Recently, after gassing up at the Fourth Avenue BP station, I turned right onto Degraw Street and had the pleasure of beholding this rusted behemoth, which, according to Brownstoner, was once the sawdust and shavings collector for a long-gone woodworking company.
The tank, in its bloated, off-center way, cannot be ignored. It intimidates, like an aging barroom brawler with faded tattoos, waiting to take down the first guy who looks at him.
Originally, the site was part of the Eureka chain of car repair shops and is now a Bush Wholesaler site (air-conditioning, heating, ducts and flues, etc.). On cloudless days, the tank against the sky is a lonely relic of a defunct civilization.
The Eureka name and its the winged wheel logos are still there.
Although tiny, Degraw Street between 4th and 3rd Avenues packs a gentrifying punch. On this short block, you’ve got South Brooklyn Crossfit, New York Methodist Pediatric Faculty Practice, Brooklyn Fencing Center, The Union Hotel, Fresenius Kidney Care (dialysis), and Brooklyn Boulders, a climbing place located in a former Daily News garage. I always liked the concrete-engraved Daily News sign, with its camera logo, but why did Brooklyn Boulders spray-paint a red X over part of the sign?
Clueless whippersnappers.
Eureka Garage
638–44 Degraw Street, Brooklyn