Water Street Showdown: Guttman to Gut Dumbo?

building
If you’re wondering what the next preservation fight is gonna be, we’ve got a pretty good idea. Joshua Guttman, who has earned almost universal contempt for the lack of respect he has shown for both his tenants and the building code, is prepping to tear down 205 Water/188 Plymouth Street in Dumbo, we hear. The way things are shaking out, it’s going to be a sprint to the finish line. Preservationists (including the DUMBO Neighborhood Association) are scrambling to save the 19th Century foundry, which was built by E.W. Bliss, a builder of the Brooklyn Bridge, just as Guttman is erecting a scaffolding. Landmarks may hold a hearing as soon as next month but it’s not clear whether Guttman will have already received the green light to begin demolition before then. As an aside, it looks like Scarano was the architect of record on this project last Spring until he lost his self-certification rights. GMAP DOB

By Brownstoner |