers. ‘the headore, shot tus fost deep, axe thsse fect aight inches lons, ang the stretciers about seven feet three inches lonj. Above this axe thirteen steps, each claing two fest three inches, siso the same pattern. ‘The headers are threa est saven inches and the stretchers are six feet six inches long, the tops of the stepa are cighteon inches Asup. The Gock's Landward end tominater ina curve, and the sezward end is an inverted arch set back to accommodate a large natal fleating gate, Pron 1047 te 1849 McAlpine enyloyed Thornton Macvees wiven, the noted architect, ae naster ctonecutter, later entitled master of Bescnry, During this cyucial period ta the construction of the ary dock, Hiven was vezpensidle for ovarsusiny the wosk of the etone- cutters an masons. He tirst became aszcciated with the project in 1846 when he wos contracted to fusnish soue guavel, Ia 1647, when he hired hin, MeRIpine described Niven as: “a practical mechanic end excellent architect with wide experience in the con struction of hoth public and privately ovne’ buildings." In 1849, McRipine was diemiesed for undisclosed veseons, and replaced by Charles B, Stuart. Soon after the ccfferdem was re- woved, and on Janunry 8, 1850, the first ship, the Dale, entered the dry dock for repairs. Work was completed in tha spring of 1851, and the dry dock was then turned over to the commandant of the Navy vara. A final accounting revealed that two niliicn, one hundred and forty-six thousané dollars had been spent iu its con struction.ch can be vaised and When the chip hes the workings There is a flerting : Floated & one aids efiminentag the pernieting the 3, paestble ships te chat it sinke 1ike s subnerinc, Gueve bottom thus comletely sealing it in pl of the dry dock. The wsten can then be éxained Chrough giant calvorrs at exch side and pumped out. AS Teaves tha dry dock, the ship settles onto wud blocks the pawn pre-set on cities side of ite keel to support the null. work on he shio nas been completed aud it is xcady to be the dock is flooded hy allowing the rivex wate to pass chrox oles in the gate. he gate can only be flosted wien the water level outside the decX aad inside the dock are the same. once de has been Floste] by pamping all the water out of its tanks, if da towed off to one side, anf the chip cun then Leave the aty dock. ‘The azy dock murt be dvained again in order to ro-adjest the wood blocke to suit the null of ansther ships Shen empty, the drain pimps of Mie dxy dock have to be eporated for : order co Gsgin At of eats water water, sordagwate: 2 s twanty five years, tae gvanate walls of pry Dock #1 have cemcined fa rood roudition end it hap functioned wlthows acsd of wajor ropates, while other, newer ary docks heve fed thls beick ov eoncvete walla Gisintegrate and orale. Apang the ships which Rove been bullt or serviced in it are the Monitor, of Civil War fame, and the miagra, which laid the firot trane-atlantic cabls, The dry deck ia now ouned by the City of Now York ané cperrtad hy the Wew York Dry sek Company. PINOTNGS AND MESTGNATTOS » the heels of % cneeGul. concdterztinn of the history, the eeghitoctars an’ her features 22 this Dullding, the tandmerks Preservation Ccnmiscien Guts that the pry Dock fl, Exookiyn Navy Youd, hee a eperial character, special historical oad uesthetic interest und valve 49 pazt of the development, heritage end cultaces charneterlotice of New York Clty. whe Conaisnicn Serches Zand chat, enong its important qualities, the construction af Dry cork #1 vam one Of The Gueat feats of L9th~ century American anginesring, that the diy dock brought the Naval Shipyard in Yew York up ¢o par with the Navy Yarda at Boston and Nowfolk, that £ wac primarily the work of Willian 7. bealpine, a prominent figuee Ja American engineering, that great problems were overcome in Jeniins with the digticuls site where collapsing cofferdans, undecyrsw eprings, end quictoand undermined the foundations, that ths magnificent granite stcnewark wno executed by skillea masons under the eupervision of Thoxnton MecNese Hiven, the noted architect, and that while ocher, newer dry docks have wbled. Dry Dock HO. 1 lige never vequired extensive repairs und continues So funovion teday miking = vital coneriiution to She Wew York shipbuilding ineustry. Aecomdingly, guveuant to the provisione ef CLupter 53 of the cnarter of the City of New York and Chapter 0-A of the Aéminin~ tentive Code of thu City of New York, tha Landmarks Preservation commission designates as 2 Landmark tae Dry Dock #1, (Doss Street, ue foot Of 37d Street), Brooklyn Nevy Yard, Borough of Brooklyn nd designates Sax Map loc: 2023. Tot 1, Borough of Brooklyn es. bey Landmark site. . das