Red Hook business owner looks ahead, raises funds after devastating warehouse fire
The fire gutted the building, collapsing the roof from the fourth floor into the third, where David Benedek's BSD Corp. operated. He has not been allowed back inside
More Stories
A month after a massive fire tore through a Red Hook warehouse, longtime tenants are still grappling with the damage.
Among them is David Benedek, who lost his custom furniture studio of 26 years.
“When I saw the boat spraying into the water, into the building, and it was still smoking, I knew," Benedek said.
The fire gutted the building, collapsing the roof from the fourth floor into the third, where Benedek's BSD Corp. operated. He has not been allowed back inside. A single photo taken by a firefighter is the only glimpse he’s had of what remains.
“I took great pride in the final product, whether it was a piece of cabinetry or an entire apartment,” he said. “It’s depressing.”
However, he says, there was a silver lining for his businesses.
A near miss of antique doors from Columbia University they had been set to refurbish, that had not been delivered on time.
"If they were inside, they would have burned," he said.
Walking past the charred structure, Beneker said the smell of smoke still lingers. “It’s just very sad to realize all this loss. That time, that money, all that effort.”
He has since started a GoFundMe, with the ultimate goal of raising over $ 28,000, far short of the $500,000 in damage. Still, it’s enough to replace the tools his team needs to begin again.
Other businesses in the building were also devastated. “My neighbors they had antique chairs from the 50s, electronics, the water just destroyed everything,” Beneker said. “It’s heartbreaking to everyone in here.”
The building’s owners have told Benedek they plan to rebuild, but there is no timeline yet.
For Benedek, it’s not goodbye. It’s see you later.
"Everything this neighborhood has lost, from this, the arts, but also just being able to work, having that view of the statue of liberty, this was a great space," he said.
He says he plans to reopen as soon as he can in a new space in Williamsburg.
