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October 18, 2006

Feddersland

houses
It's always fun to meet someone who shares a passion with you. We've never met the person who goes by Polychrome on Flickr but it's fair to say she is similarly obsessed with the plague of Fedders houses gradually taking over vacant lots across some of the boroughs poorer neighborhoods. Polychrome assembled a photo set last week of Fedders houses in the four blocks bounded by New York and Brooklyn Avenues and Maple and Midwood Streets in Crown Heights. It's particularly depressing given what an incredible original housing stock the area has. View 'em and weep.
Feddersland Set [Flickr]




Posted by Brownstoner at 10:03 AM | Comments (15)
Categories: Development

Comments

Enough already!!!! Yes, I hate these buildings too and count myself lucky that I my finances mean that I will never be forced to buy one. But lets face it, low and middle income New Yorkers have to live somewhere and until the Richard Meir's of the world start including affordable units in their developments these types of houses will keeping going up and people who care more about having a roof (that they can afford) over their heads instead of whether the bricks on the fascade was salvaged from a 1820's 4 story, 40 foot brownstone, will keep buying them!!

Posted by: Anonymous at October 18, 2006 10:59 AM

I predict that some day, these will be come tear downs. people will spend a million plus for them and put up faux brownstones.

Posted by: natester at October 18, 2006 11:29 AM

Hm, and it comes with a Succot hut in Biblical Blue Tarp. And portholes. The Q for me is: Why must they suck just because they're for 'lower' or 'middle' income? Why is decent design a 'luxury'? I'm not asking why they don't have exotic bamboo floors and jacuzzis, just WHY MUST THEY SUCK SO BADLY?

Posted by: brenda from flatbush at October 18, 2006 12:30 PM

Good design does not mean expensive. It can be done only requires some vision.

Posted by: GrandPa at October 18, 2006 1:18 PM

Brenda from flatbush, decent design is expensive - which is why it is a luxury. I am not defending these developers, but I understand (from a purely economic perspective) why take the cheapest possible route - and yes, cheap is ugly. Us brownstoners (or wannbees) complaining will not make a difference. The really impact will come if and when the target market for these buildings starting caring about their "design" - i am not holding my breath.

Posted by: Anonymous at October 18, 2006 1:18 PM

Anonymous, you're probably right in not holding your breath. This country is waaay behind on the esthetic scale. Some social housing in Holland looks better than some luxury condos here in Brooklyn.

That new development on Flatbush near Park Slope, with the silver aluminum balconies? Or the supposedly avantgarde monstrosity on Astor Plcae? They stopped building those in Europe in the early Nineties.

As for the Fedders building, my guess is the people who live there are perfectly happy with them, so I don't see the point of getting snooty over their supposed lack of taste. What does bother me is similarly ugly buildings being passed off as luxury condos on the edges of Park Slope (15th street, I believe).

Posted by: Anonymous at October 18, 2006 1:48 PM

May I suggest changing the name of this site to www.ihatefedders.com? It'd be much more descriptive than the current name.

Posted by: Anonymous at October 18, 2006 2:48 PM

I walk to work from Prospect Lefferts and walk through all these blocks frequently. Fedders houses may be ugly but the vacant lots that used to exist were atrocious, dangerous, a waste of space and down right depressing.

The real crime is the asking price for many of these homes in an area with low-to-moderate income people and a minimum 10-minute walk to the subway.

Posted by: Lefferts Lady at October 18, 2006 4:40 PM

Just curious, what is the typical asking price for these types of houses.

Posted by: Anonymous at October 18, 2006 5:22 PM

alot of people i know hate brownstones cause thats what they grew up with and it used to mean you were in a poor area. lol

my mom loves those fredders cause it used to mean youre not in a ghetto anymore.

Posted by: armchair_warrior at October 18, 2006 6:08 PM

funny how the world changes 5:22

Posted by: Anonymous at October 18, 2006 6:35 PM

that's why middle class people buy the brownstones from the poor people and renovate them - everyone thinks they came out ahead.

Posted by: Anonymous at October 18, 2006 6:50 PM

Now that we've gotten rid of habeas corpus, can't we arrest these "developers" as enemy combatants and send them away where the can do no more damage to the landscape? :-)

Posted by: Anonymous at October 19, 2006 11:25 AM

uglification

Posted by: licdude at October 19, 2006 11:27 AM

Anonymous 10:59: No, Never Enough! These are a plague. And the plague has nothing to do with low income housing. Check the prices of a new Fedders Building. The plague has to do with greedy, ignorant "developers" lining their pockets at the communities expense.
Anonymous 2:48: Ihatefedders.com = ilovebrownstones.com They are intrinsically linked.

Posted by: SeamusMacD at October 19, 2006 11:33 AM

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