Across the street from the Exxon site on Kingsland Avenue is the Miller Building, a 9-story poured concrete structure currently in use as a storage facility.

Like many of the enormous factory structures which grace the Newtown Creek Watershed, its original purpose has been lost to changing economic times and in modernity it serves as a self storage warehouse. It looks for all the world like a grain terminal. It’s not.

“Miller” was likely Charles A. Miller, of Eclipse Box and Lumber- part of Eclipse Oil. In the early 20th century, the company went out of business and a glue factory called Manhattan Adhesives Company moved in. The glue factory, which closed up shop in the 1970’s, manufactured an animal based glue used in commercial book bindery - amongst other uses - and the building’s odor is legendary amongst long time Greenpointers.