Crumbling warehouse forces closure of Dumbo park

State officials closed the Empire–Fulton Ferry State Park near the
Brooklyn Bridge after a Civil War–era warehouse was declared unstable.
The Empire Stores building, an abandoned coffee and tea warehouse, has
long been eyed for development. David Walentas of Two Trees Management
had the development rights for years before the Empire State
Development Corporation switched them to developer Shaya Boymelgreen in
2002. Last year, the state took back the development rights from
Boymelgreen, saying he let the site languish for too long. The ESDC
plans to convert the warehouses to a performing arts venue.