Beginnings
Originally occupied by the Lenape people, Dutch settlers purchased the land from the Native Americans in the mid 1600’s and named the land Boswijck. Soon the English takeover transformed the name to what we know as Bushwick. By the early 1800’s with a large population of Germans and later Jewish settlers, the village of Williamsburg was carved out from the town of Bushwick.
During the industrial revolution of the late 1800’s entrepreneurs led by Elwin S. Piper created the Grand Street Board of Trade, which focused on enhancing business by constructing better pavements, more ferries, and better railroads. This was a time when Grand Street was thriving and Williamsburg even rivaled Wall Street in business recognition. Later in the 1900’s, the area saw waves of immigrants into Williamsburg including Italians, Hasidic Jews, Puerto Ricans, African Americans, and Dominicans. A downturn took place as many factories and manufacturers closed which resulted in high unemployment that led to dilapidated conditions of high crime and drugs throughout the late 1900’s.
In 1985 community leaders along with property owners including Fred Moehring, one of the co-founding members, created the Grand Street Business Improvement District. As a a result, a transformation has taken place that has made the area into a real estate gold mind for some, while being the target of many entrepreneurs who have brought us a range of businesses from eclectic art museums/theaters and eateries to clothes boutiques and internet cafes. This local renaissance has produced a robust retail mix of 174 stores with a solid reduction of vacancy rates from over 35% in the 1980’s, 20% by 2005 down to 4% in 2010.
