williamsburg's sweetwater playground has the domino factory in its DNA

brooklyn’s new domino park’s playground referred to as sweetwater, is designed by renowned artist mark reigelman and presents a dynamic opportunity to introduce a new generation of new yorkers to the historic heritage that acted as a key catalyst for the williamsburg neighborhood to explode in the 20th century. the domino sugar factory at one point employed around 4,500 people and functioned as a melting pot for a wide range of backgrounds and ethnicities coming and working together in difficult conditions at the refinery, all in search of opportunity and prosperity.
from the catwalk, new york city’s skyline is visible with sweetwater park taking center stage
all images credited to mark reigelman II

thus, two trees’ domino park celebrates the rich history of one of new york’s most iconic industrial waterfront sites, with the playground utilizing infrastructure of the refinery and promoting physical activity and social engagement.
view from under the cat walk exposes the skeleton of the the sweetwater park

at the highest point of the park, users can experience unparalleled views of new york’s skyline while also visualizing how sugarwater pays homage to the site historical setting. reigelman uses preserved industrial artifacts and elements that were originally featured in the domino sugar refinery, such as the color choices which reflect the original factory. additionally, there are pieces of wood taken from the factory floors on the facade of one of the cabins, next to valve wheels casts found throughout the area. 1 of the 3 primary structures features a silo and an industrial containers with stainless steel slides, climbers which combine to provide an nostalgic aspect to the architecture and infrastructure of the factory.

the park features reused materials from the domino factory

these ‘colors, graphics, materials, and layout‘ all ‘influenced by the domino sugar refinery to create a space for urban exploring and curiosity.‘

the silo has been repurposed for a slide

’embarking through three stages– sugarcane cabin, sweetwater silo and sugar cube centrifuge, kids will be chopped and discarded from an industrial cabin, filtered into sweet water syrup, and emerge as perfectly refined raw sugar.’
there are three main structures to the park
the three structures are connected
the northern structure is made out of reused wood from the factory
more elements, such as the slide entry to the silo is built from factory remains
view from inside the northern structure
the colors used by mark reigelman are meant to be associated with the factory as well
here all three structures and the parents’ sitting area and skyline of nyc are visible
installation process reveals the domino sugar skeleton
installation pt 2