Heading west brings us into the hood known as Gowanus. It goes from 15th to Butler Sts between the Gowanus Canal, with Nevins St, and 4th Ave. This hood is mostly residential. Originally, it was settled by the Dutch in 1636, who called it Gowanus Bay and used it ponds for gristmills. Durring the mid 1800's, the Gowanus Canal was created and allowed for industrial use. In the 1860's, the ponds were drained since then. In 1898, the Brooklyn Dodgers had played their baseball games at the newly built Washington Pk until they left in 1912 for Ebbets Field. The early 1900's, brought a lot of immigrants from Germany, Italy, and Ireland looking for jobs. Unfortunately, Gowanus had its share of problems such as having the canal being used for illegal dumping by the mafia. In the begining of the postwar era, there were a number of warehouses that were being rennovated into housing to help save them from demolition. New construction has been seen along 4th Ave, though some not for the better. Although Gowanus does have it's own distinction, it's commonly associated with Park Slope or even Carroll Gardens. You can get here by taking the subway to Union St (M, R), 9th St (M, R), and 4th Ave (F). Here is what you will find in Gowanus.
22nd January 2009, 03:42
NYC:Brooklyn hoods-Gowanus 
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