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Ice cream war churns at foot of Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is returning to the Fulton Ferry area — right across the street from Ample Hills Creamery.

July 15, 2019 Lore Croghan
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory plans to put a scoop shop where its truck is parked. The white building is its former home — which is now occupied by Ample Hills Creamery. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory plans to put a scoop shop where its truck is parked. The white building is its former home — which is now occupied by Ample Hills Creamery. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan
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The battle of the artisanal ice cream makers is coming to the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory is moving back to the tourist-saturated Fulton Ferry area at the entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park, according to documents filed with the city Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The dessert shop’s new location is right across the street from the landmarked Marine Fire Boat Station, which it vacated in December after 17 years of operations.

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The new site is a 51-second walk away from the building where FDNY fire boats once hung their hoses — if you don’t get stopped by a “Do Not Walk” light at the corner of Old Fulton Street.

Another ice cream business, Ample Hills Creamery, opened a scoop shop in the fire boat station in June. In December, Brooklyn Bridge Park announced it had chosen Ample Hills as the building’s new tenant through a Request for Proposals process.

Brooklyn Bridge Park’s decision left Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory with a single location, on the waterfront in Greenpoint.

This drawing shows the stand Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory plans to open right across the street from its former location. Rendering by Edward Weinstein Architecture + Planning via the Landmarks Preservation Commission
This drawing shows the stand Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory plans to open right across the street from its former location. Rendering by Edward Weinstein Architecture + Planning via the Landmarks Preservation Commission

Design materials that architect Edward Weinstein filed with the Landmarks Preservation Commission indicate that Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory plans to make its Old Fulton Street ice cream stand out of a shipping container with windows cut into it. A swing-up awning will shade customers lined up outside it.

The ice cream stand will be located in the parking lot of a restaurant owned by Buzz O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe is the owner of the nearby River Café, which he revived after it was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. He’s also the owner — alongside Mark Thompson — of Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.

Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory has been dropping not-so-subtle hints about moving to the lot on Old Fulton St. It has parked a truck painted with the company’s name and the message “COMING SOON” on the spot where the ice cream stand will be installed.

In recent days, it posted an Instagram photo of the truck parked at the site with the notation, “Stay tuned?”

This is the restaurant at 14 Old Fulton St. The truck stands in the spot where Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory plans to open a stand. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan
This is the restaurant at 14A Old Fulton St. The truck stands in the spot where Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory plans to open a stand. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

The Landmarks Preservation Commission is scheduled to hold a hearing about the ice cream stand design on Tuesday. The agency has authority over the property because it’s located in the Fulton Ferry Historic District. So is the Marine Fire Boat Station, whose address is 1 Water St.

O’Keeffe, Thompson and Ample Hills’ director of marketing did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Employees at the restaurant at 14A Old Fulton St., Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory’s Greenpoint shop and Ample Hills’ new scoop shop declined to comment.

Here’s a closer look at the Ample Hills Creamery scoop shop. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan
Here’s a closer look at the Ample Hills Creamery scoop shop. Eagle photo by Lore Croghan

Follow reporter Lore Croghan on Twitter.


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