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May 17, 2007
364 Myrtle Avenue: Scarano Strikes Again
When the new four-story building at 364 Myrtle Avenue in Fort Greene came on the market in early 2006, the reception on this site was generally positive. We thought the design, while not our favorite, added some excitement to one of Fort Greene's unloved stretches. In addition to the generous proportions of the three apartments (which ranged from 1,500 and 1,700 square feet), these apartment boasted 17-foot high ceilings. And mezzanines. Which should have been the red flag to anyone who was paying attention. The initial asking prices of $877,000, $890,000 and $919,000 were too high and the listings languished until the summer when a 10-15% price cut across the board attracted interest. By Labor Day of last year, all three were in contract, with promised closing dates of early November. It wasn't until around Christmas that buyers wre told that it could be another couple of months until closing. It seems there was some delay with the Certificate of Occupancy. In a black hole of communication, one buyer managed to get into the building when he walked by and saw some workers on site. When he got up to his apartment, he saw the appliances had been ripped out. A leak from the top floor had poured down into lower apartments and the bannisters were rusting already. His panicked call to the listing broker yielded the admission that the hold-up had to do with problems with the mezzanines and plans that had been incorrectly filed. The architect? Robert Scarano. With the expected delay now projected at one to two years, the developer let all three buyers out of their contracts. All three listings remain on the Corcoran site as of this morning.
364 Myrtle Avenue [Corcoran] GMAP P*Shark DOB
Set Speed Condo Report: 364 Myrtle Avenue [Brownstoner]
What's Up With The New Building on Myrtle? [Brownstoner]
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Comments
when is the state going to revoke this guy's license already? how many people need to suffer before the state recognizes that he has betrayed the public trust?
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 9:29 AM
In brownstoner's eyes this building is more attractive and appropriate for the neighborhood then 322 Myrtle show on the site earlier this week? Wouldn't you want the developer of this lot to build with exterior material that are a little more red than black to match the neighboring buildings? Wouldn't you want the developer to have built at a height consistent with the buildings that surround it? Not everything is supposed to match, Brooklyn neighborhoods are all a hodgepodge of different styles reflecting different times. I still can't get over the negative reception for 322 Myrtle earlier this week. It would seem that when developers don't just take the easy way out and stick a cinder block fedders monstrocity on a lot with gas meters and the like protruding from the exterior we should be grateful. 322 isn't perfect match for the buildings that surround it but neither is anything being built nowadays. This building - even if there were no internal problems - is far less contextual and appropriate than 322. Maybe I'm just bugged out.
Posted by: Ranting and raging at May 17, 2007 9:43 AM
why do people keep buying in Scarano buildings? If the city doesn't stop him, at least the consumers can try by not buying his product.
Posted by: cocoonexpert at May 17, 2007 10:00 AM
I heard they are working a deal for Planet Pleasure to take over the space. They were having trouble securing enough pink neon to trim the building however.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 10:01 AM
Dunno - I didn't follow the 322 Myrtle thread, but it looks to me like a poster child for why simply matching building heights or using "traditional" materials does not make a building contextual. There really is no design there. For me, the Scarano building is far more interesting, and a more positive addition to the neighbohood.
And yes, the mezzanines make it too tall, but that doesn't mean you have to match cornice heights to be contextual.
Posted by: Halden at May 17, 2007 10:01 AM
hey brownstoner, can you name another architect in brooklyn besides scarano? what's your deal with him? at this point it's just sad and petty. one architect does not a borough make.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 10:09 AM
Hey speaking of Planet Pleasure I noticed that they have painted the building and there is work going on inside. Anyone know what it will be?
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 10:11 AM
You must have a blindspot for all the Boymelgreen posts, 10:09.
Posted by: EJ at May 17, 2007 10:16 AM
Are there any satisfied Scarano buyers out there? I'm about to buy into one of his buildings, and am curious if he has built anything without major construction flaws.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 10:19 AM
10:19 - you need to look at the track record of the contractor and developer, not just the architect. The former have a lot more influence over the quality of the finished product than the latter.
10:09 - Radusky gets his fair share too!
Posted by: Halden at May 17, 2007 10:29 AM
boymelgreen is not an architect, EJ. instead of blaming scarano, maybe brownstoner should be blaming the developer's group. haven't heard that name thrown about much on this blog.
Posted by: 10:09 at May 17, 2007 10:31 AM
Just occupy the apartment and ignore DOB. DOB is a joke and same with the CO permitting process. The DOB is still extremely corrupt and if this building didn't get so much attention you could have just paid off the department and received a temporary CofO.
Trust me! Just go and live in your apartment, change the lock, get a lawyer the reclaim your appliances and you're set. The lending bank will work with you on the loan as long as you make your payments. No one will care - it's your apartment, don't let the city holdup prevent you from claiming your space.
Posted by: Anon at May 17, 2007 10:32 AM
You can't get a mortgage without the C of O so I hope you're paying all cash, 10:32
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 10:33 AM
"boymelgreen is not an architect, EJ."
Fair enough, since the question was about architects. But in the broader sense, I was trying to suggest what Halden mentioned - that the developer (and contractor) have a lot to do with how things come out, and Boymelgreen is definitely very influential in the way his projects go (and I believe he uses his son-in-law's company as contractor and his architects are closely connected as well). But this is *really* digressing.
Posted by: EJ at May 17, 2007 10:40 AM
as to Planet Pleasure:
527 Myrtle Ave
looks like it is being converted to an F-4 eating or drinking establishment
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 10:47 AM
"hey brownstoner, can you name another architect in brooklyn besides scarano? what's your deal with him?"
There's me, of course.
***
And yes, if you want to know if a building is built right, follow the trail that starts with the developer and goes to a contractor. Few people these days will pay an architect enough to comprehensively administer a building during construction, and no architect would put their professional liability insurance on the line trying to directly control construction.
The rule is: an architect specifies what the detail should be, and what the end result should be, but the contractor is free to chose how to construct it, and ultimately it is the contractor who is responsible for construction (and, the developer who hired the contractor).
--an architect in Brooklyn
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 10:52 AM
We bought into a Scarano building before all the hoopla over mezzanines - we were one of those mezzanine apartments, too. We absolutely loved the apartment and our problems were all contractor-ish (a leak that they fixed, for example) more than architecture. There were some dumb things, like the bedroom that would be neither heated nor cooled by the central ac because of too small ducts. But on the whole, a gorgeous apartment and we made a ton of money when we sold it 2.5 years later with some minor improvements (built-ins, closets, etc).
I wish Scarano would embrace the mezzanines in whatever fashion is legally required and stop this insanity with filing it the wrong way - our original floorplans called our entire second floor "storage" even though it was partially open mezzanine and partially a big room (which we made our bedroom). If they would just call them what they are - proper 2 bedrooms with lofty, lovely mezzanines. We were definitely admirers of the style. Too bad about the shifty dealings.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 10:54 AM
Speaking of Developers Group, whatever happened over at the Spencer building? Are people happy there? I never see units for sale, was the C of O issue resolved?
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 11:10 AM
The above Scarano buyer is a perfect example of why mezzanines are wrong.
Scarano files the mezzanines as "storage", which seems legit. Owner comes in a converts said "storage" space into a bedroom. Effectively creating Living Area that technically doesn't exist.
The shifty dealers are the owners and brokers who misrepresent their properties.
If you bought a one bedroom with "storage" then its a one bedroom with "storage", not a 2-bedroom.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 11:13 AM
Here's the likely link between Scarano and all the construction problems. A developer's use of Scarano is a pretty clear sign that a developer is willing to go beyond merely cutting corners and do whatever he can get away with to maximize profit (and no, there's nothing wrong with making an honest buck, but that's not what's goin gon here).
One of the architect's first functions in this context is to tell the developer what he can build on a given site. Scarano gets all these jobs because other architects tell developers that they can't build as much as Scarano tells them they can build. Scarano uses the mezzanines among other tricks to get DOB approval to build far more square footage than zoning allows under a proper reading of the zoning laws (this is part of what got him into so much trouble with DOB). Indeed, Scarano built his business on these mezzanines not because they are so wonderful (that is a matter of taste on which reasonable people may disagree) but because the mezzanines are how he sold himself to developers as being able to help them build more than other architects were willing to sign off on.
It is likely then that the same developers who want a Scarano building because they get, in essence, a stealthy and unlawful boost in FAR in the absence of an alert DOB are also likely to play fast and loose with other things, too, like construction(these developers have been around the block long enough to know Scarano plays fast and loose with zoning). In short, a developer's choice of Scarano tells you quite a bit about the developer's overall approach. Scarano gets a lot of attention on this site precisely because he has run into so much publicized trouble, in Brooklyn, with his attempts to be "creative" with FAR, mezzanines and such.
So while Scarano is not necessarily charged with supervising the construction and can't be presumed responsible for exclusively construction-related problems, a Scarano-designed development is one I would be cautious about because the developer may be willing to take on the same degree of risk and illegality on the construction end as on the design end.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 11:41 AM
Wow, that was eloquent.
Posted by: Brownstoner at May 17, 2007 11:46 AM
Anon 11:10. You must have missed this news report (not surprising since Brownstoner didn't mention it). The Spencer situation is still not resolved.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxJe7rLH0Jw
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 11:56 AM
Great post, 11:41 am.
--an architect in Brooklyn
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 11:58 AM
Bring back planet pleasure
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 12:00 PM
Damn I actually thought about buying this place at one point last year, but I thought it was kind of pricey to begin with. Danmn crooks and scammers --- brokers are just as bad.
Posted by: yea-buddy at May 17, 2007 12:03 PM
Maybe if the zoning laws were less restrictive, developers could build buildings big enough to satisfy the demand in the area without having to get "creative" a la Scarano mezzanines.
Posted by: anonymous at May 17, 2007 12:05 PM
It is unfortunate that it is mostly the developers who used Scarano to knowingly cheat on their overbuilt projects who have suffered from the DOB fallout. Scarano himself has hasn't had to bear much more than a slap on the wrist. I'm sure his business has decreased somewhat now that the developers who used to hire him for his creative flouting can now only get from him the same thing they can get from any architect. I doubt he's worried though. I'm sure he's dreaming up some new nuance of the zoning resolution that can be taken advantage of to bring all of that shady business back.
Posted by: Shahn Andersen at May 17, 2007 12:14 PM
Maybe if every building was 100 stories tall, there would be no housing crisis Anon 12:05. Who cares about light and air, and insignificant things like that?
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 12:18 PM
100 stories built out of wood- I mean who needs building codes either.
Those chicks in the Triangle factory deserved to die.
Bravo 11:41
Posted by: Max at May 17, 2007 12:26 PM
You want light and air, move to a landmarked district or the suburbs. Or live near the top of a tall building. Elsewhere on the site there's all this oohing and ahing about the views from the williamsburgh saving bank/one hanson place bldg. Plenty of light and air up there. Under current zoning laws you can't build anything that tall nearly anywhere. Result is scarano mezzanines as buyers try to get some affordable space. Nice for those few who have $2 million or $3 million to spend on a brownstone or have lived here for years and have a rent stabilized situation, but city is left unable to accomodate population increases.
Posted by: anonymous 12:05 at May 17, 2007 1:14 PM
"Unable to accomodate"?!? You're right. Bloomberg is predicting that all of the million new New Yorkers in 2020 will be homeless Anon 1:14.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 1:31 PM
"Under current zoning laws you can't build anything that tall nearly anywhere."
Except, of course, Ratner and his AY, since Bloomberg's allowing him to bypass ULURP.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 1:42 PM
It doesn't look good for his building 231 16th Street... Looks like they( DoB) are pulling the plug on that one.http://a810-bisweb.nyc.gov/bisweb/OverviewForComplaintServlet?requestid=2&vlcompdetlkey=0000887584
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 2:38 PM
I didn't know it was still so bad at the Spencer. Thanks for the link. Geez, we almost bought there....
Posted by: Anonymous at May 17, 2007 3:30 PM
I don't think I'd buy in any new developments, only established buildings at this point. I'm sure some of them are fine but there are a lot of horror stories.
Posted by: jvf at May 17, 2007 10:38 PM
It's gonna be Plan Eat Pleasure.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 18, 2007 9:28 AM
I'm getting in late on this thread, but I happen to live just down the street. On more than one occasion, I've walked by during a downpour and noticed that some or all of the windows in the building were wide open. Nice touch.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 19, 2007 1:36 PM
First, 5/17/07 11:41 am, interpreting the building code and zoning resolution is not for the faint of heart. The unfortunate part is that right now all of the people who are left at the agencies have never had a history of interpreting the various sections because they are new which is why they are having difficulty reviewing my work.
To call someone shady who is trying to utilize all the opportunities one has is silly since that person who can find oportunities is the one that succeeds.
As far as mr sahn "WANABE DEVELOPER" anderson is concerned please continue worrying about the raping you are doing to the angel now that you are forced to take it down because your dream team couldn"t fiqure out how to make it legal and stay.
Our projects brought modern Architecture to Brooklyn and many of the people who bought into them are not BLOG FREAKS who spend all day worrying about other peoples business instead of their own which is why you do not hear from them.
The unfortunate part of this story is the hundreds of millions of dollars of waste that has been caused by smart people who only say but never do and cry until out of disgust someone listens to them. (You out there Lost in Brooklyn?)
The ironic thing is that out of the 300 jobs reviewed non had to be altered.
Walk in someone else's shoes before speaking or at least know something about what you speak of.
Posted by: Scarano at May 19, 2007 5:37 PM
Hey Scarano,
Get a life. You've got bigger problems than Lost in Brooklyn to worry about.
Posted by: SS at May 20, 2007 10:12 AM
Wow, Scarano tells us he is a slimy shit as a defense.
Posted by: Anonymous at May 20, 2007 10:53 AM
Sorry Bob, no need to spar this time. I see enough folks are doing a good enough job.
How's the two-one-one coming along?
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at May 21, 2007 10:45 AM
Hey Lost in Brooklyn, Why don"t you post one of your fantastic graphic marketing adds so we can enjoy your work as much as you do mine.
By the way you should be happy to know that the BSA, CPC and the DOB are approving a Seven story job at your corner next week.
Thats the 411.
Posted by: Scarano at May 22, 2007 9:04 AM
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