The Brooklyn Army Terminal comprises a network of warehouses, administration buildings, piers, and railroad tracks which occupy the shores of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. What began life in 1918 as a supply base exists today as a shell of its former self, sparsely occupied by various industrial tenants. Construction of the terminal was authorized during WWI but was not completed until after the war had ended. Swinging into action for WWII, the Brooklyn Army Terminal was a crucial facility supporting the New York port of embarkation. Locations such as “AFRICA, ODD COUNTRIES” and “PORTUGAL” are stenciled on the concrete pillars of Building B, just some of the destinations where men or material might be dispatched.
Millions of soldiers passed through the terminal on their way to various theaters of war during WWII. After the terminal was vacated by the military in 1975, logistical operations were moved to the now-defunct Military Ocean Terminal in Bayonne, NJ. A unique feature of Building B is the gantry crane and small concrete balconies arranged in neat diagonals on the interior courtyard’s walls. Freight would enter the warehouse via rail and be offloaded directly by the gantry crane, which would deposit the delivery on the appropriate concrete balcony a number of floors up.
My visit to the terminal was eerily quiet. Building B is a gargantuan warehouse with overgrown railroad tracks, rusting equipment, and little activity. I had to keep my eye on my camera’s meter to make sure I didn’t loose shadow detail as the skylight overpowered the scene, flooding the interior of Building B with light. Looking at my negatives, there’s clear definition between the highlights of the skylight and the shadows of the courtyard. One thing that amazes me about film is the ability to recover highlights – when shooting digital, you meter for the highlights and recover the shadows in post. In this case film was not only the best choice in terms of technical medium for the subject, but also fit the overall narrative of the history surrounding the Brooklyn Army Terminal.
