Greenpoint’s Adam ‘Babyface’ Kownacki Follows Local Boxing Tradition

Posted by Geoff Cobb | February 13, 2019

Adam ‘Babyface’ Kownacki (courtesy of Adam Kownacki)

Recently, heavyweight boxer Adam ‘Babyface’ Kownacki has generated a lot of local excitement. The Polish-born, but Greenpoint bred, Konwacki is 19- 0 in his professional career. A huge contingent of locals showed up to support Kownacki in his last match in the Barclay’s Center. Kownacki continued to climb up the heavyweight rankings by earning a second-round TKO victory over former title challenger Gerald Washington (19-3-1, 12 KOs). The talented Kownacki is only the latest in a long tradition of excellent North Brooklyn boxers. The first local champion boxer dates to the era after the Civil War when prizefighting was still illegal.

Local boxing champ and Medal of Honor winner Sam Collyer (courtesy of Wikipedia.)

Williamsburg Civil War hero and bare-knuckle fighter Sam Collyer won both the Medal of Honor and a lightweight world championship in the days after the War Between the States, but Collyer was a puncher and not a boxer. He won a few title defenses in the 1860s, but was later embarrassed in the ring by perhaps the greatest local fighter, McAuliffe in an 1888 match staged in a local theater, in which McAuliffe humiliated the former champ with his technical boxing prowess. Continue reading →

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: adam babyface kownacki, Boxing, Boxing history, brooklyn history, Greenpoint, greenpoint brooklyn, Jack McAuliffe, Jake Kilrain, nyc history, Sam Collyer, Solly Krieger, Williamburg Brooklyn, Williamsburg | 0 Comments

Developers to Expand Acme Smoked Fish Facility With Office Space

Posted by Aaron Simon | February 8, 2019

Pennsylvania-based developers Rubenstein Partners are seeking to build a 583,000 square-foot commercial development with office space at the site of Acme Smoked Fish at 30 Gem St., the Wall St. Journal reports.

Acme would not have to relocate as the development would include an 80,000 square-foot manufacturing facility for the production of their popular smoked fish. Acme’s current facility measures approx. 65,000 square feet.

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The new dual eight-story mixed-use office buildings known as 25 Kent Ave. are nearing completion. The development has approx. 70,000 square feet of retail space, 350,000 square feet of office space and 80,000 square feet will be for light manufacturing use. The developers, Rubenstein Partners and Heritage Equities, worked with the Dept. of City Planning to create a special land use framework to allow them to build eight stories of commercial space where the zoning would only allow them to build one or two stories, according to the Commercial Observer.
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Rubenstein Partners previously negotiated with the Dept. of City Planning to build dual eight-story commercial/light manufacturing office buildings known as 25 Kent Ave., where the original zoning allowed two stories, according to the Commercial Observer.

A special land use framework would once-again have to be negotiated for 30 Gem St. to rezone the area from manufacturing to commercial use. Continue reading →