Gowanus: From Revolutionary Battlefront to Toxic Wonderland

Few neighborhoods are as interesting and polarizing as Gowanus. From the Revolutionary war, to industrialization, urbanization, mafia control, its Goodfellas shooting location, artist revitalization and new attempts at gentrification, it’s time to hit the streets and explore the past, present, and future of Gowanus’ rich history with sights, sounds, and storytelling.

This tour is led by James Scully — NYC historian, tour guide, and creator of and Jordan Gass-Pooré — an investigative journalist who covers hazardous sites and the creator of podcast. 

Our unique experience will include:

• An overview of notable early Gowanus history from the Battle of Brooklyn during the Revolutionary War and the massive importance of the waterfront in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

• Jacques Cortelyou, Edwin Clark Litchfield and the industrialization of the area and the Gowanus Creek as it’s turned into a canal.

• The Canal’s quick descent into industrial filth as industries like lumber yards, chemical and concrete plants, paper mills, factories, incinerators, and shipbuilders lined the Canal’s banks. 

• The building of the Smith-9th Street Train station, a shift in dynamics after World War II, how the mafia controlled Gowanus as industry left, and the Goodfellas filming location.

• What happened when artists moved in and helped transform this area of Brooklyn in the 1960s.  

• Poo-namis, dead bodies, bad smells, toxic waste, water pumps: The movement to clean up the Canal and its recognition as a Federal Superfund site.

• The nearby former Citizens Manufactured Gas Plant site and the plan to build a school and shelter on this contaminated site.

• Gentrification comes to Gowanus at 365 Bond Street, but toxic waste remains.

• Thomas Greene Park and hazardous coal tar underneath.

Hope to see you there!

* Please bring water and comfortable shoes as we’ll be walking around. This tour will happen rain or shine, unless there is torrential rain or a blizzard, which then a makeup date will be announced.

** Runtime for this tour is roughly 120 minutes.

*** This tour begins at the Old Stone House at 336 3rd Street and ends at Thomas Greene Park at 225 Nevins Street.

About James

James Scully is an outgoing native New Yorker who grew up in a home with four generations of family. He had close relationships with both his grandparents and great-grandparents. This exposed him to an invaluable amount of local history and culture, helping him to become a passionate historian, writer, and director.

He’s a graduate of Xavier High School in Manhattan, Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, and spent over a decade working as an art director and copywriter for media companies such as Condé Nast and Hearst before becoming a writer, director, and historian. His history focus is both New York City history and US radio history.

James is the creator and host of, the bi-weekly hyper-local Bay Ridge digest podcast combining everything from culture, restaurant recommendations, history stories, current events, interviews, humor, & human interest.

James also has produced and hosted, the docu-podcast on the history of US network radio broadcasting. He has developed historical audio fiction productions, like the 2022 official Tribeca audio selection, set in 1835 New York City, the Frank Sinatra biopic musical, and the western adventure series.

James is a member of the Salmagundi Club, has given numerous talks and webinars on various history subjects, and is a New York City sightseeing/tour guide.

About Jordan

Jordan Gass-Poore' is a talented and multifaceted producer and narrative storyteller with more than a decade of journalism experience. She has an established creative sensibility, a track record of developing and producing great audio storytelling in newsrooms and production companies, and unassailable journalism ethics.

Jordan understands climate science and policy and has a track record of accountability reporting, as well as experience telling human centered stories. She has experience collaborating successfully with print and audio journalists and producers on multimedia projects.

For years, she has overseen several projects simultaneously, including podcasts and print investigations. You can listen to Jordan’s Hazard NYC work HERE, and if you’re a New York Times subscriber, read her article “When a Real Estate Boom Came to a Toxic Corner of Brooklyn.”

Testimonials

"Learning of incredible stories I'd never heard before." -Mary

"Guide was engaging, info was interesting" -Christine

"I liked all the historic information on or near the sites where events occurred and/ the people sited lived." -James

"The content was amazing, but even more amazing than the Content was our guide Mr. Scully. Thank you" -Debbie

"I liked James. He is friendly, extremely knowledgeable, speaks well and at the correct volume. He cares about getting the facts right." -Lawrence

"James Scully is the best guide we've ever had. Very informative, entertaining and passionate." -Carol

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