Day 231

This land was once part of Palmer's Dock, a freight terminal that began operation in the 1870s to serve the nearby Havemeyer & Elder sugar refinery (now known as the defunct Domino Sugar refinery), which at its peak was the largest such facility in the world, processing the majority of the sugar consumed in the US.

Over the years, the terminal grew in size and scope, and became a major importation and distribution point for many different Brooklyn industries. In 1906, it was reincorporated as the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal, and continued to thrive for several decades before a lengthy decline in rail traffic finally forced it out of business in 1983. The terminal buildings that once stood here were then demolished, and the land sat vacant until the state purchased this portion of the property and developed it into a park, which opened in 2007.