The Municipal Art Society has sued the US Army Corps of Engineers for allowing the Swedish furniture giant Ikea to build a parking lot over a US Civil War-era dry dock in Brooklyn.

The Corps’ alleged failure to conduct a proper review of the Red Hook site is “an act that will forever tarnish the historic character of the site and weaken the city’s maritime industry,” the society said Wednesday.

“For nearly two years, the Corps has said that civic groups and others would be allowed input and comment on demolition and construction plans at Red Hook,” MAS President Kent Barwick said in a statement.

“That time never came and we are left with no alternative but legal action.”

On Wednesday, Corps of Engineers spokeswoman Sue Hopkins said, “We cannot comment on pending lawsuits,” but she added: “I’m confident in the Corps of Engineers review process.”

The suit, filed last week in Brooklyn federal court, calls on the Corps to conduct a full review as required under the National Historic Preservation Act “of the effects of the Ikea project to all historic properties in the area, including the dock itself.”

Red Hook is part of an ambitious plan for the redevelopment of Brooklyn’s once-mighty waterfront. Thousands of high-end apartments, dozens of acres (hectares) of parkland and berths for the world’s biggest cruise ships are planned.

The society said the dock has historic significance dating back to the 1860s but “also holds great importance as a functioning, and virtually irreplaceable, piece of maritime infrastructure.”

It said the 710-foot (213-meter) repair facility is one of only two docks in New York Harbor that can accommodate large, tall ships.

The society had commissioned alternative plans in February 2005 that showed the site could accommodate the dry dock, the Ikea store and the parking lot.

Ikea spokeswoman Mona Liss said Wednesday that the company had no immediate comment on the suit against the government.

The Municipal Art Society, founded in 1893, is a private, nonprofit membership organization that works to enrich the culture, neighborhoods and physical design of New York City.

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