Whimsical art installation from the top of the silo on David Lefkowitz' property beside the Gowanus Canal at the Carroll Stree Bridge in 1998.

Whimsical art installation from the top of the silo on David Lefkowitz' property beside the Gowanus Canal at the Carroll Stree Bridge in 1998.

A lone man plays trumpet inside a silo by the Carroll Street Bridge on the Gowanus Canal. David Lefkowitz bought the half-acre plot beside the Carroll Street Bridge in Brooklyn with the silo and a metal warehouse in 1998. This would become one of the first multi-story condominium locations on the waterway.

An NYPD Detective photographs a dead body floating in the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY at the Carroll Street Bridge. The Gowanus has a long history as a place the mob used to get rid of problems. The current cost of the overall EPA Superfund cleanup plan is estimated to be over $1.5 billion, and the entire project won’t be completed until mid-2023. The Gowanus Canal is located in one of the densest population centers in America

Governor George Pataki at the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn in 2006

Governor George Pataki gives a press conference on the Carroll Street bridge at the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn announceing a $270,000 grant for the Gowanus in July 2001, flanked by officials and politicians including Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez, Representative for New York's 7th Congressional District, which covers Gowanus.

Governor George Pataki at the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn in 2006

Snow on a pylon in the Gowanus Canal looking toward the Carroll Street bridge from Union Street. the 1.7 mile long canal is currently in an EPA Superfund cleanup plan that is estimated to be over $1.5 billion, and the entire project won’t be completed until mid-2023. The Gowanus Canal is located in one of the densest population centers in America.

Gownaus Canal with Batcave, Powerhouse Arts future building, in the snow

Earth Day on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY, in 1999. Jeanne from the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation and Owen Foote in the canoe lead a community day at Brooklyn's Superfund waterway.

Earth Day on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY, in 1999. Jeanne from the Gowanus Canal Community Development Corporation and Owen Foote in the canoe lead a community day at Brooklyn's Superfund waterway.

A sunken boat in the Gowanus Canal is corroded white as it sits by the bulkhead in the Fourth Street Basin where Whole Foods now resides. Sunken boats were a common site in the waterway. The 1.7 mile long canal is currently in an EPA Superfund cleanup plan that is estimated to be over $1.5 billion, and the entire project won’t be completed until mid-2023. The Gowanus Canal is located in one of the densest population centers in America.

Risha Gorig works at David Lefkowitz's property beside the Gowanus Canal in 1998. He and a partner bought a half-acre plot beside the canal just off the Carroll Street Bridge in Brooklyn

Risha Gorig works at David Lefkowitz's property beside the Gowanus Canal in 1998. He and a partner bought a half-acre plot beside the canal just off the Carroll Street Bridge in Brooklyn

Gowanus Bay Promenade at end of Columbia Street in Red Hook. The Gowanus Canal feeds into the bay before exiting into New York Harbor.

A snow covered tire sits on the shore of the Gowanus Canal across from the Dynamo building also called the BatCave. The Brooklyn Rapid Transit Powerhouse, is now being restored by architects Herzog & de Meuron, with the backing of a nonprofit and developer Joshua Rechnitz. Also known as The Batcave, this monumental structure dates back to at least 1902, and is not yet landmarked. It was also one of the most polluted pieces of property along the shoreline. The Powerhouse Workshop will be a contemporary industrial fabrication center established to serve the working needs of artists. Affordable and accessible space for industry and production is increasingly scarce in New York City. Fabrication shops in wood, metal, ceramics, textiles and printmaking will provide sophisticated production capabilities and support risk-taking and exploration for artists In Powerhouse’s new Gowanus home.

Carroll Street Bridge over the Gowanus Canal

Carroll Street Bridge over the Gowanus Canal in 1998. In 1889, the Carroll Street Retractable Bridge opened and today is one of only four retractable bridge’s remaining in the world. Built at a cost of $36,742.58, the beloved bridge supports a 17 foot wide roadway and two 4.5 foot sidewalks that are pulled onto the shore on tracks via a cable and pulley system. Landmarked in 1987, the bridge was built to allow horse and wagons to cross the increasingly busy waterway, and still features a sign stating “Any Person Driving over this Bridge Faster than a Walk will be Subject to a Penalty of Five Dollars For Each Offence.”

Owen Foote paddles on the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY. Foote is a past president of the Gowanus Dredgers, a canoe and kayak club with a boathouse on the banks of the Superfund canal.

Underwater ironwork covered with algae makes art in the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY, in 1998. The city-led 1999 cleanup effort involved repairs to the flushing tunnel and a partial dredging at the head of the waterway. The results were immediate with an increase in fish and wildlife. The divers had challenging conditions, coming out covered in oil and tar and working conditions with no visibility underwater.

A jellyfish swims along the top of the water in the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY with its "eyes" in the aiir. The city-led 1999 cleanup effort involved repairs to the flushing tunnel and a partial dredging at the head of the waterway. The results were immediate with an increase in fish and wildlife. The divers had challenging conditions, coming out covered in oil and tar and working conditions with no visibility underwater.

A water tank is reflected in the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY

Flower floats on oil covered water in the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY, in 1998. Sewage flowed into the canal as early as 1858, and by the 1880’s the waterway had gained the moniker “Lavendar Lake” for its odorous qualities. The current cost of the overall EPA Superfund cleanup plan is estimated to be over $1.5 billion, and the entire project won’t be completed until mid-2023. The Gowanus Canal is located in one of the densest population centers in America.