Built to supply American forces in World War I, the enormous Cass Gilbert-designed Brooklyn Army Terminal served as a supply base for the American military for nearly 50 years, employing more than 20,000 people during World War II.
Not far away Brooklyn Navy Yard, founded in 1801, was once the nation’s premier naval shipyard, building, repairing, and outfitting vessels from the War of 1812 through the Cold War.
Today, this Brooklyn Army terminal is a thriving industrial park is home to over 100 companies in a wide array of industries, from precision manufacturers to biotech researchers, online retailers to chocolatiers.
Brooklyn Navy Yard’s historic industrial landscape has been repurposed to support 450+ businesses that employ over 11,000 people in manufacturing, technology, and skilled crafts.
These two facilities will be part of a series of Historic Districts Council walking tours that expand on the themes of their 2026 Preservation Conference, Make It In New York!: The Preservation of Manufacturing.
The two-hour walking tours led by Turnstyle Tours explore the history of manufacturing across New York City, from historic garment lofts and naval shipbuilding yards to contemporary spaces dedicated to manufacturing, technology, and skilled crafts.
The tours will showcase NYC’s ongoing role as a hub for a diverse range of manufacturing industries.
The tour of Brooklyn Army Terminal (Saturday, April 18, 2026, 11 am – 1 pm) will explore how millions of tons of war supplies and personnel were shipped through the teeming transportation hub, hear the stories of soldiers, longshoremen, and merchant mariners who worked these piers, rail yards, and warehouses, and learn how these facilities are put to use today.
Looking at the broader context, this tour will discuss what made the Port of New York the envy of the world in the mid-20th century, why it went into decline, and how Brooklyn’s working waterfront is being revitalized today.
Along the way, there will be views of the harbor, closely examined architecture and infrastructure, and a look inside the Terminal’s architectural gem – the atrium of Building B, where freight trains once rumbled through to be loaded from the innovative cantilevered balconies.
The Brooklyn Navy Yard tour (Saturday, May 16, 2026, 2 pm – 4 pm) will explore the facility’s naval and labor history, through examining historical documents, listening to oral histories from workers and sailors, and visiting historic buildings, including Civil War-era machine shops, the Yard’s museum and visitor center at BLDG 92, and a working dry dock still used today for ship repair.
The tour will also learn about the Yard’s business ecosystem, community programs, and workforce development today, and the future plans for the Yard’s development.
Read more about New York’s Military History.
Illustrations, from above: The atrium of Building B at the Brooklyn Army Terminal; and a Brooklyn Navy Yard tour by Turnstyle Tours.
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