Empire Stores – History and Transformation: Join My 365-Day Peaceful Photo Challenge
DAY 239. Living with irrevocable differences and curating peace through contemplative photography.
April 28, 2025
It was a cloudy late April day. Temperatures dipped.
On the water and the ferry's upper deck, I felt the chilly breath of the wind sweeping through the channel formed by the East River.
As a gust stung me, prompting me to pull my sweater closed at the neck, my fighting eyes saw the Empire Stores building.
Instantly, I loved the building's old, rusted-metal color brick face and low height, contrasting with the taller, more modern buildings forming its backdrop and how it kissed the shoreline.
Empire Stores is a relic of the past and a living symbol of transformation.
Once a forgotten Civil War-era warehouse from 1869, the building has been revived and repurposed as a vibrant hub of community, creativity, and history along the DUMBO waterfront.
The 450,000-square-foot marvel, with impressive two-story glass curtain walls erected atop the original structure, connects Water Street to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. I could see people on the rooftop terrace watching the Manhattan skyline, the bridges, the East River, and its traffic, even as I watched them.
Originally a hub for storing and trading goods like coffee, sugar, and molasses, the reimagined building now houses office spaces, trendy retail stores, restaurants, and exhibition galleries.
In my mind, I booked a trip to the terrace, the Brooklyn Historical Museum, and the art galleries there.
Every angle of the building spoke of a historical and industrial spirit juxtaposed with modern reimagination and reinvention.
I loved the reclamation, and while I would never be drawn to a shopping hub, which is why I have never gone to this area, having gotten a glimpse, I am intrigued.
Does this photo make you curious? Does it inspire you to think about your own transformations over time?