{"id":3588,"date":"2024-12-19T15:17:59","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T20:17:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/?p=3588"},"modified":"2025-02-11T09:54:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-11T14:54:45","slug":"the-oil-business-of-charles-pratt-how-greenpoints-environment-was-destroyed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/eternal-3588-the-oil-business-of-charles-pratt-how-greenpoints-environment-was-destroyed","title":{"rendered":"The Oil Business of Charles Pratt \u2013 How Greenpoint\u2019s Environment Was Destroyed"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There is perhaps no figure in Greenpoint\u2019s long history who had a greater impact on the neighborhood than Charles Pratt. However, his legacy is controversial: as a philanthropist, Pratt felt obligated to use his wealth to give back to society, yet he was also responsible for massive environmental pollution caused by his oil refining business. More than 120 years after his death, Pratt\u2019s long shadow still looms over Greenpoint. Learn more about the environmental impact of oil refineries on Greenpoint and Brooklyn as a whole at <a href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/\">brooklyn-name.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0564aa7495d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a0564aa7495d\"  aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/eternal-3588-the-oil-business-of-charles-pratt-how-greenpoints-environment-was-destroyed\/#The_Founding_of_Astral_Oil_Refinery\" >The Founding of Astral Oil Refinery<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/eternal-3588-the-oil-business-of-charles-pratt-how-greenpoints-environment-was-destroyed\/#The_Battle_Against_the_Stench\" >The Battle Against the Stench<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/eternal-3588-the-oil-business-of-charles-pratt-how-greenpoints-environment-was-destroyed\/#A_Massive_Underground_Explosion\" >A Massive Underground Explosion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/eternal-3588-the-oil-business-of-charles-pratt-how-greenpoints-environment-was-destroyed\/#Atoning_for_His_Sins\" >Atoning for His Sins<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Founding_of_Astral_Oil_Refinery\"><\/span>The Founding of Astral Oil Refinery<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1170\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-11.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-11-219x300.jpg 219w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-11-768x1050.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-11-1123x1536.jpg 1123w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-11-696x952.jpg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/1-11-1068x1461.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Greenpoint was not only the first site of large-scale oil refining in the United States, but for decades, no other location on Earth processed more oil than Greenpoint. Charles Pratt became a millionaire and Brooklyn\u2019s wealthiest man by founding the Astral Oil refinery on the shores of Bushwick Inlet in 1867. His refinery was the first modern oil processing facility in the country, capable of producing tens of thousands of gallons of kerosene and other oils. The site housed over two dozen massive oil storage tanks, and even today, Bayside Fuel still operates several large tanks there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Pennsylvania\u2019s oil fields began to be developed just before the Civil War, Pratt saw an opportunity to make a fortune. Experimenting with oil refining, he created a high-quality kerosene product known as Pratt\u2019s Astral Oil, which became one of the best kerosene options on the market. Proud of his product\u2019s quality, he often boasted that the monastery on Mount Tabor was illuminated by Astral Oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Pratt built his Astral Oil refinery on the southwestern edge of Greenpoint, making it the first modern oil processing facility in America. Later, John D. Rockefeller forced Pratt to sell Astral Oil, after which Pratt joined the board of directors of Standard Oil, becoming a multimillionaire. Other oil refineries soon followed Pratt into Greenpoint, with more than 50 refineries lining the East River from Williamsburg to Greenpoint, making the industry a rival to the declining shipbuilding trade that had once thrived in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before oil refining arrived in Greenpoint, its streams were clean enough for fishing and swimming, but the industry quickly killed all aquatic life and turned Newtown Creek into one of the most polluted waterways in the world. To understand how Charles Pratt\u2019s Astral Oil refinery impacted the environment, one can look at historical illustrations, which often depicted the refinery alongside a once-pristine stream.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One such illustration was published in the Scientific American magazine. Today, the area is occupied by Bayside Fuel\u2019s oil storage facility in Bushwick Inlet, and the stream that once flowed inland has long since been filled in. Originally, the Bayside site was supposed to become part of a proposed 28-acre city park, which would have included a USS Monitor Museum nearby. To the right of the former streambed is North 12th Street, the location of the massive CitiStorage fire in January 2015. After lengthy negotiations, cleanup efforts at CitiStorage began in mid-2024 and are expected to be completed by the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Battle_Against_the_Stench\"><\/span>The Battle Against the Stench<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1438\" height=\"1600\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-11.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3592\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-11.jpg 1438w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-11-270x300.jpg 270w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-11-768x855.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-11-1380x1536.jpg 1380w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-11-696x774.jpg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/2-11-1068x1188.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1438px) 100vw, 1438px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>During the industrial boom of the 1890s, local activists calling themselves the Committee for the Elimination of Odors in the Fifteenth Ward investigated the sources of the district\u2019s unbearable stench. They had no shortage of culprits, as glue factories and fertilizer processors produced a large amount of harmful byproducts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the biggest offenders were the local oil refineries. Workers transporting crude oil and solvents across different parts of the facilities frequently spilled their loads. Storage tanks leaked, and the distillation process for kerosene, paraffin, gasoline, and fuel oil left behind toxic waste. What couldn\u2019t be resold or burned was simply dumped onto the ground or into the water. By 1870, Greenpoint had over 50 oil refineries, most of which were concentrated along Newtown Creek in Queens. By 1892, almost all of them had been acquired by Standard Oil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time, Newtown Creek was one of the busiest waterways in the country, but also one of the most dangerous. Fires were common at oil refineries, sometimes engulfing entire plants, while residual chemicals seeped into the soil. In 1919, a twenty-acre Standard Oil refinery, which held 110 million gallons of oil, burned to the ground, and whatever didn\u2019t burn soaked into the land. Given the natural flow of water, one might expect that this oil would eventually make its way into the ocean\u2014but instead, it flowed back into Brooklyn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason for this dates back to the 1870s, when Brooklyn relied on its own wells for drinking water. Over time, the district pumped so much groundwater to the surface that it altered the natural direction of underground water flow, pulling contaminants toward the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where municipal pumps were working tirelessly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As a result, oil seeped through the soil, displacing clean groundwater. By the 1940s, groundwater supplies were so severely depleted that saltwater intrusion from the sea made them completely undrinkable. Consequently, in 1949, Brooklyn switched to Catskill aqueduct water for its municipal supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Massive_Underground_Explosion\"><\/span>A Massive Underground Explosion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1281\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-12.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3595\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-12.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-12-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-12-768x615.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-12-1536x1230.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-12-696x557.jpg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/3-12-1068x855.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A year later, on October 5, 1950, a massive underground explosion occurred at the intersection of Huron Street and Manhattan Avenue, launching 25 manhole covers high into the air. Some of them flew as high as a three-story building. This was the first warning that something was dangerously wrong. Investigators soon discovered that gasoline had leaked into the sewer system, but no one at the time thought to check how much fuel remained beneath the ground, waiting for another disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, since Brooklyn\u2019s municipal water pumps were no longer operating, its depleted groundwater reserves began to slowly refill. By the late 1970s, groundwater levels had returned to their natural state, and the floating oil layer shifted its course again\u2014this time back toward Newtown Creek, further contaminating the already devastated waterway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Atoning_for_His_Sins\"><\/span>Atoning for His Sins<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1478\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3598\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-8.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-8-300x277.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-8-768x709.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-8-1536x1419.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-8-696x643.jpg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/4-8-1068x987.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite all of this, Charles Pratt was widely regarded as a philanthropist and benefactor. Following the example of other industrialists, such as London\u2019s housing philanthropist George Peabody, Pratt envisioned building affordable housing for his workers. This led to the construction of Astral Apartments, which occupies an entire block of Franklin Street between India Street and Java Street in Greenpoint. The building was completed in 1887.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/5-6.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/5-6.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/5-6-300x145.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/5-6-768x370.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/5-6-1536x740.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/5-6-696x335.jpg 696w, https:\/\/cdn.brooklyn-name.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/47\/2025\/02\/5-6-1068x515.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Pratt\u2019s generosity did not stop there. In 1889, he established a library in the basement of Astral Apartments, which opened to the public in 1890. By 1900, the library held 6,500 books. These were just some of the many contributions made by Brooklyn\u2019s oil tycoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the question remains: can his charitable efforts truly compensate for the environmental devastation he inflicted upon Greenpoint? The answer is likely to remain a matter of debate for years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There is perhaps no figure in Greenpoint\u2019s long history who had a greater impact on the neighborhood than Charles Pratt. However, his legacy is controversial: as a philanthropist, Pratt felt obligated to use his wealth to give back to society, yet he was also responsible for massive environmental pollution caused by his oil refining business. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":454,"featured_media":3604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[338],"tags":[2167,2166,2162,2156,2168,2161,2154,2163,2155,2165,2159,2158,2157,2164,2160],"motype":[325],"moformat":[18],"moimportance":[30,33],"class_list":{"0":"post-3588","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-developments","8":"tag-astral-apartments","9":"tag-astral-oil","10":"tag-brooklyn-environmental-history","11":"tag-brooklyn-navy-yard","12":"tag-brooklyn-philanthropy","13":"tag-brooklyn-water-supply","14":"tag-catskill-aqueduct","15":"tag-charles-pratt","16":"tag-greenpoint-explosion-1950","17":"tag-greenpoint-history","18":"tag-greenpoint-oil-industry","19":"tag-industrial-brooklyn","20":"tag-newtown-creek-pollution","21":"tag-oil-refinery-brooklyn","22":"tag-standard-oil","23":"motype-eternal","24":"moformat-vlasna","25":"moimportance-golovna-novyna","26":"moimportance-retranslyacziya-v-agregatory"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/454"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3588"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3607,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3588\/revisions\/3607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3588"},{"taxonomy":"motype","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/motype?post=3588"},{"taxonomy":"moformat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moformat?post=3588"},{"taxonomy":"moimportance","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brooklyn-name.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moimportance?post=3588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}