Do or Die Time for Cass Gilbert's 184 Kent Avenue

Yassky on the developer's side? what a shock.

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 10:05 AM

A shock for whom?
Not for me.
I always considered David Yassky to be one of the most qualified people in the city counsel, and here is one more example.
The whole waterfront will change its looks, with buildings going up as high as 50 floors, yet there no opposition, and sheer silence by those "community groups", and here, you got one UGLY, yes, UGLY building on the waterfront, bought in full price by a Hassidic Jew, and all of the sudden everybody is up in arms.
Shame On You!!
I hope it is jealousy, not something worse.
Thanks for informing me about the hearings, as I hope to be there to support the developer.

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 10:27 AM

i actually don't think this building is ugly

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 10:32 AM

Um, Anonymous who thinks there was silence from the community, are you living in a cave? There were enormous turn-outs on all the rezoning hearings and community groups worked on the rezoning for years. Throwing out the weird ethnic comment about the owner is also immaterial - he's owned the building since the early 1980's, and under his ownership, it converted from manufacturing to residential. He has also recently emptied the building of almost all the lawful, market-rate paying tenants. The point behind the landmark designation is not to prevent him from "developing" the building, it's to protect a significant piece of architecture by a major American architect.

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 10:42 AM

a significant piece of architecture".
Is it on the other side of the building?
Because as far as I see on the picture above, its four walls and windows, that’s all.
And about the race card, look on the comments from Yesterday on the south slope rezoning, and tell me who is playing the race card.

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 11:05 AM

i lke the building in question

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 11:23 AM

Personally, I would rather not see more floors added to this building. There are enough high-rises already going up in the neighborhood and we don't need another one.

However, anyone who honestly thinks this building should be landmarked is clearly smoking something. It is just a big ugly box. There is absolutely nothing interesting architecturally about this building.

People are abusing the landmark status here to try to stop the building from being developed. If landmark status is abused too much, then it just might not be around when it is really needed.

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 11:44 AM

Since when does significant architecture have to have flippery & jigsaw drippy Victorian geegaws? This building is an austere and striking example of Modernism with subtle flourishes - the unsual coved cornice and rhythmic fenestration patterns are well-suited to the momumentality of the building. BTW - the windows are over three feet wide each, and are only seperated by 1 foot of wall space, giving the interior essentially 10 feet of window space.

This building was culled out in the rezoning documents as a building worthy of preservation, one of only 13 in Williamsburg to be so noted (which speaks to a broader issue of a lack of appreciation of historic buildings in the area, but even in that flawed document, this warehouse was recognised.)

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 11:59 AM

i used to live in this building....it was amazing and simple....i am tired of developers coming in and trashing everything in the name or ornate....what they are doing to the williamsbug/greenpoint area is wrong. i believe in progression but at what cost?

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 12:20 PM

"i believe in progression but at what cost?"
Who the hell are you to decide what to with someone else's property, because of your "believes"?
And to all of the people out there who "believe" that this building has to be landmarked, the same people will turn out in masses to protest when the Government will seize properties for the Ratner project under the "Eminent Domain" act.
Come on, can the Government, President, do what he wants with your money, body etc. to follow his believes, or he cannot?
Its his building, he paid for it, let him decide what to do with it

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 12:33 PM

if everyone thought that way we would live in houses made out of plastic bags.

Posted by: Anonymous at November 18, 2005 2:26 PM

Calm down everyone, it seems the tensions are high her as well, we don't have to wait for the hearings.
Personally, I think that the waterfront rezoning was a disaster, but now that it happened, I can't see how this building will do anything to preserve the history of this wonderful neighborhood, especially when you look at the picture above.
Maybe I will go down today to look at the building myself, since I see that is a burning issue in the community

Posted by: Anonymous at November 20, 2005 9:00 AM