Williamsburg’s CitiStorage Warehouse Demolished

The final piece of Bushwick Inlet Park is finally taking shape as demolition work has begun on the old CitiStorage warehouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This week, it was revealed that the demolition started over the summer and is set to wrap up by the end of the year. After that, an environmental assessment and cleanup will take place, depending on what contaminants are found in the soil, with funding help from ExxonMobil. Once the area is cleared and any harmful materials are handled, the Parks Department will design the new park space.

Just a few months ago, I noticed more graffiti popping up along the warehouse's walls, a sure sign that the building’s security cameras were no longer working and that the owners weren’t too concerned about the property anymore. At the time, I didn’t check back to see if the place was easy to get into. Life gets busy, and with so many sites to explore along the East Coast, some locations just slip your mind.

But not this time.

After work, I headed over to the site and slipped onto the property, creeping like a shadow. I first noticed a new kind of portable security system—a solar-powered tower with two 360-degree cameras, a solar panel, and what looked like a cone speaker. The blue lights flashed above, but I kept my face out of sight and stayed low. 

At the back of the property, I saw a huge Komatsu PC490 excavator already ripped through the rear wall, while a smaller Bobcat skid steer loader was quietly sleeping nestled in a corner. All the doors to the old warehouse were open and unlocked. The only thing left untouched was the sprinkler system in a sub-basement, waiting to be disconnected by the fire marshal.

The transformation of this space into a public park feels closer than ever. Soon, the last remnants of the warehouse will be gone, making way for something new and green for the neighborhood.

CCTV main office room.

I arrived late again to the familiar blue and white building, only to find it had already been cleared out. The interior was almost unrecognizable—most of the metal pipes and support structures had been removed months ago. In what used to be the CCTV office, all that remained were a few boxes of unused Purolator air filters scattered across the dusty floor.

On the ground floor, there wasn’t much left either. Just streaks in the dust left by a skid steer loader and a couple of forgotten 500GB WD hard drives that somehow got missed during the clean-out.

Upstairs, I looked out through a window covered in graffiti. From there, I could see the park below coming to life. A group of animated soccer players were having an intense game, while runners, dog walkers, and parents with strollers strolled by, all enjoying the cool morning air.

It was a stark contrast to the emptiness inside the building—outside, life was in full swing.

All the buildings on right the side of Bushwick Inlet Park are now gone.

As part of the 2005 Greenpoint/Williamsburg rezoning under the Bloomberg administration, local residents were promised several new parks, one of which was the 28-acre Bushwick Inlet Park. The park’s development involved acquiring multiple parcels of land, but one key piece has long been tied up by the CitiStorage warehouse. The park’s future was nearly derailed in 2015 when a massive fire engulfed the warehouse, yet despite the destruction, the site’s owner, developer Norman Brodsky, refused to sell the land for years.

CitiStorage parcel circa 1940s before it became a waterfront warehouse/industrial area.

In 1979, Norman Brodsky, a former attorney, founded Perfect Courier during a boom in the parcel delivery industry. Within seven years, he grew the company from nothing to $120 million. However, the rapid success didn’t last—Brodsky lost everything within seven months. He recognized that his aggressive drive for growth made the company vulnerable, and he learned a key lesson: to take responsibility for his own role in the failure.

Reflecting on his father’s advice that “opportunity is everywhere,” Brodsky seized a chance to pivot. When a customer asked if Perfect Courier could store documents during its bankruptcy, he saw potential. After researching storage companies, Brodsky realized he could offer better, faster service at lower rates. Without hesitation, he created a new "box storage division" and took on the job.

That initial request for 27 boxes marked the birth of CitiStorage. Those few boxes grew into a thriving business storing over 4 million boxes.

Norman Brodsky started CitiStorage in 1990, initially operating the business out of Long Island City, Queens. In 1994, he decided to move the company to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where it could grow. A few years later, Brodsky purchased the land and built modern warehouses to house the business. Along with the warehouses, he also built a 5,000-square-foot open-concept apartment on-site for himself and his wife, Elaine, who was also his business partner. The couple made Williamsburg both their home and the headquarters for their thriving storage company. At its peak, CitiStorage housed more than 4.3 million boxes inside its 17-million-square-foot facility.

Brodsky had sold the CitiStorage business but held onto the property at 5 North 11th Street, a storage facility that covered about 1 million cubic feet. The fire destroyed not only the building but also Brodsky's apartment and one of the two warehouses that housed a vast collection of important offsite documents. These included records from law firms, financial services, and even medical records from major New York hospitals like Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, and NewYork-Presbyterian. It also stored sensitive files from agencies such as the city’s Administration for Children’s Services, the state court system, and the Health and Hospitals Corporation.

The aftermath of the fire created a chaotic scene. Over 243,000 boxes of documents were scattered along the waterfront, and parkgoers could pick up and read confidential papers, including medical records, letters, photographs, and banking information. City contractors rushed to gather the charred and soggy debris, but so much paper had been released that it even clogged the water intake system of a fireboat spraying water onto the smoldering, ice-covered building.

The future of Bushwick Inlet Park was in jeopardy until the city stepped in and purchased the land in 2016 for $160 million. In 2021, under Mayor de Blasio, an additional $75 million was allocated to complete work on the site. 

Today, two sections of Bushwick Inlet Park are already open. South of the CitiStorage site, at 86 Kent Avenue, there's a large turf field, a playground, and stunning views of the East River. On the other side, at 50 Kent Avenue, visitors can enjoy open grassy areas, seating, and a variety of native plants and flowers. Once the CitiStorage site is finished, these areas will finally connect to create one continuous park — something the community has been waiting on for decades.

1940s tax photo courtesy NYC Tax Office.

With the demolition of the CitiStorage building now underway, attention will soon turn to the last remaining piece of the park—the Bayside Oil site, read my three-part series, a former fuel storage and gas works facility. Once all these pieces are in place, Bushwick Inlet Park will finally be complete, fulfilling a long-held promise to the people of Williamsburg and Greenpoint.

The West Wharf Apartment Complex in the background from the former CitiStorage.

Sprinkler service room.

Sources:

1. Davey, E. (2024, September 6). CitiStorage Building to be Demolished at the End of the Year. Greenpointers.

2. Brendlen, K. (2024, October 9). Demo of CitiStorage on Williamsburg Waterfront Is Finally Happening. Brownstoner.

3. Brendlen, K. (2024, October 8). Demolition underway at CitiStorage site as city works toward completing Bushwick Inlet Park. Brooklyn Paper.

4. Yee, V. (2015, February 1). Fire at a Brooklyn Warehouse Puts Private Lives on Display. NYTimes.

5. Marsh, J. (2016, January 19)Couple says massive Brooklyn warehouse fire cost them their home. NYPost.

6. Surico, J. ​(2015, February 6). How Much History Was Lost in the Williamsburg Storage Facility Fire. Vice.

7. Gupta, P. (2015, Feburary 11). City Hopes to Expand Park After Williamsburg Storage Fire. Animal New York.

8. Yakowicz, W. (2015, March 12). Norm Brodsky: What I Learned From a Disaster. Inc.

9. Ramsden, S. (2013, June 11). Entrepreneur Norm Brodsky ’64 knew on his first day at Rider that he was going to make it – big. Rider.