onwards and upwards she go.

I always loved to look at the broken angel- I came across this fantastic structure while visiting a friend in the neighborhood- and it reminds me of Gaudi.
I'd love to see the whole building re- invented - and if the only way to do so is by following the building depts rules - this will not stop you but give you another challenge. where there is a will there is a way.
I am glad to hear that nothing can stop you.
Hurdles are there to overcome :-)
I want to live in such a building and I want to connect to people who think in a similar artistic way.
It is good when visionaries connect with skilled architects and constructors who are "fire and waterproof". TEAM WORK is everything.
Architects nowadays are too restricted- all I see looks pretty much the same. I want to live in an artistic loft like building that I can create the way that it fulfills my needs. Buildings like that should be the future . people would be much more satisfied and happy...
And there are quite a lot people out there who would like to live in fantastic spaces like yours...
I wish you all the best in your efforts to move on and re-build . You are an example of artistic individualism and that gives me hope and makes me smile

So, what's going on now? I haven't seen anyone going in or out - no construction... when are they going to start rebuilding?

It has been a while since I have posted any information about Broken Angel. I wanted to put out a public statement about the removal of the top of the building.
Prior to any court orders we removed all burnt and dangerous structures from Broken Angel. However this was not enough for the Department of Buildings, we were brought back to court repeatedly so that they could attempt to get us to remove as much of the building as possible. Initially we were hesitant to remove the entire top of the structure because we were afraid that they would not allow us to re-build up to the height in the Brooklyn skyline that Broken Angel has occupied for the last 20 years. Our fears have been realized and the DOB has so far successfully blocked any plans to rebuild the structure to its original height. What follows is a description of the events leading up to the demolition of the top structure of Broken Angel.
On May 2, 2007 Judge Sylvia Hinds-Radix ordered the removal of the fire damaged portion of Broken Angel. The order was loosely termed and left it up to the city to determine the extent of the demolition. Prior to this order the Department of buildings had signed a court agreement to require demolition of the wooden structure down to the fifth floor. We felt it was in the best interest of Broken Angel to comply with the new order thus keeping the city from demolishing at their whim the irreplaceable artistic structures which give the building its unique character. We were only given 10 days to finish all demolition and comply with the order. Thanks to Action Construction we were able to meet this deadline on such short notice. We were then brought back to court by the DOB because they accused us of not complying as they wanted all masonry created by my father removed and the building returned to its original plain box like structure. The Judge ruled against them because the original plans on which they had signed off included preserving all additional masonry incorporated into the building during the past 27 years. Now the DOB has blocked additional work on the building because again they are accusing us of not complying with the original plans. In this particular case the “dangerous” offense was that we filled in an arch with concrete and replaced part of an existing fire escape. Suspiciously, this recent stop work order was placed on the building shortly after my father refused to drop a pending law suit that he has against the city of NY for abusing his civil rights. Through out this entire process we have attempted to comply with the DOBs demands. Originally the DOB spokesperson Jennifer Givner made statements to Brooklyn Review on BCAT and the Daily News that my parents would be allowed to occupy the building once the structural dangers were dealt with. Now the very look of the building is being dictated by the DOB and no willingness has been shown to lift the vacate order even though the building has been deemed structurally sound.
With the help of a growing community of architects, activists, politicians and engineers we have worked hard to meet the demands of the Department of Buildings. These people have generously donated their time and energy to this cause because they were all in some way touched by the creativity and beauty of this unusual Brooklyn landmark. The department of Buildings and the City of New York should drop their campaign of harassment and recognize that Brooklyn wants the building that Arthur Wood envisioned, not another boring box of bricks. Why is our building under such scrutiny while other buildings in NY have actually collapsed? To this day people from all over the world still come to view the shell that was once Broken Angel. We are returning to court on July 18th with a new Judge. Broken Angel needs public support more than ever. Hopefully in court we can get the Department of Buildings to allow us to rebuild our home, if so someday there will really be something there for people to see. If you are interested in viewing pictures of Broken Angel you can see them at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/onebadapple/ . In addition you may want to check out the developers blog: http://www.brownstoner.com/anangelrises/ . Finally my father has also released a statement you can view this and a trailer for a film about what has been occurring at Broken Angel at: http://www.rumur.tv/brokenangelletter trailer at: http://www.rumur.tv/brokenangel
Sincerely, Christopher Wood
chriswood718@yahoo.com