When Hurricane Katrina devastated my hometown of New Orleans, opportunities led me to move to Greenpoint, Brooklyn in early 2006. The rents were still relatively low, and the commute to Manhattan was quick. The air along Manhattan Avenue was filled with the smells of Polish smoked meats and sweet breads, and the neighborhood felt like an outpost at the edge of a frontier—surrounded by decaying industrial buildings, old vinyl-sided townhomes, and chain-link fences blocking views of the East River.
Change was already on the horizon. In March 2005, the city council approved a massive rezoning plan for Williamsburg and Greenpoint, allowing developers to build 30-40 story waterfront condos, with the promise of affordable housing and public parks. The plan, as the New York Times noted, would "yield one of the most extreme transformations of a neighborhood in decades."
Having witnessed Berlin’s transformation in the late '90s and early 2000s, I recognized the scale of change I was about to experience in my new home. I began documenting Greenpoint, Williamsburg, and Dumbo in 2007, photographing the same locations over and over again to capture the evolving landscape. I named the project Brooklyn Changing in homage to the iconic documentary works Changing New York by Berenice Abbott and Paris Changing by Christopher Rauschenberg.
My photos not only reveal the physical changes in the streetscape but also reflect the displacement of artists, lower-income residents, and workers who once populated these neighborhoods. According to the Center for Urban Future, rent in neighborhoods like Greenpoint and Williamsburg rose by 76% from 2000-2012, pricing many of us out. Yet, I continue to return each year to walk the streets, documenting what has changed and what remains.
Technical Notes:
Aside from color correction and, in some cases, perspective adjustments to preserve architectural integrity, these images have not been manipulated. No AI was used. The project was photographed using Canon 5D, 5D Mark II, 5D Mark III, 5D Mark IV, and R5 II cameras, with no artificial lighting. In some instances, the location has changed so drastically that it is impossible to pinpoint the exact spot of the earlier image. In these cases, the closest possible location is used for the subsequent photographs. Images are combined in various formats from diptychs to collages with up to 8 images to allow the viewer to study the changes.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Brooklyn Changing:
The Gentrification of Williamsburg & Greenpoint, Brooklyn through Rephotography
2007-
200 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY, Live with Animals, 2009, 2022
Live with Animals was an arts studio and performance space at the corner of Kent and Metropolitan in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Today it is a multi-level retail, office, and parking garage housing a Trader Joe’s. It was auctioned as a foreclosure in 2024.
145 Franklin St Brooklyn, NY, PA Grocery to Deli Point, 2007, 2022
314 Kent Ave, Brooklyn, NY, Domino Sugar Refinery street side door detail, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 2009, 2024
1150 Manhattan Ave., Greenpoint Beer & Ale, 2017, 2023 The brewery and taproom closed in October 2024.
80 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY, Wythe Hotel 2009, 2014
At the corner of Wythe and N 11th, a former barrel manufacturing building was converted into a trendy hotel, restaurant and events venue. The once desolate corner home to skaters and an occasional well known street art installation like this one by Space Invader, it is now attended by doormen and livery drivers.
78 Greenpoint Ave, Brouwerij Lane, 2007, 2009 A beer store built in a former garage
33 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn, NY Best Pizza, 2009, 2015 An old school style slice shop that opened in 2010
86 or 94 N 3rd St Brooklyn, NY, 2009-2024
A former industrial building is converted into a strip of high-end commercial spaces.
258 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY Zebulon, Williamsburg, Brooklyn 2010, 2016
Zebulon was a music venue that closed in 2012. The building is now a modern residential building with a restaurant on the street level.
193 Plymouth Street, DUMBO 2009, 2015 A former factory turned commercial building with office space
Kent Ave and N 12th, Brooklyn, NY Sunbelt Rentals at in 2008, William Vale Hotel under construction, 2015 from same vantage
217 N 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 2009, 2015 A 2 story residential building dating 1899 is replaced with a modern 3 story single family home.
47 Java St, Brooklyn, NY, Naked Dog, 2009, 2015 An Italian restaurant established in 2013 in Greenpoint.
125 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY Garage, 2009, 2022 A row of former one story industrial garages were removed to build a residential apartment building with ground level retail and a public parking garage. 20% of the building is affordable housing.
122 Greenpoint Ave. Brooklyn, NY Live Poultry Slaughter 2008-2024 The chickens have long since flown the coop, but the building remains vacant. In 2011, residents of the new condo building next door complained of the smells and early morning noise to the New York Times. The building had been a working slaughterhouse since 1928 and appears to have been originally built as a wagon shed for the now condo building. The building is part of the Greenpoint Historic District.
Selected Works Descriptions
Pix 11 | The Today Show (3:41) | BRIC TV | Architectural Digest | The Daily Mail |Wired | Brooklyn Magazine | Bird in Flight | 6 SQFT
PRESS
Since 2007, Kristy has been documenting the changing urban landscape of Brooklyn waterfront neighborhoods Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Dumbo. What started as a thesis project for a masters program in digital photography at The School of Visual Arts has led to a 19+ year exploration. Order prints here.
