UPS Pauses Demolition Of Historic Red Hook Building After Outcry

RED HOOK, BROOKLYN — UPS officials building their newest Brooklyn facility on the Red Hook waterfront have promised to hold off on demolishing at least part of a historic building following local outcry when the company started to tear it down last month.

The parcel company told Patch that their chief information and engineering officer, Juan Perez, ordered a new engineering analysis of the former Lidgerwood Manufacturing building on Tuesday and promised to pause demolishing the south side of the building until the study is done.

The pause comes after nearly two weeks of community uproar from neighbors and elected officials who were shocked when UPS started tearing down the building just before Memorial Day Weekend. Most recently, U.S. Rep. Nydia Valazquez and Councilman Carlos Menchaca penned a letter to the company asking to halt the demolition.

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Elected officials and activists, who started a petition that has since gained 2,000 signatures, hope to preserve at least the south facade of the building, which faces Valentino Park, and has become an iconic part of the neighborhood's waterfront.

This week, UPS started reaching out directly to those activists, promising to take in new ideas for how to save the south wall. The company set up a dedicated email for those that want to send in their ideas.

President of Global Public Affairs Laura Lane even said she would fly up to hold a meeting about the building in person, according to an email she sent to activists. The meeting was postponed after the company decided to hire the engineering firm.

"I also wanted to let each of you know that we are reviewing your requests concerning the site, including integrating design elements that reflect the architectural character of the Lidgerwood building into our plans," Lane said in the email. "We have been considering those requests and have a few ideas on how those requests could be met within the bounds of the structural and environmental safety constraints we are operating under...Our goal is to be able to incorporate as much community input as possible and where practicable."

The company said that it would continue work on other parts of the 350,000-square-foot property where the Lidgerwood building stands as the analysis is being completed.

The 202 Coffey Street building was built in 1882 as part of its factory plant, which made equipment that was used in building the Panama Canal, the main dam for the Croton Falls reservoir and dock building, according to a history of the site.