It was the scene of incredible industry and a symbol of American might: just across the East River from lower Manhattan, the Brooklyn Navy Yard turned out some of the world's most celebrated warships throughout its 150-year-history, employing 70,000 workers at the peak of its production during World War II. When the 300-acre facility closed in 1966, dozens of its buildings fell into disrepair, as did the area surrounding it. After decades of neglect, that part of Brooklyn, like much of the rest of the borough, has transformed dramatically. First it became home to artists who located their studios within the vast warehouse spaces left behind; now its skyrocketing rents are pricing the middle class out of the neighborhood.