Ikea Fills Red Hook Graving Dock, Trashes Historical Records

Say goodbye to the Red Hook Graving Dock (and to some historical records that were stored in the Todd Shipyard offices). A reliable neighborhood source tells Gowanus Lounge that the big fill of the historic Graving Dock, which working waterfront advocates as well as preservationists have been fighting to save, began about two weeks ago. The graving dock dates from the Civil War era and is 710 feet long. It was one of the only such facilities in New York City capable of handling large ships. Filling it will require massive amounts of fill to be trucked to the site. The word comes from one of the security guards on the sprawling site. About the time Ikea started filling in the dock, which will be covered over and used for parking, it posted a sign on its construction fence touting the archeological work being done to document the remnants of a graving dock on the property that was filled in 1976.

Our source also reports that Ikea destroyed historic shipyard records that had been left behind in the Todd Shipyard offices despite requests from the former owners that they be preserved. Our source writes:

Not only is the graving dock being filled, IKEA discarded all the Todd Records left behind, WHICH THEY WANTED BACK ONCE THEY LEARNED THEY EXISTED. These records ran from the 1920s through the 1940s and covered the period from the foundation of Todd to its growth as the largest shipyard company in the country.

Maybe they're designing a new furniture line that incorporates historic ship repair records? We hear it's called Vandalisera and will go with the Ektorp line.

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