Forgotten New York
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise with FNY
    • Contributors
    • Contact Us
  • Book
  • Forgotten Tours/Tour Schedule
    • FNY 2020 Tour Schedule
  • Gift Shop

Forgotten New York

  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise with FNY
    • Contributors
    • Contact Us
  • Book
  • Forgotten Tours/Tour Schedule
    • FNY 2020 Tour Schedule
  • Gift Shop
Social Links
One ShotsStreet Necrology

FRIBERG IRON FOUNDRY, Greenpoint

by Kevin Walsh February 4, 2017
February 4, 2017

Some of the buildings on Franklin Street in Greenpoint bear the stamp of the old C.A. Friberg Iron Foundry, #2 to 8 Driggs Street. There is no Driggs Street at present in Brooklyn, but there is a Driggs Avenue which runs from Meeker and Morgan Avenues west and southwest to Division Avenue in Williamburg. In Greenpoint, its house numbers run from east to west, setting it apart from other east-west Greenpoint routes such as Meserole, Norman and Nassau Avenues, whose house numbers go west to east. There’s a reason for this.

You may think that Driggs Avenue was simply renamed from Driggs Street some decades ago. In part, that’s true, but things are a little more complicated than that. Until the 1890s, the Greenpoint section of Driggs avenue bore a different name: Van Cott Avenue. Meanwhile, the Williamsburg section of Driggs Avenue was Driggs Street. Edmund Driggs, the last village president of Williamsburg(h) before its incorporation as a city in the 1850s (it was quickly absobed by the City of Brooklyn a short time later) died in 1891, so I imagine officials wanted to honor him further by renaming Van Cott Avenue and then calling the whole shebang as Driggs Avenue. The new combined route, established in 1896 or so, was given a new set of house numbers beginning at the eastern terminus at Meeker, and that’s why Driggs Avenue’s house numbers are “retrograde” in its Greenpoint stretch.

As to where 2 to 8 Driggs Street was, you might think at first glance it would be at Meeker, but this is Driggs Street, remember, so we need to go back to where Driggs Street originally began. North 13th was the dividing point between Driggs Street and Van Cott Avenue, and so, that’s where the iron works was located. No building remains from the old “factory district” along Driggs because this is now the site of McCarren Park.

Fading Ads man Frank Jump has a newspaper article regarding Friberg, a Swedish immigrant, and his foundry which, I imagine, had to move out when the park was finally built.

“Comment as you see fit” kevinjudewalsh@gmail.com

2/4/17




BrooklynGreenpoint
3 comments
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedinEmail
previous post
GOULD’S STABLES, Turtle Bay
next post
MORE SUBWAY STYLINGS

3 comments

Bill October 31, 2017 - 6:04 pm

I’m from Brooklyn NY. My Dad worked at the Metropolitan Iron Foundry near Morgan Ave. He started there in 1944 at 18 years old. I was very young at the time but I believe his Bosses were 2 Brothers who owned the company. He left there in 1970 due to an illness of my Mother. Can you tell me what ever happened to the Foundry?

Reply
charlie April 22, 2018 - 4:41 pm

foundry closed march 1978 i worked there to the end

Reply
charlie April 22, 2018 - 4:42 pm

it was called taylor & sons then

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Book a Tour

Tour Name*

Quantity


FORGOTTEN ARTICLES

A Walk of Penance in New Dorp (SpliceToday)

Baseball Streets of NYC
(SpliceToday)

Columbus Circle
(SpliceToday)

Transoms of Red Hook 
(SpliceToday)

Support Forgotten NY

Thank you to all our donors that continue to support Forgotten NY. To make a donation, please use the button below.

 

Visit Queens in the years 1920 to 1950!

Award-Winning!

Forgotten New York was the first-ever recipient of Outstanding New York City Website by the Guides Association of New York City in March 2015!
Forgotten New York is associated with the Greater Astoria Historical Society

Explore by Category

Archives

Links

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

40-01 Little Neck Parkway 24A
Little Neck, NY 11363

@2019 - Forgotten New York. All Right Reserved.


Back To Top
Forgotten New York
  • Home
  • About
    • Advertise with FNY
    • Contributors
    • Contact Us
  • Book
  • Forgotten Tours/Tour Schedule
    • FNY 2020 Tour Schedule
  • Gift Shop

40-01 Little Neck Parkway 24A
Little Neck, NY 11363

@2019 - Forgotten New York. All Right Reserved.