Cracked, Mirrored Building Coming to Graham Avenue in Greenpoint
Mirrored cracks are a common theme in two buildings architect firm Charles Mallea is planning for Bed Stuy and Greenpoint. The same architect whose cracked and mirrored design for 410 Tompkins Avenue upset locals is planning a similar building at 555 Graham Avenue in Greenpoint, pictured above. The Greenpoint building will not feature mirrored cracks…
Mirrored cracks are a common theme in two buildings architect firm Charles Mallea is planning for Bed Stuy and Greenpoint. The same architect whose cracked and mirrored design for 410 Tompkins Avenue upset locals is planning a similar building at 555 Graham Avenue in Greenpoint, pictured above.
The Greenpoint building will not feature mirrored cracks all around but rather just one that appears to split the building in two. Because the mirrored section is less jagged than the ones on the Bed Stuy building, it looks more modern and less like lightning bolts. It provides a focal point for the facade and marks the building’s entrance.
As for the details on the building, technically an addition, it will have four stories and 14 apartments. The rendering was first published by New York YIMBY last week.
Charles Mallea has several major buildings in progress in north and central Brooklyn. The ones whose designs have been published are much more conventional. Examples include the 57-unit building replacing a laundromat at 75 Ralph Avenue in Bed Stuy and a 14-unit building at 774 Bushwick Avenue in Bushwick, both pictured below.
What do you think of the look of 555 Graham Avenue?
Revealed: 555 Graham Avenue, Greenpoint Residential Conversion and Expansion [NYY]
Charles Mallea Coverage [Brownstoner]
Renderings by Charles Mallea
Above, 410 Tompkins Avenue.
The building above will have 57 units and replace a laundromat at 75 Ralph Avenue in Bed Stuy.
Above, a 14-unit building planned for 774 Bushwick Avenue in Bushwick.
Here is the contact info for the architect of 410 Tompkins – anyone that is unhappy with that design (as am I) should call and complain. It is a travesty – almost a slap in the face of the surrounding neighborhood.
Lets all let this architect know that we don’t want to look at this design – neighborhood unite!
Charles Mallea Architect
(646) 833-8503
cmallea@malleaarchitect.com
No.
If, as seems likely, the real address is 555 Graham Ave., it would replace what was once – at least until the late 1920’s – the site of the Public Palace movie theater. This small theater – which did not survive the transition from silent movies to talkies – was converted into a residential plus retail/meeting hall building that bore no resenblance to its former identity. The old building will now apparently soon disappear.
By the way, the Cinema Treasures bolg has a small, though interesting – especially if you like my posts – page on the old theater. hope you like it.
http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/17101
Just walked by…it gone
Is it 55 Graham or 555 Graham?
Reflective buildings also have negative influences on their surroundings. Just look what happened with Gehry’s design for the Walt Disney Hall in LA: the reflective exterior metal surfaces had to be sandblasted to both minimize the glare they created (which can be dangerous to drivers), and to reduce the elevation in interior temperature that the reflection created in the surrounding buildings: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/dec/07/arts.usa
just re-read my post – yes, I have some typos -everyone “rights” instead of “writes”, etc. Addressing those now before those corrections…
just re-read my post – yes, I have some typos -everyone “rights” their own opinion instead of “writes”, etc. Addressing those now before those corrections…
is it fair to tar and feather the neighborhood? The owner of this building does not care – they are developers. the don’t live there and probably never will. They are vasco ventures – supreme neighborhood flippers du jour.
Does the architect want to be listed in the guidebooks for “ugliest building in Brooklyn”? That ought to draw a lot of tourists but not for the right reasons. If I was that architect, I’d rather read these reviews before building is built so I could change the design.
true, this is my opinion (but everyone rights their own opinion – that’s the point of the board!), however if you read through various comment sections about this building (and not just on brownstoner but on Curbed, etc.) you will see my view of the design shared by many. So should we all just sit back and see an eyesore being built in our community? If you see something, say something!