Astute observers of architecture in Greenpoint may have noticed a curious phenomenon: Several dozen small apartment buildings scattered throughout the neighborhood, most sporting red brick facades, balconies and white columns, and all named “Belvedere.” Turns out the style and the name started with one development firm, the Times discovered. The name refers to the Belvedere Palace, the state house of the president of Poland, where the original partners in the firm are from. Critical opinion on their architectural merits is mixed. “They could be worse,” said an architect and Greenpoint resident. “Their heart is in the right place; I think they’re trying to be contextual,” said Matthew Coody, founder of Preservation Greenpoint. The style, however, is catching on: A different developer liked the look of the building and hired a Belvedere architect to construct “Osho Castle,” a similar development right down the block from Belvedere XXX.
Building Condos by the Numbers, Skipping Some Along the Way [NY Times]
Belvedere XXVII by catasterist


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